From 10 July to 3 August 2026, 14 outstanding dancers from the new generation, selected from the world’s leading academies, will perform in the artistic project by Il Balletto di Venezia. They will be guided by a prestigious faculty led by Alessio Carbone, with the extraordinary participation of Sylvie Guillem.
An international tour, fourteen exceptional young talents and the guidance of some of the greatest icons in world dance: the third edition of Stelle di Domani promises to be a major event. From 10 July to 3 August, outstanding emerging dance talents will perform in Venice, Dublin, Florence, Moncalvo and Andorra.
Held under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Culture and under the artistic direction of Alessio Carbone, former Principal Dancer at the Paris Opéra and founder of Il Balletto di Venezia, these exceptional graduates, selected from the world’s leading dance academies, will receive their first professional contract as dancers and work with a faculty of the highest calibre.
“The major new feature this year is the presence of an outstanding faculty, with the extraordinary participation of dance legend Sylvie Guillem as Maître de Ballet. We will also be joined by international étoile Olga Smirnova as Ballet Mistress, alongside major names in contemporary choreography. For the talents of the 2026 edition, learning from artists of this calibre will be a unique experience, and we are truly delighted to have them with us,” says Alessio Carbone.
The 2026 season opens in Venice, where Il Balletto di Venezia and its flagship project were born. In the evocative setting of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, the dancers will perform among Tintoretto’s magnificent canvases, which make the Sala Capitolare one of the masterpieces of sixteenth-century Italian art.
The Italian dates include an appearance at the Florence Dance Festival and an artistic residency at Orsolina28 Art Foundation in Moncalvo, in the province of Asti. Here, the dancers of Stelle di Domani will discover and interpret creations by internationally renowned choreographers including Medhi Walerski, Simone Valastro, Ruaidhrí Maguire, Mauro De Candia, Kinsun Chan and Daniel Proietto. The result will be a performance that brings together the great classical and neoclassical tradition with a fresh, contemporary approach.
The programme also includes two international dates. On 13 July, the Grand Dance Gala will take place in Dublin at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
“With some of Europe’s finest young dancers, this year’s Grand Gala will celebrate not only their extraordinary artistry, but also the growing cultural bridge between Ireland and Venice, united by the timeless language of dance,” explains Gerardine Connolly, co-founder of Il Balletto di Venezia.
The grand finale of the 2026 edition of Stelle di Domani will take place in Andorra la Vella, at Editorial Andorra, inaugurating a prestigious new partnership created with the aim of bringing high-level dance performances to the small Principality nestled in the Pyrenees.
“Preparing this third edition of Stelle di Domani is a source of profound joy for me,” concludes Alessio Carbone. “Each year, more and more people believe in this project. And this, I am certain, is only the beginning.”
THE ACADEMIES AND THE DANCERS
They are between 17 and 19 years old, and they share one dream: to make dance their life. The talents of Stelle di Domani 2026 were carefully selected by Alessio Carbone through a talent-scouting journey across Europe and the United States. They come from exceptional institutions including Académie Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo, Accademia Teatro alla Scala in Milan, American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in New York, École de Danse de l’Opéra National de Paris, Royal Danish Ballet School in Copenhagen and The Royal Ballet School in London. For most of them, Stelle di Domani 2026 represents their first professional experience on a path that may one day lead them to become étoiles.
Their names are: Marcel Sarda, Ilyane Bel-Lahsen and Ekaterina Bréau from the Paris Opéra Ballet School; Dillon Brizic and Utako Takeda from Académie Princesse Grace; Benedetta Boccini from Accademia Teatro alla Scala; Emma Zhang Larsen and Tobias Jorgensen from the Royal Danish Ballet School; Maximilian Catazaro, Ptolemy Gidney, Kiera Sun and Audrey Tovar Dunster from ABT Studio Company; Emma Grace Lucano and Millán De Benito from The Royal Ballet School.
THE PROGRAM
“Infiorata a Genzano”
Music: Edvard Helsted and Holger Simon Paulli
Choreography: August Bournonville
Cast: Tobias Jorgensen, Emma Zhang Larsen
“Paquita”
Music: Ludwig Minkus
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Performer: Dillon Brizic
“The Sleeping Beauty”
Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Performers: Ekaterina Bréau, Ilyane Bel-Lahsen
“Coppélia”
Pas de deux
Music: Léo Delibes
Choreography: Arthur Saint-Léon
Dancers: Benedetta Boccini, Marcel Sarda
“Les Indomptés”
Music: Wim Mertens
Choreography: Claude Brumachon
Cast: Tobias Jorgensen, Dillon Brizic
“Swan Lake”
Act 4, pas de deux
Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Dancers: Audrey Tovar Dunster, Maximilian Catazaro
“Shades to Shiver”
Music: Max Richter (after Vivaldi)
Choreography: Kinsun Chan
Dancers: Emma Zhang Larsen, Benedetta Boccini, Dillon Brizic, Ilyane Bel-Lahsen, Ekaterina Bréau, Marcel Sarda
“Le Corsaire”
Pas de deux
Music: Riccardo Drigo
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Dancers: Utako Takeda, Ptolemy Gidney
“Saudade”
Music: Katie Jenkins
Choreography: Katie Currier
Performer: Kiera Sun
“Appointed rounds”
Music: Laurie Anderson
Choreography: Simone Valastro
Cast: Audrey Tovar Dunster, Kiera Sun, Utako Takeda, Ptolemy Gidney, Maximilian Catazaro, Marcel Sarda
“7 grecque dances”
Music: Mikis Theodorakis
Choreography: Maurice Béjart
Performers: Ilyane Bel-Lahsen
THE PROJECT
Stelle di Domani is the flagship project of Il Balletto di Venezia. Each year, it aims to offer an international stage and a first professional contract to a group of outstanding graduates from the world’s leading dance academies. Its diverse repertoire, intensive programme and exceptional team of teachers and ballet masters support the dancers’ technical and artistic development, giving them the opportunity to perform regularly in works from the great repertoire, usually reserved for more experienced dancers. By the end of the experience, the dancers will have developed solid technical skills and stage experience, giving them a real advantage for their future in the world of dance.
ABOUT IL BALLETTO DI VENEZIA
Il Balletto di Venezia is a company created as an incubator of vision and talent. Under the artistic direction of Alessio Carbone, former Principal Dancer at the Paris Opéra, the company stands as a meeting point between excellence in training and artistic vision. Held under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Culture, Il Balletto di Venezia is a non-profit organisation based in Italy and, from 2026, also a registered foundation in the United States of America.
CALENDAR
VENICE – Scuola Grande San Rocco
10, 11, 12, 15, 16 July – 8.00 pm
18 July – 3.00 pm
19 July – sponsors’ evening
23, 24, 25 July – 8.00 pm
DUBLIN – Royal Irish Academy of Music
13 July – 8.00 pm – Book here
FLORENCE – Florence Dance Festival
21 July – 9.30 pm – Book here
MONCALVO (AT) – Orsolina28
1 August – 7.30 pm – Book here
ANDORRA LA VELLA – Editorial Andorra
3 August – 7.00 pm