Meet Calogero Failla — an Italian dancer currently part of the ensemble of the Vienna State Opera and the host of our newest tested project, Panic in the Wings.
With this interview, originally published by Sicilia ON Press on 23 December 2025, we quietly mark the first public step in Creative Fellowship Foundation’s testing of a new digital format — one designed to give artists in transition the space to explore new roles and forms of expression.
While continuing his performing career, Calo began his Master Dance Teacher program at the Palucca University of Dance Dresden this year. It is within this moment of transition — dancing while preparing for what comes next — that Panic in the Wings takes shape. Through this project, we are supporting Calo as he explores a new role as a talk host, videographer, and storyteller.
Read the interview to get to know Calo better, and stay tuned for what’s coming next with Panic in the Wings.
Original interview published in Italian by Sicilia ON Press
Author: Lilia Alba — 23 December 2025
Calogero Failla, the dancer from Favara, will again be part of the New Year’s Concert 2026 — his third participation with the Vienna State Opera. On this occasion, Sicilia ON Press spoke with him again.
How did your journey in dance begin?
When I began studying dance, I never imagined it would be such an endless and unique journey. I didn’t know it would demand everything from me, but also give back much more.
What are your earliest memories of being in the rehearsal room?
I still remember the first days in the studio: the smell of wood, the creaking of the floor, the waiting silences. There was something sacred in that sound of footsteps, as if every gesture was a secret about to be revealed.
What made you happy at the beginning?
I couldn’t stay on demi-pointe yet, but simply trying to do it made me happy. And that happiness — simple, pure — has never left me. The thrill of still being able to feel emotion.
What does it truly mean to choose dance?
Dance is not just an art: it’s a life choice, made of sacrifices, commitment, and something immense that words cannot contain.
It isn’t a path of roses and flowers.
It’s a journey that requires time, patience, love, and strong nerves.
It’s not for everyone.
Dance is an art for all, but not for everyone.
What is dance to you beyond technique?
When I speak of dance, I don’t mean the result we see on television or on stage.
Dance, even before being dance, is art.
It is a motion of the soul, something that comes from within, from the deepest inside.
It isn’t an exercise in perfection, but a silent dialogue between what you are and what you feel.
What do you feel when you express yourself through movement?
It’s a spark that gradually ignites, and the more grounded you are in what you do, the more you feel you belong to a parallel universe.
Being able to express yourself through what you love is like giving form to a feeling, like transforming emotion into movement.
It’s a sensation that I know will eventually leave me — but whose taste, trace, and breath I will remember forever.
What has dance taught you?
I dedicated my childhood — every day of my life — to an art that everyone sees but few truly perceive in its real value.
It taught me that nothing is immediate, that every emotion is born from time, patience, and listening.
And perhaps that is the secret: to cultivate dreams, even when they seem distant or unreachable.
What makes the New Year’s Concert 2026 special?
The 2026 New Year’s Concert will be my third participation with the Vienna State Opera.
But what makes this edition truly special is the piece created by John Neumeier, one of the greatest contemporary choreographers.
Who is John Neumeier and what does he represent to you?
Born in the United States, Neumeier has spent most of his career with the Hamburg Ballet, which he directed for decades.
His choreographies combine classical technique with theatrical and human exploration, turning dance into a language capable of expressing the soul with poetry and truth.
What was your first meeting with John Neumeier like?
I met John in Vienna, during a performance of “The Lady of the Camellias”.
I remember the delicacy of the gestures, the attention to detail: every movement had a soul and a reason.
His way of creating — transforming steps into pure emotion — captivated me.
Meeting him at a moment in my career when I was searching for a new spark was a gift.
“Dancing is not forever, but some emotions stay with you for life.”
© Original interview: Sicilia ON Press
