Vittorio Biagi

Vittorio Biagi is an Italian choreographer and dancer born in Viareggio, Tuscany, on May 24, 1941. He trained classically in Genoa and at La Scala's Academy in Milan, foundations that would anchor a career spanning multiple European dance institutions and idioms.

Biagi danced with Maurice Béjart's Ballet of the 20th Century from 1959 to 1966, a formative period that exposed him to Béjart's radical rethinking of classical ballet. In 1967–68, he moved to the Paris Opera as a leading dancer, further deepening his connection to institutional ballet practice. Yet his artistic trajectory soon turned toward creation and direction. In 1969, he founded and directed the Lyon Opera Ballet, stewarding that company for seven years before moving on to establish other ventures: Alterballeto, Compagnia Danza Prospettiva, and later Nuovo Balletto.

Biagi's work as a choreographer extended into experimental territories. In 1972, he choreographed Bernard Parmegiani's *Pour en finir avec le pouvoir d'Orphée II*, a staged work featuring electronic music that premiered at the Festival d'Avignon on August 3 of that year. This commission positioned him at the intersection of contemporary dance and avant-garde sound design. Throughout his later career, he collaborated with Italian national television RAI, bringing his choreographic vision to the broadcast medium.