Davide Bombana

Davide Bombana (born in 1958 in Milan, Italy) is an Italian choreographer. He studied ballet at the Ballet School of La Scala and graduated in 1977. His debut that year, with the La Scala Ballet was in the title role of Béjart's The Firebird. He was promoted to soloist and then principal dancer, performing ballets by Maurice Béjart, Glen Tetley, Rudolf Nureyev, Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine and L. Falco.

Davide Bombana (left) with dancer Ketevan Papava, 2012

He furthered his balletic career at the Pennsylvania Ballet in Philadelphia, the Scottish Ballet in Glasgow, and the London Festival Ballet in London. He also later guested in La Scala's production of John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet and Roland Petit's Proust, and has worked at the Bayerisches Staatsballett in Munich as a principal dancer from 1986 to 1991 (and as a choreographer from 1991 to 1998).

In Munich, Bombana's first choreographic world premières took place and included: Sonata, Parabel, Quatour pour la fin du temps, Okanagon, Woyzeck Fragmente inspired by Büchner, Schönberg opus 4 and the two full length ballets Luigi Nono Project and Ein Traumspiel inspired by Strindberg.

In 1998, Bombana was appointed director of the company Maggio Danza in Florence where he restaged Woyzeck Fragmente and Schönberg opus 4 and created the full length ballet Teorema inspired by Pasolini.

Bombana has worked with various ballet companies as a guest choreographer and has either choreographed or restaged Aus der Ferne (Ballet du Rhin France, Queensland Ballet, Australia), the full length Penthesilea (Maggio Danza Florence), Woyzeck Fragmente (Ballet du Rhin France, Zaragoza Ballet Spain, in Florence and Basel), Beyond Skin (Ballet du Rhin, France, Zaragoza Ballet, Spain), Petite Suite En Noir (Paris Conservatory, John Cranko School, Stuttgart), the full length ballet Lolita (Grand Ballet de Génève), La septième lune (Paris Opera Ballet), Kunst der Fuge (Ballet du Rhin Moulhouse), Tenebrae (Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe), the full length Cinderella (Aalto Ballett Theater Essen), Carmen (Ballet du Capitole Toulouse), Century Rolls (Bayerisches Staatsballett München) and "Harpsichord Concerto" (New York Choreographic Institute - New York City Ballet), New York, U.S.A). He has also been a member of the jury for the International Prix Benois de la Danse.