Eleonora Abbagnato (; born 30 June 1978) is an Italian

ballet dancer A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

, model, and actress. Between 2013 and 2021 she was Étoile at the

Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded ...

Early life and education

Born in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

, Abbagnato started dancing at 4 years old, and at 12 she moved to Monte Carlo to enroll in the dance school of Marika Bresobrasova. At 13, she toured Europe with

Roland Petit Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets. Life and work The son of shoe designer Ros ...

's ''The Sleeping Beauty'', in the role of Aurora as a child. She was then admitted, after a private audition, to the École de Danse of the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

as a fellowship student.

Career

In 1996, at the age of 18, Abbagnato graduated and joined the corps de ballet of the Opera, where she made a rapid ascent: Coryphée in 1999, Sujet in 2000, Premiere Danseuse in 2001 and Étoile in March 2013. In 2007, Abbagnato debuted as an actress in the film ''

Il 7 e l'8 ''Il 7 e l'8'' () it is a 2007 film, directed by Salvatore Ficarra, Valentino Picone and Giambattista Avellino and portrayed by the comic duo Ficarra and Picone. Together with the two comedians, the dancer Eleonora Abbagnato makes her movie deb ...

'' with

Ficarra e Picone Salvatore Ficarra (born 27 May 1971, in Palermo) and Valentino Picone (born 23 March 1971, in Palermo) are an Italian comedy duo who work on stage, films, television and books as Ficarra e Picone. Life and career They started in 1993 along wi ...

. On 18 February 2009, she joined

Paolo Bonolis Paolo Bonolis (; born 14 June 1961) is an Italian television host. He made his debut in 1981 on ''Tre, due, uno, contatto...'', a program for children that aired on Italian national broadcaster Rai. Biography In 1982, he moved to Italia 1 where ...

in hosting the second night of the

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

. The same year, she released her autobiography ''Un angelo sulle punte'' (''An Angel on her toes''). In 2012, she was the subject of a photographic exhibition with pictures by Massimo Gatti that was held in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. In 2015, Abbagnato was appointed director of the

corps de ballet In ballet, the ''corps de ballet'' (; French for "body of the ballet") is the group of dancers who are not principal dancers or soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. ...

of the

Teatro dell'Opera di Roma The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pre ...

. Abbagnato was first set to retire from Paris Opera Ballet after a performance of ''Le Parc'' in 2019. However, due to the dancers' strike, her farewell had to be delayed. She then chose to have special performance that features works she danced over the course of her career. The show was scheduled on 18 May 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the performing arts, the performance was cancelled. She eventually bade her farewell to the stage on 12 June 2021 performing a ''Hommage a Roland Petit''.

Personal life

Abbagnato married football player

Federico Balzaretti Federico Balzaretti (; born 6 December 1981) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a left-sided full-back, currently in charge as director of football of Vicenza. A product of the Torino youth system, his first experience a ...

on 13 June 2011. They have two children. Balzaretti has two children from a previous relationship.

Filmography

References

External links

MySpace
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbagnato, Eleonora Living people Italian film actresses 1978 births Italian television personalities Italian ballerinas Paris Opera Ballet étoiles Actresses from Palermo Association footballers' wives and girlfriends 21st-century Italian ballet dancers 21st-century Italian actresses 20th-century Italian ballet dancers