Centro Coreografico Nazionale/Aterballetto is the first National Choreographic Centre in Italy, founded in 2022 by appointment of the Ministry of Culture.

It is a place for creating, welcoming and conceiving, encompassing all aspects of contemporary dance and its connection to other artforms. Situated in Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, the headquarters of the National Choreographic Centre is housed in the Fonderia, an industrial space dating back to the early twentieth century, once home to a smelting works. The space has been requalified and transformed into a creative melting pot, complete with five large multi-purpose rooms, costume workshops, meeting rooms and offices.  

By promoting dance culture, CCN/Aterballetto stimulates connections between the artform and other areas of contemporary society, seeing dance as an opportunity for personal and social growth and offering unique experiences to the public. Resulting from the historic Aterballetto company, which was founded in 1977, today CCN/Aterballetto comprises sixteen dancers for full seasons, who principally work on new productions by internationally recognised choreographers (Johan Inger, Angelin Preljocaj, Marcos Morau, Philippe Kratz, Francesca Lattuada, Iratxe Ansa and Igor Bacovich, Eyal Dadon, Diego Tortelli) and the reprisal of a select repertoire of signature works (Jiří Kylián, Ohad Naharin, William Forsythe, Hofesh Shechter, Crystal Pite). CCN/Aterballetto is also dedicated to innovative and wide-reaching artistic development. Through projects with dancers that don’t conform to norms of age, gender and ability, the National Choreographic Centre leads the way for accessible and refined dance which poses questions and identifies new standards of virtuosity and beauty, through works that are entrusted to and curated by world-renowned choreographers. (Rachid Ouramdane).

Today, the focus of CCN/Aterballetto is trained on the plurality of styles and research into new digital technologies, always striving to be cosmopolitan, curious and dynamic. Its productions are much sought-after among the most important theatres and festivals in Italy and around the world.

General and Artistic Director: Gigi Cristoforetti

Company Director: Sveva Berti

Founding Members: Regione Emilia-Romagna, Comune di Reggio Emilia

With the support of Ministero della Cultura

Iratxe Ansa and Igor Bacovich are internationally acclaimed artists whose collaboration began in 2013. Since then, they have created numerous works as guest choreographers for prestigious dance companies and cultural institutions worldwide. Their artistic journey led them to establish Metamorphosis Dance in 2019, a company that embodies their unique aesthetic vision and personal choreographic language. Their approach to dance is deeply rooted in rigorous research and exploration of movement, pushing the boundaries of physical expression.

Iratxe Ansa, born in San Sebastian in 1976, began her dance training in the Basque Country, Spain, before completing her studies at the John Cranko Schule in Stuttgart, Germany. Between 1994 and 2010, she performed with esteemed companies such as Basel Ballet, Ballet Gulbenkian, Compañía Nacional de Danza (Spain), Lyon Opera Ballet, and Nederlands Dans Theater. Her exceptional versatility and creativity made her a sought-after performer for renowned choreographers, including William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Nacho Duato, Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, Wayne McGregor, and Crystal Pite. Her contributions to dance have earned her several prestigious accolades, including Spain's National Dance Award (2020) and the Max Award for Best Female Dance Performer (2021) for her performance in "In the Nude."

Igor Bacovich, born in Turin in 1982, studied at the Accademia Nazionale di Danza in Rome before graduating from CODARTS in Rotterdam. He worked as a dancer in the Netherlands for five years, performing in works by Krisztina de Châtel and Nanine Linning, among others. His career path also includes eight years dedicated to social work, an experience that profoundly influenced his creative approach and artistic vision. In 2013, he returned to the dance world, joining forces with Iratxe Ansa to explore a new choreographic direction. His artistic contributions have been recognized with the Premio Nazionale Sfera D'Oro per la Danza (Italy, 2021).

Together, Ansa and Bacovich have developed a choreographic style that is both physically demanding and emotionally charged. Their creations are characterized by precision, fluidity, and a seamless fusion of abstraction and lyricism. Metamorphosis Dance serves as a platform for their evolving artistic dialogue, allowing them to refine their movement research and push creative limits. Their innovative methodology, rooted in relentless exploration, has garnered international recognition and critical acclaim.

As choreographers, they have staged over twenty works for prominent institutions, including Lines Youth Ballet (USA), Le Ballet de l'Opéra de Lyon, the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Arts Umbrella (Canada), and Compañía Nacional de Danza (Spain). Their work continues to captivate audiences worldwide, offering a compelling blend of technical mastery and raw expressiveness.

With a shared passion for artistic excellence, Iratxe Ansa and Igor Bacovich remain at the forefront of contemporary dance. Their commitment to innovation and movement research ensures that Metamorphosis Dance remains a dynamic force in the dance world, continually evolving and challenging the boundaries of performance.

Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite is a former company member of Ballet British Columbia and William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt.

In a choreographic career spanning 35 years, Pite has created more than sixty works for companies such as The Royal Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, The Paris Opera Ballet, and The National Ballet of Canada. She is known for works that courageously address themes such as trauma, addiction, conflict, consciousness and mortality; her bold and original vision has earned her international acclaim and inspired an entire generation of dance artists.

She is an Associate Artist at three institutions: Nederlands Dans Theater, Sadler’s Wells (London) and Canada’s National Arts Centre. She has an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University, is a Member of the Order of Canada and holds the honour of Officier de l’Ordre of Arts et des Lettres from France.

In 2002, she formed Kidd Pivot in Vancouver, a company that strives to distill and translate universal questions into artworks that connect us to essential parts of humanity. World-renowned for radical hybrids of dance and theatre, Kidd Pivot tours internationally with critically-acclaimed works such as Betroffenheit, Revisor, and Assembly Hall (co-created with Jonathon Young), The Tempest Replica, Dark Matters, Lost Action, and The You Show.

Pite’s many awards include the 2022 Governor General of Canada’s Performing Arts Award, the 2011 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award and the Canada Council’s 2012 Jacqueline Lemieux Prize. In 2017, she received the Benois de la Danse for her creation The Seasons’ Canon at the Paris Opera Ballet. In 2018, she received the Grand Prix de la danse de Montréal. She is the recipient of five Sir Laurence Olivier awards for creations with Kidd Pivot and The Royal Ballet.

Diego Tortelli began his studies at STUDIO 76 in Brescia, then continued at the National Academy of Dance in Rome, and finally at the Teatro alla Scala Academy.

He began his career in Valencia with the Ballet de Teatres and was later invited by Gustavo Ramirez to join the Luna Negra Chicago company. In 2012, he joined Le Ballet National de Marseille/Frederic Flamand. Since 2015, he has worked as a freelancer for Munich Opera, BOD/Richard Siegal, Korzo Theater, and La Veronal.

His choreographic work has led him to create Descamino de Dos for INTRODANS and CND Madrid, together with Mattia Russo, with whom he later co-founded the cultural association KOR’SIA alongside Antonio de Rosa and Giuseppe Dagostino. He also created Recapitulo for MCA Chicago, We Are All Sanpaku with musician Emanuele Maniscalco, Carmen Suite for EKO Dance Project, Vox Multitudinis for the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Vitreae Vultus for the MILANoLTRE festival, and Cursus for Palcoscenico Danza Torino, also for EKO Dance Project. In 2017, he created Bella Addormentata for the Nuovo Balletto di Toscana.

In 2018, his works Lorca sono tutti for MILANoLTRE and Domus Aurea within the Bach Project for the Fondazione Nazionale della Danza / Aterballetto were presented.

In 2019, he created Shifting Perspective, a co-production between Tanzburo Munchen, Kampnagel Hamburg, and Fabrik Potsdam. For the Fondazione Nazionale della Danza / Aterballetto, he created Inter-view: Emanuele e Clément, a duo on the theme of able/disabled, and A Poetry Abstraction, commissioned by Marina Rinaldi.

In 2020, for the Fondazione Nazionale della Danza / Aterballetto, he created Feeling Good, for one able-bodied and one disabled dancer, the video creation 1 Meter CLOSER, which premiered on Rai5, and the video installation LASCIA CH’IO…

In 2019, he co-founded his personal research project in Munich with dramaturg Miria Wurm, supported by the Muffathalle Theater and the Art Department of Munich. In 2020, they presented their first independent evening, titled SNOW CRASH.

In 2021, he created Preludio and Another Story for the Storie evening, and the MicroDanze in both live and virtual reality versions (Kepler and Meridiana). In 2022, he choreographed the New Year’s Concert broadcast live on Rai1, created the site-specific performance Stanze\Rooms, and a new work for the 16 dancers of Aterballetto, SHOOT ME.

Diego Tortelli is the resident choreographer at the Fondazione Nazionale della Danza / Aterballetto and associate choreographer for the MILANoLTRE festival and Tanzburo Munchen production center. In 2021, he was awarded the first call for Italian artists launched by the Venice Biennale’s Dance Sector, directed by Wayne McGregor, for the creation of an original, unpublished choreographic project.