She began studying dance at the age of four in Italy, later attending Marika Besobrasova's school in Monte Carlo. Chosen by Roland Petit to play the role of young Aurora in his version of The Sleeping Beauty, she continued her training at the Centre de Danse Rosella Hightower in Cannes (1991) and then at the Opéra de Paris Dance School (1992). She joined the Opéra de Paris Ballet in 1996. Promoted to Coryphée in 1999 and Sujet in 2000, she became a soloist in works by Rudolf Nureyev (Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, La Bayadère, Raymonda, The Nutcracker), Martha Graham (Temptations of the Moon), Pierre Lacotte (La Sylphide), Roland Petit (Clavigo and Le Jeune Homme et la Mort), and George Balanchine (Emeralds).

In 2001, at the age of 22, she was promoted to Première danseuse. From then on, she expanded her repertoire, performing in the creations of some of the greatest masters of choreography, such as Roland Petit once again, followed by Pina Bausch, William Forsythe, John Neumeier, Jiří Kylián, Jerome Robbins, Maurice Béjart, and Angelin Preljocaj. She has received numerous awards, including the Prix Danse Europe in 1990, the Prix du Cercle Carpeaux for the 1998-99 season, the Positano Prize, the Audience Award from AROP in 2000, the International Gino Tani Prize in 2001, and the Barocco Prize in 2007. In the following year, she was recognized as "Sicilian of the Year" by the President of the Sicilian Region and won the Danza&Danza Award for Best Performer of the Year.

From 2009 to 2011, she served as an artistic consultant for the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari. She also ventured into theatre, performing in Polvere di Baghdad, directed by Maurizio Scaparro, where she both acted and danced; the performance was the closing show of the Theatre section of the Venice Biennale. In 2009, her autobiography was published by Rizzoli. She danced at the New Year’s Concert in Vienna, broadcast worldwide, wearing costumes designed for her by Valentino.

In 2010, she was awarded the title of Chevalier dans l'Ordre National du Mérite by French President Nicolas Sarkozy for her accomplishments at the Opéra de Paris. In 2013, after performing Roland Petit's Carmen, she was named Étoile, becoming the first Italian to achieve this distinction at the Opéra de Paris. Regularly invited to perform abroad, she was appointed Director of the Ballet Company of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma in 2015. In 2021, she bid farewell to the stages of the Opéra de Paris. In 2023, she was appointed President of the High Council for the Performing Arts by the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano.

Born in Livingston, Montana, he began his studies at the age of 9, receiving a scholarship from the American Ballet Theatre. During the summers, he trained at the Royal Ballet School in London and at the Académie Princesse Grace in Monaco. He continued his education at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, becoming the first American to receive a full Russian diploma, having completed both lower and upper-level courses. During his studies, he won medals in five international competitions, including the Prix de Lausanne, the Istanbul IBC, YAGP, Sochi Young Ballet of the World, and the Beijing International Ballet Competition. Upon graduating with the highest score, Russian dance critics hailed him as a young "Apollo" following his performances on the Bolshoi stage.

Shortly after, he joined the Royal Ballet in London as the youngest member of the company. Eight months later, at the invitation of Mikhail Messerer, he joined the Mikhailovsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg as a Second Soloist, and at the age of 19, he was promoted to First Soloist. During his time at the Mikhailovsky, he was invited to perform worldwide, including in London, Tokyo, New York, Moscow, and Shanghai.

From 2020 to 2022, he was a Principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet under the direction of Helgi Thomasson. He also earned a degree as a Ballet Master and Choreographer in Moscow at the GITIS University (Russian Institute of Theatre Arts). Together with his brother Nicholas, he founded MacKay Productions, an international artistic production company.

Since the 2022-23 season, he has danced as a Principal with the Bayerisches Staatsballett under the direction of Laurent Hilaire, performing in repertoire works created by great choreographers such as Petipa, Wheeldon, Cranko, Ratmansky, Balanchine, Bart, and Preljocaj. MacKay has appeared in numerous fashion magazines, television programs, and international galas.

At 29 years of age, Filippo Gorini's “original, courageous pianism” (The Guardian) has garnered widespread acclaim in renowned venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Wigmore Hall in London, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Vancouver Recital Society, and with orchestras such as the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg. Winner of the 2022 Abbiati Prize as “Best Soloist,” in 2015 he claimed First Prize and the Audience Prize at the Telekom-Beethoven Competition in Bonn. His CDs, featuring late works by Beethoven and Bach (Alpha Classics), have received high praise from international critics. Among his 2024 engagements are debuts at Teatro alla Scala in Milan for the "Milano Musica" Festival and at Carnegie Hall in New York, as well as recitals at the Schubertiade Festival in Hohenems, Austria, the Ravenna Festival, the Brescia and Bergamo Piano Festival, Amici della Musica in Florence, and a residency at the Busoni Festival in Bolzano.

Photo credit: Simon Pauly

Attilio Fontana has been a criminal lawyer since 1980. He began his political career by becoming the mayor of Induno Olona (1995-1999) and Varese (2006-2016). He has served as President of ANCI Lombardia and of the Lombardy Regional Council. Since 2018, he has been the President of the Lombardy Region.

Anna Maria Bernini, who graduated with honors in Law from the University of Bologna, completed her education at international institutions such as the University of Michigan and the ICC in Paris. A lawyer since 1995, she taught Arbitration Law at the University of Bologna. She has served as a Member of Parliament and held key roles in various committees, in addition to being the Minister for European Union Policies. Since 2022, she has been the Minister of University and Research.