Teresina is from Washington DC

Napoli is one of the cornerstones of the Royal Danish Ballet. Most of the dancers – at least the Danish ones from the Royal Danish Ballet School – have been performing in it since they were kids.

Principal dancer Amy Watson didn’t do Napoli in Copenhagen as a kid since she’s American and educated from The American School of Ballet, but the classical Bournonville ballet means a great deal to her anyway, especially this new production by Nikolaj Hübbe.

Why? Because Hübbe let her be her own Teresina, and because it was during the rehearsals for the re-staging of Napoli in 2009 she fell in love with her boyfriend, soloist Alexander Stæger. She did the principal part as Teresina, he was Gennaro. Lovers on stage. And of stage.

Photo by: David Amzallag

Tonight Amy Watson and Alexander Stæger will be the principal cast when Napoli premieres in Washington DC. Among the audience there’ll be at least 40 of Amy Watson’s very good friends and family since she was born and raised in Washington. 

Not just any night for Teresina. Nor Amy Watson!