ROBERTO BOLLE - THE IMMORTAL

*** A video dedication to Roberto Bolle ***

Roberto Bolle is the premier male ballet dancer in the world and is beyond mortal men. He was born on March 26, 1975 in Casale Monferrato in the Piedmont Region of Italy. Roberto began ballet studies at age seven and was accepted at the La Scala Theatre Ballet School in Milan at the age of eleven. In 1996, following an appearance in Romeo and Juliet, Roberto was promoted to Principal Dancer at La Scala. He is currently a Principal Dancer Étoile at La Scala and also performs at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, as a Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. Roberto is the first male Italian dancer to join the American Ballet Theatre as a Principal.

"The Immortal" recited by Charles Bryant, as written and adapted by Charles from the work of Constantine Petrou Cavafy: "One of Their Gods".

*** The Immortal ***

He strolled through the luminous green and silver twilight after the rose and golden sunset slowly faded; strolled as the shadows merged into purple darkness through the emptying Seleucian market.
Then more quickly and determinedly,
like a hunter following fresh spoor,
turned to the red-light district, unabashed.

Beyond nature's requirements, past natural use
beautifully, radiantly handsome,
seemingly incorruptible and pure;
mixed lights of immortality, of immorality
in his eyes of radiant ageless blue
(ice upon the peaks against the summer sky).
His long black hair was perfumed;
as he passed he left behind him
scent of roses in thin mountain air,
scent of midnight jasmine.

The people gazed in wonder;
asked each other did they know him?
Was he native here, a son of Seleucia?
Or from Syria? Or a stranger?
The older, wiser, understood; nodded,
saying nothing; stepped aside with fingers to their lips; eyes now brimmed with tears, watched speechlessly as the divine form melted between the pillars, disappeared among arcaded shadows.

The older, wiser, understood; made the sign
of blessing on their breasts; wondered which of the gods had wandered down from the holy mansions on the mountain top.
What was his purpose? What questionable pleasure drew to the sordid stations of Seleucia one of the ever-living?

After the gold, after the gold and rose,
after the green and silver twilight faded,
after the purple of the colonnade,
after the dark had come
they heard the music playing,
clacking castanets and sistra shaken,
glissade of the harp, the reedy pipes,
sounds of dancing, chanting, singing
above the rooftops of Seleucia,
singing until the golden dawn.


*** CREDITS ***

Photographs of Roberto Bolle used in this video are from Roberto Bolle's official website, which can be found at: http://www.robertobolle.com and which provides a listing of contributing photographers.

The video segments of Roberto Bolle are from his performance in Sicily at Taormina Arte 2009 - Roberto Bolle & Friends, of the dance: Apollo, Leader of the Muses (Apollon Musagete). Apollo is a ballet composed by Igor Stravinsky between 1927 and 1928 and choreographed by George Balanchine in 1928. It is Balanchines oldest surviving ballet and his first great public success.

Additional information on the Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company can be found on its website at: http://www.teatroallascala.org/en/tea...

Information on Roberto Bolle's 2010 performances with the American Ballet Theatre can be found on the ABT's website at: http://www.abt.org/dancers/detail.asp...

The music used in the video is the finale soundtrack to the movie "The Abyss", a 1989 American science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron, which was modified and adapted for the purposes of this video. The original musical score was composed by Alan Silvestri and copyrights are licensed to Warner Music Group (WMG). YouTube has kindly posted an advertisement at the beginning of the video indicating where the original music movie soundtrack may be purchased.

The temple photos used in the video are of the Temple of Concord in Sicily.

*** NOTICE ***

This video is not intended for any commercial use or purpose. The owner of copyright to any content used in this video, objecting to its use in this video, please contact channel owner by channel message or comment (please provide your contact information) and identify the content and it will be removed.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Roberto
• Bolle
• ballet
• Antinous
• Immortals
• Greek
• Gods
• poetry
• dance
• muscles
• handsome
• men
• male
• Balanchine
• Apollo
• 'Apollon
• Musagete'

[Maxima655]

Thanks a lot for your videos. They are amazing. I love ballet and Roberto Bolle in particular (among other dancers). May I ask you a question? Why do you find a parallelism between Roberto's image and Antinous? I mean, no need to say that Bolle is a living Greek God but Antinous (who became a God after his death) was a teenager (19 years old If I'm not wrong). I think he's closer to Apollo's figure more than Antinous. Of course it's not a critic, it's just curiosity. Greetings from Argentina.

[EROSGODOFGAYS]

@Maxima655 At age 19, Antinous was already an adult male and recognized as an athlete, accomplished hunter and quite brilliant as the companion of Emperor Hadrian (i.e, not a boy/youth). The statue of Antinous in the Vatican Museum of Pope Clement XIV was commissioned by Emperor Hadrian for the burial temple of Antinous at Villa Adriana east of Rome and is believed by historians to be the most accurate physical portrayal of Antinous and is very similar in figure to Roberto Bolle.

[EROSGODOFGAYS]

@Maxima655 B&W photo in my video: "Roberto Bolle - The Dance of a God" at 0:18 is of the young Roberto Bolle at the Canopus pool of Villa Adriana, where Antinous and Emperor Hadrian would have lived when not travelling. Bolle used the B&W photo from the Canopus pool as the background on the home page of his first website. Antinous was the last God of the Roman Empire and considered extremely handsome, so it is perhaps fitting that Bolle, an Italian, be associated with him.

[PekyIndigoFirefly]

It's so amazing, masculine yet graceful. Godlike indeed. He's handsome, beautiful, talented, full of life while he dances. He's ... he's ... OMG I think I love him XD Truly inspiring!

[EROSGODOFGAYS]

@PekyIndigoFirefly I totally agree!  :>)

[anglicansag]

I am embarrassed to comment honestly as you have willfully INSISTED on leaving my pathetic contributions to this breathtaking work of art .......

But I'm never at a loss for words, so comment I will.

EROS, you never cease to amaze with your skill, your Artist's Heart, your Refined and Resolute defense of Love between Men. You are a Hero of Homosexuality.

It is through you that I met Charles whose incomparable intellect and talent humbles me. Whose Friendship astonishes me.

[EROSGODOFGAYS]

Thank you, Piero, for that wonderful comment. The feelings of admiration and respect are mutual.

I have known for some time the Third Lady of the Bedchamber has far more talent than she is willing to acknowledge. But no matter, Charles and Eros will do that for her.

[superdooperstupor]

I'm Bolled over. Kudos to all who crafted and/or performed this vibrant, scintillating and celestial tribute.

[andrewnorris1]

Nice presentation, great to hear Charles' work in a new context, in the hands of another artist.

[Maxima655]

Thanks a lot for the explanation. I did know about Antinuos and his famous beauty (thanks to History books and the beautiful book writen by Marguerite Yourcenar: "Memoirs of Hadrian") but I didn't know about the resemblance between the sculpture and the dancer. And I didn't know about the picture of Villa Adriana. Everything makes sense now.

[cgrobbelaar1]

Indeed IMMORTAL. Brilliant. C.

[Bruce99100]

this is sublime.

[cohendance]

good



[greghot]

here, far away in my room, my soul has touched a moment of pure rapture.