Balletto del Sud, founded in 1995 and directed by Fredy Franzutti, is one of Italy's leading dance companies, recognized by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities since 1999. The company features an internationally diverse group of dancers and soloists of high technical skill, capable of performing in key roles across a vast and varied repertoire.
The company's tours across multiple countries reflect its commitment to cultural exchange, bringing the art of dance to diverse audiences worldwide. Overall, Balletto del Sud stands out for its artistic quality, innovative choreography, and contributions to both classical ballet and contemporary dance.
The company has toured extensively, performing in countries such as Albania, Algeria, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, Peru, Spain, Tunisia, and Vietnam, showcasing its international reach and appeal.
Touring Productions (Outside Italy - 2025):
•Romeo and Juliet
•Nutcracker
•Carmen
•Gaité Parisienne (a tribute to Paris and to its Golden Era)
Videos:
https://vimeo.com/showcase/11478031
Please obtain the password by email.
Freddy Franzutti (Choreographer, Founder)
Fredy Franzutti has gained significant experience in various theatres in Europe, specializing in the reworking of classics, reconstructing lost ballets, and creating dances and dance pieces for operas directed by world-famous directors.
He has also created a repertoire of 45 shows for Balletto del Sud, the company he founded.
The company has toured extensively, performing in countries such as Albania, Algeria, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, Peru, Spain, Tunisia, and Vietnam, showcasing its international reach and appeal.
Touring Productions (Outside Italy - 2025):
•Romeo and Juliet
•Nutcracker
•Carmen
•Gaité Parisienne (a tribute to Paris and to its Golden Era)
Videos:
https://vimeo.com/showcase/11478031
Please obtain the password by email.
Freddy Franzutti (Choreographer, Founder)
Fredy Franzutti has gained significant experience in various theatres in Europe, specializing in the reworking of classics, reconstructing lost ballets, and creating dances and dance pieces for operas directed by world-famous directors.
He has also created a repertoire of 45 shows for Balletto del Sud, the company he founded.
Additionally, he has choreographed for prestigious institutions such as the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the Rome Opera House (where he produced six different works at the invitation of Carla Fracci), and the Sofia Opera House, where he served as resident choreographer from 2019 to 2021.
His work has also been featured at the Monte Carlo Opera, Bilbao Opera, and Tirana Opera, as well as various Rai Uno events, including the dances for the 2004 New Year's Concert broadcast from Teatro La Fenice in Venice and Eurovision.
He curates opera dances for productions performed in France, Spain, Russia, and numerous venues in Italy, including the ROF of Pesaro, Baths of Caracalla (Aida), Teatro Lirico of Cagliari, Bellini of Catania, Petruzzelli of Bari, and theatres in Catanzaro, Reggio Calabria, Fano, Piacenza, and Ferrara beside many others.
Selected Reviews:
Performance: Gaité Parisienne
In a successful blend of physical agility, elegance and veiled eroticism, Franzutti has linked together lively can-cans, polkas, mazurkas and waltzes, drawing heavily from the world of cinema and musical theatre"
A dance tourbillon culminating on the notes of the world famous Can-can – a true anthem of the so called Ville Lumiere – amidst the enthusiastic applause of the audience.
It is a rare and refined choice that pushed the appreciated Salento choreographer Fredy Franzutti to stage “Gaitée Parisienne” with his Balletto del Sud. The work with music by Jacques Offenbach and libretto by Etienne de Beaumont that the great Leonide Massine brought on stage for the first time in 1938 in Monte Carlo is in fact among the least abused titles of a repertoire that could be defined as "neo-classical" and despite this can even boast a film version and several revivals by, among many, the American Ballet Theater and the Neapolitan Teatro di San Carlo, not to mention the predominantly autobiographical version created by Maurice Béjart.
Ugo Sbisà, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno
Performance: Sleeping Beauty at Cairo Opera House
Sleeping with magic: When Italy's Balletto del Sud performs in Cairo
..Franzutti’s work is cutting-edge without being forceful or presumptuous. Enveloped in a classical jacket, it welcomes time in its unfolding, bringing with it the newer trends in dance, from ballroom to modern, the 1970s formats, a spoon of rock’n’roll and a touch of acrobatics. At the same time, while respecting the core aesthetics of the classical ballet, Franzutti’s sense of creativity and well-balanced humour is apparent in major dramaturgical lines as well as the details.
...In brief, for almost three hours, a duration that is hardly acceptable by today’s standards, especially in Egypt, we witnessed art in its purest form. The Sleeping Beauty is living proof that if the performance is rich in vision and execution, even the most bored or disgruntled will be captivated by it. This is the magic of ballet and art in general.
...This is the story of The Sleeping Beauty and its magic, as performed by the Balletto del Sud, probably one of the most memorable ballet performances presented to Egyptian audiences in the past years. Even without my inherent love of ballet, Franzutti’s Sleeping Beauty, the story and its execution would make me want to attend it time and time again, to savour its beauty ad infinitum, just as I used to as a young child.
Ati Metwaly, Al Ahram Weekly (https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/291091.aspx)
His work has also been featured at the Monte Carlo Opera, Bilbao Opera, and Tirana Opera, as well as various Rai Uno events, including the dances for the 2004 New Year's Concert broadcast from Teatro La Fenice in Venice and Eurovision.
He curates opera dances for productions performed in France, Spain, Russia, and numerous venues in Italy, including the ROF of Pesaro, Baths of Caracalla (Aida), Teatro Lirico of Cagliari, Bellini of Catania, Petruzzelli of Bari, and theatres in Catanzaro, Reggio Calabria, Fano, Piacenza, and Ferrara beside many others.
Selected Reviews:
Performance: Gaité Parisienne
In a successful blend of physical agility, elegance and veiled eroticism, Franzutti has linked together lively can-cans, polkas, mazurkas and waltzes, drawing heavily from the world of cinema and musical theatre"
A dance tourbillon culminating on the notes of the world famous Can-can – a true anthem of the so called Ville Lumiere – amidst the enthusiastic applause of the audience.
It is a rare and refined choice that pushed the appreciated Salento choreographer Fredy Franzutti to stage “Gaitée Parisienne” with his Balletto del Sud. The work with music by Jacques Offenbach and libretto by Etienne de Beaumont that the great Leonide Massine brought on stage for the first time in 1938 in Monte Carlo is in fact among the least abused titles of a repertoire that could be defined as "neo-classical" and despite this can even boast a film version and several revivals by, among many, the American Ballet Theater and the Neapolitan Teatro di San Carlo, not to mention the predominantly autobiographical version created by Maurice Béjart.
Ugo Sbisà, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno
Performance: Sleeping Beauty at Cairo Opera House
Sleeping with magic: When Italy's Balletto del Sud performs in Cairo
..Franzutti’s work is cutting-edge without being forceful or presumptuous. Enveloped in a classical jacket, it welcomes time in its unfolding, bringing with it the newer trends in dance, from ballroom to modern, the 1970s formats, a spoon of rock’n’roll and a touch of acrobatics. At the same time, while respecting the core aesthetics of the classical ballet, Franzutti’s sense of creativity and well-balanced humour is apparent in major dramaturgical lines as well as the details.
...In brief, for almost three hours, a duration that is hardly acceptable by today’s standards, especially in Egypt, we witnessed art in its purest form. The Sleeping Beauty is living proof that if the performance is rich in vision and execution, even the most bored or disgruntled will be captivated by it. This is the magic of ballet and art in general.
...This is the story of The Sleeping Beauty and its magic, as performed by the Balletto del Sud, probably one of the most memorable ballet performances presented to Egyptian audiences in the past years. Even without my inherent love of ballet, Franzutti’s Sleeping Beauty, the story and its execution would make me want to attend it time and time again, to savour its beauty ad infinitum, just as I used to as a young child.
Ati Metwaly, Al Ahram Weekly (https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/291091.aspx)
