Alice Mariani and Ricardo Castellanos join as Principal Guest Artists

Alice Mariani, Prima Ballerina at La Scala, and Ricardo Castellanos, Principal Dancer at Norwegian National Ballet, will dance the principal roles in George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations on the opening night of R:Evolution on Wednesday 1 October at Sadler’s Wells Theatre. 

Alice Mariani was born in Massa, Italy in 1992. She entered the Ballet School of Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 2006. In 2011, she graduated and joined the Semperoper Ballet in Dresden, where she was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2019. She has worked with some of the most renowned choreographers, from William Forsythe to David Dawson, from Mats Ek to Merrill Ashley, George Balanchine’s assistant. A leading interpreter of major works in the classical and contemporary repertoire, she has performed as a guest artist on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including the Opéra Garnier in Paris, the New York City Center, Sadler’s Wells in London, and the Esplanade in Singapore.

In 2021, following an international audition, she joined Teatro alla Scala as a soloist. Less than a year later, on July 4, 2022, Director Manuel Legris promoted her to Principal Dancer. In this role, she has performed some of the most significant leading parts in the classical repertoire, including Kitri in Don Quixote, Nikiya and Gamzatti in La Bayadère, Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Tatiana in Onegin, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Clara in The Nutcracker, among many others. She has participated in numerous neoclassical and contemporary productions, including Anima Animus by David Dawson, Blake Works by William Forsythe, Bella Figura by Jiří Kylián, and Skew-Whiff by Lightfoot and León. Several new creations have been crafted around her, including Coppélia by Ratmansky, Lore by Wayne McGregor, and Carmen by Patrick de Bana, where she danced alongside Roberto Bolle.

Spanish-Cuban Ricardo Castellanos was born in 1997 and began dancing at the age of nine in Barcelona with his father, Rodolfo Castellanos. He studied at the Royal Ballet School in London and joined the Norwegian National Ballet 2 in the autumn of 2016. In 2017, he went on to the main company, where he performed many lead roles before being promoted to the rank of Principal in 2022 at the age of 25.

“It’s a real pleasure to return to London, a city that shaped so much of my early training” said Castellanos. “Dancing Balanchine’s Theme and Variations is always a fun challenge, the piece demands such precision and musicality, and it’s incredibly rewarding to perform. I’m honoured to share the stage with ENB in this masterpiece.”

Full casting for R:Evolution will be announced in due course. Casting subject to change.

R:Evolution celebrates decades of dance innovation with works by George Balanchine, Martha Graham, William Forsythe and David Dawson.

Book tickets for R:Evolution at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, 1 – 11 October 2025.