Beauty in Action: CCN/Aterballetto dances at the Closing Ceremony of Milano Cortina 2026
Beauty in Action: on 22 February, Filmmaster and CCN/Aterballetto bring contemporary dance to the Closing Ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, in the magnificent setting of the Verona Arena.
Beauty in Action, the concept selected by Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 and Filmmaster, is a tribute to beauty as a dynamic, transformative force. Alfredo Accatino and Stefania Opipari, Artistic Director and Ceremony Director respectively, have invited CCN/Aterballetto to represent the excellence of Italian contemporary dance at one of today’s most widely watched and emblematic global events, taking place on 22 February 2026 in the extraordinary setting of the Verona Arena.
Diego Tortelli, Head of Choreography for the Ceremony—an artist associated with CCN/Aterballetto since 2018 and one of the most authoritative and innovative voices on the contemporary choreographic scene—will shape this special evening, creating the choreographies for Aterballetto, the Ballet School of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, and international star Roberto Bolle. His involvement further strengthens CCN/Aterballetto’s role as a hub for research, production and the dissemination of new movement languages, capable of engaging with complex large-scale productions and major international visibility.
This will be the first Olympic Ceremony in history to be staged within a historic monument designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For the occasion, the Verona Arena will be transformed into an open, fluid stage—symbolising a beauty that reveals itself through movement, art, sport and human connection. Beauty lives in sport, in art, in bodies in motion and in the places that welcome them. Bringing an Olympic Ceremony into the Verona Arena means setting historical heritage in dialogue with the energy of the present, creating an unprecedented experience.
In this context, dance takes centre stage: an immediate and universal language, capable of distilling values, emotions and visions—seeking a vocabulary that brings together strength and fragility, discipline and freedom, and that can translate into living images the sense of challenge, community and pushing beyond limits that defines the Games
says Adriano Martella, Creative Director of the Closing Ceremony and Head of Creative at Filmmaster.
CCN/Aterballetto’s participation fully aligns with this vision, helping to make dance one of the pillars of the Ceremony’s staged narrative. The set design will be inspired by the image of a drop of water—a symbol of a natural cycle in constant motion connecting mountains, plains, cities, lagoon, sea and sky. The Arena will be reimagined as a great Italian piazza, with no clear separation between stage and audience: a living, transformable space where choreographies, luminous surfaces and collective movement will accompany the athletes—the true protagonists of the Games—in a closing celebration that honours their courage, effort and ability to go beyond their limits.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Closing Ceremony will also extend beyond the Arena’s walls, involving Piazza Bra and Verona’s Teatro Filarmonico, with the participation of the choir and orchestra of Fondazione Arena di Verona. A shared, city-wide event that reaffirms the central role of culture and the performing arts in shaping the narrative of contemporary Italian identity.
In this context, the presence of Centro Coreografico Nazionale / Aterballetto marks an important recognition of dance as a living heritage—one that can inhabit the great collective rituals of our time and transform them into shared aesthetic and symbolic experiences.
News
Beauty in Action: CCN/Aterballetto dances at the Closing Ceremony of Milano Cortina 2026
Beauty in Action: on 22 February, Filmmaster and CCN/Aterballetto bring contemporary dance to the Closing Ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, in the magnificent setting of the Verona Arena.
Danza in Fonderia in February
Four events exploring time in dance: from improvisations with an accordion to the tragic fate of Macbeth, from gestures spanning centuries to the talent of new dancers.
With “AN ECHO, A FRAME”, the performances meet the artworks of “I Preferiti di Marino. Chapter II – Opus Mundi.”
On the occasion of the exhibition “I Preferiti di Marino. Chapter II – Opus Mundi”, on view from 6 February to 28 June 2026 at the Centro Arti e Scienze Golinelli, Fondazione Golinelli, in collaboration with the CCN/Aterballetto, presents the performative project “AN ECHO, A FRAME”, conceived by choreographer Philippe Kratz.
AUDITION – 2026 SEASON
We are looking for new female and male dancers for the Aterballetto company. Apply now!
Danza in Fonderia in December
There are four final events in 2025, dedicated to new generations and new technologies.
Aterballetto’s final performances of 2025
In December 2025, Aterballetto’s dance unfolds across Italy, Mexico, and Bulgaria.
Cultura e Conflitti (Culture and Conflicts)
What roles do art, culture, and cultural diplomacy play in the current geopolitical landscape, fraught with uncertainty and omens of conflict?
Danza in Fonderia in novembrer
An anthology of choreographic thought: from Maguy Marin’s masterpieces to the Christmas magic of The Nutcracker.
Aterballetto in South Africa for the First Time
As part of the ITALIA DANZA project, and with the support of the Italian Embassy in Pretoria and the Italian Cultural Institute of Pretoria, Aterballetto will perform in South Africa from 8 to 12 November 2025.
Visioni del Corpo. Maurizio Cattelan: from Paris to Florence
With Nicolas Ballario and choreography by Lara Guidetti, three works by Maurizio Cattelan become the heart of the new edition of Visioni del Corpo, premiering in Paris.
The Italian tour of the CCN/Aterballetto in November
From November 1 to 30, the CCN/Aterballetto is always on stage. Discover the November Italian tour!
Experience Dance Week. Discover the world of the CCN/Aterballetto.
From November 6 to 11, the Dance Week of the CCN/Aterballetto takes place in Reggio Emilia, featuring performances, workshops, and aperitifs.
Aterballetto performs in Reggio Emilia and surrounding areas this autumn.
Discover our performances at Teatro Valli, our home venue La Fonderia, and Teatro Asioli in Correggio.
Antologie. Nuove letture del corpo (Anthologies. New Readings of the Body)
Discover the new edition of Danza in Fonderia, the festival by CCN/Aterballetto held at its venue in Reggio Emilia.
September: CCN/Aterballetto’s tour kicks off again from Toledo and Osaka
CCN/Aterballetto performs Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda for Spain’s Noche del Patrimonio in Toledo and for Expo 2025 Osaka.
Caracalla Danza
From September 26 to 28 at the Baths of Caracalla, a new project by the Special Superintendency of Rome in collaboration with CCN/Aterballetto comes to life. Guest company: Gauthier Dance. In partnership with Romaeuropa Festival.
A farewell to the dance by Ivana, Clément, and Sara
With the end of the season, we bid farewell to three dancers who have left a profound mark on the company’s artistic life: Ivana Mastroviti, Clément Haenen, and Sara De Greef.
The Final Performances of the 2024–2025 Season
Aterballetto closes the season with Notte Morricone in Pompei and Madrid. Don’t miss our dance on Rai1 and the final performances of SANTA.
SANTA – Special Performances
On Wednesday, April 2, three special performances of SANTA at Reggiane Parco Innovazione.
Aterballetto at the Granada Festival
On June 28 and 29, Aterballetto returns to the Granada Festival, performing Don Juan by Johan Inger for the final time, and bringing the MicroDanze to life in the enchanting setting of the Alhambra.
CCN/Aterballetto receives the Taobuk Award in Taormina
On June 21, CCN/Aterballetto will receive the 2025 Taobuk Award at the Teatro Antico di Taormina. Broadcasting on Rai1 on July 2 at 23.00.
MicroDanze on tour
From Edinburgh to Ravenna, from Granada to Canossa: the MicroDanze continue their tour, bringing dance to new audiences—wherever they may be.
SANTA
An urban experience of art and dance. CCN/Aterballetto at Reggiane Parco Innovazione with Maurizio Cattelan, Nicolas Ballario, and Lara Guidetti. From June 12 to July 5.
Duetto by Sony CSL – Rome
An innovative scientific project that combines generative artificial intelligence with the study of human movement.
