Life is all about creating your own path and Roberto Campanella knows about that. Originally from Rome, Roberto had a successful dance career joining his first company, Compagnia Italiana di Danza Contemporanea, at the age of 17. He eventually leaped to Toronto to dance for The National Ballet of Canada, where he began choreographing. Since then, Roberto has had a stellar career in teaching, choreographing, and directing. One of his most notable credits was choreographing the Academy Award-winning film The Shape of Water.
Roberto is currently preparing his Toronto-based dance company, ProArteDanza, for its world premiere of The 9th, a contemporary ballet set to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. This work is a collaborative piece with Robert Glumbek, and is set to premiere at the 19th annual Chutzpah! Festival in Vancouver, October 24 - November 24, 2019.
In my exclusive #BoysDanceToo interview with Roberto, he recalls his dance journey, how he forged his own path, what brought him to Canada, and more.
How did you get into dance and how old were you when you started?
“I started training at the age of 11 in Rome, Italy, where I was born and raised. But my passion for dance started before 11-years-old, essentially as long as I can remember. My mum tells stories of me at the age of 4 dancing all over the house as soon as music was on.”
Besides ballet, what other dance styles have you studied?
“I come from a dance school that believed in the versatility of the dancer. Our extracurricular disciplines ranged from Neo-Classical and Jazz to African-Cuban dance.”
What was your path to becoming a professional dancer like? For example, did you get hired by Compagnie Italiana di Danza Contemporanea (CIDC) immediately after you graduated from the school? Did you start as an Apprentice with the company?
“I had a brief period of apprentice status in the CIDC just before I turned 17. I was hired as a full member just a few months after that.”
What brought you to the National Ballet of Canada (NBOC)?
“A woman! Her name is Joanna Ivey, mother of my two beautiful and smart daughters, Maya and Giorgia. Joanna is also the co-founder and Vice President of ProArteDanza. We met in Italy where we were dancing for the same dance company, Aterballetto. We soon started dating and eventually started living together.
Photo credit: Instagram @roberto_campanella
During one of our layoffs from the company Joanna auditioned and was given a contract at the NBOC. I followed her a few months after she joined the company. I was lucky that during my stay in Toronto and taking class with the NBOC, the Artistic Director (Reid Anderson) was looking for a male dancer.”
What has been your favourite show that you did during your dance career?
“I was enjoyed a lot the mixed programs, the more neo-classical/contemporary choreography pieces - which means that I have fond memories of works such as the Rite of Spring by Glen Tetley and Kylian’s Soldiers’ Mass by Jiří Kylián, just to name a few.”
What made you want to transition from being a dancer to a teacher and choreographer?
“I became a choreographer because of a friend and a colleague of mine from the National Ballet of Canada (NBOC). In those days, I was out because my back wasn’t really cooperating while the NBOC Choreographic Workshop was happening, which is an opportunity for dancers from the company to explore creating.
I guess I was sick and tired of this friend of mine being so insistent about me being one of the choreographers that I ended putting my name down. That was 1995 and that was the beginning.”
Photo credit: Instagram @roberto_campanella
Can you tell me a bit about The 9th? How did this concept come about and what has the creative process been like?
“It’s a very unusual way to go about it. For starters, it’s a co-creation with Robert Glumbek, ProArteDanza Associate Director. The current concept came about after we had already presented the first movement. And, it took us 10 years to put it together, which is happening as we speak.
Claire Mayer, Artistic Director of Dansencore in Trois Rivieres, QC, commissioned me and Robert the first movement of The 9th in 2009. In 2010, I found myself in Berlin shooting a movie and during one of my days off, I went to visit the Berlin Wall.
In one of the audio and video stations that tells you about the history of the wall, I was taken by some of the footage that was showing and for some bizarre reason I thought of our Beethoven’s 9th. I asked myself, ‘could it be that the Berlin Wall and/or a wall be the conceptual pillar of our The 9th?’. Here we are still ploughing ahead with that same concept.”
What led you to choreographing The Shape of Water?
“The Shape of Water is the result of my collaboration with Guillermo del Toro and his producing team led by Miles Dale. By then I had already been part of that team for 4 years when at some point Guillermo called me in the office and started telling me about the movie.
On the set of The Shape of Water. Photo credit: Roberto Campanella
I had a few seconds of confusion when he asked me to choreograph a beautiful duet with a woman and a fish! But then, knowing Guillermo as an incredible visionary, I quickly recovered and got to work.”
Can you briefly describe the experience of working on The Shape of Water? For example, what was the creative experience like and what did you enjoy about it?
“Working with/for Guillermo is just fascinating to say the least - he knows what he wants and he can make you see it. Sally Hawkins and I would be in the studio 3 times a week for 3 hours, and then eventually Doug Jones joined us for the duet part. I feel very lucky that the whole cast was so gracious with me all the time, including Richard Jenkins who’s a real gentleman.”
What are your top 3 dance movies of all time?
“Growing up me and my dad were pretty obsessed with American musicals and Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly…I have to say that I was in awe of Gene Kelly.”
What are your top 3 favourite foods?
“Before I became Vegan, my mamma’s meat lasagna! And my mamma’s artichokes, and my mamma’s pasta!”
What kind of music do you like listening to?
“Probably due to what I do, my taste ranges from Post Malone to Bartok J It’s pretty eclectic and it depends on the mood I’m in. It’s classical music when I’m really tired.”
When not working on dance-related work, what do you like to do in your spare time?
“I don’t have spare time!!! Lol.”
The 19th annual Chutzpah! Festival in Vancouver, runs October 24 - November 24, 2019.
ProArteDanza’s The 9th. Photo credit: Aleksandar Antonijevic; Instagram @asquaredphoto