“Roberto Bolle and Friends” on the stage of the Forte Arena
The arena under the stars of Santa Margherita di Pula is preparing to host a celebration of great international dance with “Roberto Bolle and Friends”, scheduled for Sunday, July 26, 2026.
On Sunday, July 26, 2026, the audience at the Forte Arena in Santa Margherita di Pula will experience one of the most anticipated evenings of the summer: “Roberto Bolle and Friends”. The stage of the renowned open-air theatre will be transformed into a magical place, suspended between the sea breeze and the deep blue of the night sky, once again becoming the backdrop — after the record-breaking success of 2017 — for the iconic gala conceived and directed by Roberto Bolle.
Each edition of the show, which for over twenty-five years has captivated the world’s most prestigious stages thanks to its ability to combine vision, technical excellence, and artistic research, is envisioned as a dialogue between tradition and contemporaneity, between the solidity of classical repertoire and the creative freedom of new choreographies. It is precisely in this balance that “Roberto Bolle and Friends” finds its most authentic identity: a project that does not simply present dance, but tells its story as a living art form in constant evolution.
The result is a format that has evolved while maintaining a strong identity, built on the quality of its performers and the ability to select a different cast each year, composed of principal dancers from the world’s leading companies. Dance thus becomes a universal language, capable of moving and uniting audiences of all ages, cultures, and artistic sensibilities, turning each edition into a unique experience. For a few hours, attention can return to the purity of gesture, the expressive power of the body, and the essential beauty of movement, rather than the concerns and obligations of everyday life.
“Roberto Bolle and Friends”: dance across the world
“Roberto Bolle and Friends” is a project that, over the years, has created a true emotional geography of dance, bringing ballet beyond the traditional theatre setting into contexts that enhance its visual and symbolic meaning. Its international identity has been shaped through a continuous alternation between major performing arts institutions and extraordinary open-air locations of historical and scenic value, each time creating a unique relationship between space, body, and audience.
Over more than twenty-five years since its first edition, the gala has graced stages that have made ballet history — such as La Scala in Milan, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Pallas Theatre in Athens, and the Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre in Istanbul — as well as open-air venues of rare architectural, scenic, or historical beauty, where dance enters into direct dialogue with the landscape and the memory of the place. These include the square of Milan Cathedral, Piazza San Marco in Venice, Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples, the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, the Boboli Gardens in Florence, the Colosseum in Rome, the Certosa of Capri, and the Castle of Fénis in the Aosta Valley.
In these spaces, dance loses its traditional separation from its surroundings and becomes an integral part of the environment. Architecture, natural light, landscape, and historical layers become part of the choreography itself, transforming each performance into an unrepeatable event. There is no longer a clear boundary between stage and reality: the audience does not simply watch a performance but is immersed in an experience where the location itself helps define the meaning of the artistic gesture. It is precisely this ability to adapt and regenerate through space that makes the gala unique in the international contemporary dance scene.
Roberto Bolle: shaping an international vision of dance
The creative mind behind this visionary artistic project is Roberto Bolle, born in Piedmont and now one of the most recognized and influential figures in contemporary international ballet. Trained at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, his career quickly developed on the world’s leading stages, where he established himself as a reference performer for the great classical repertoire and as an artist capable of engaging with new trends in contemporary dance. His distinctive style combines technical rigour, absolute control of movement, and strong expressive intensity — qualities that have enabled him to perform major roles from the repertoire, from Swan Lake to Romeo and Juliet and The Sleeping Beauty, with immediate recognizability and a unique interpretative voice.
Alongside classical repertoire, Bolle has developed key collaborations with some of the most important choreographers of recent decades, including John Neumeier, Mats Ek, William Forsythe, and Jiří Kylián, helping to shape a more open, contemporary, and ever-evolving vision of dance.
In parallel with his stage career, the Piedmontese star has played a central role in bringing ballet to a wider audience through television projects and cultural initiatives that have broadened the perception of dance, making it more accessible and cross-disciplinary. In particular, his productions for Italy’s national broadcaster RAI have been a major step in this direction: event shows such as Danza con me and La mia danza libera brought the language of ballet to prime time, blending it with music, theatre, cinema, and entertainment, and helping to build a bridge between elite dance and mainstream audiences.
“Roberto Bolle and Friends” returns to the Forte Arena with a new cast
After the sold-out success of nearly a decade ago, “Roberto Bolle and Friends” returns to the Forte Arena on Sunday, July 26, 2026, with a brand-new cast of “friends” and a show waiting to be discovered. The driving force behind the project is the ever-changing nature of its cast: there is no fixed company, but rather a different selection of artists each time, drawn from the world’s leading ballet companies. This approach allows the gala to continually renew itself, both technically and interpretatively, bringing together different schools, traditions, and artistic sensibilities.
Over the years, the show has featured étoiles and principal dancers from prestigious institutions such as The Royal Ballet in London, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the Paris Opera Ballet, and Teatro alla Scala in Milan, alongside leading performers from the international contemporary dance scene. This diversity is not just a curatorial choice, but a true statement of intent: each artist brings their own training, movement language, and vision of the body, contributing to a constantly evolving scenic mosaic. It is in this dimension of encounter that the project finds one of its most distinctive strengths: dance as a space for dialogue, exchange, and artistic cross-pollination.
As with concerts in previous editions — such as those by Duran Duran and Gianna Nannini— this year Forte Village is once again offering its guests exclusive packages designed to fully immerse them in the emotions and atmosphere of the events on the program, including the Sardinian stop of Fiorella Mannoia’s new tour “Fiorella Canta Fabrizio e Ivano: Anime Salve.” These typically include premium seating within the arena, a welcome cocktail, and club car transfers between the resort and the concert venue. Further details will be announced soon. Tickets for the show are already available through the official Box Office Sardegna and Ticketone channels.
For more information, you can call +39 070 9218818, email holiday@fortevillage.com, or visit www.fortevillage.com and www.fortearena.com.
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