Alessio Carbone brings 12 Nairobi students to Orsolina28 to dance with Guillaume Diop

A group of twelve young dancers from Nairobi’s Still I Rise International School is set to participate in an immersive dance residency in Italy, marking a distinctive cultural and artistic exchange. The residency, organized under the guidance of Alessio Carbone—former principal dancer at the Paris Opera and current artistic director of Balletto di Venezia—will take place at the Orsolina28 Art Foundation in Moncalvo.

Scheduled from November 1 to 8, 2026, the residency offers these students from Kenya an opportunity to engage with an international team of dance professionals. Among the mentors joining Carbone are Guillaume Diop from the Paris Opera Ballet, Abou Rutayisire of Ballet de Barcelona, and the pianist-composer Touve Ratovondrahety. Additional workshops will cover diverse styles such as hip hop and street dance, led by Aurora Denaro, and a musical theatre module conducted by Carlotta Bolognese.

The program aims to transcend traditional dance instruction by fostering creative agency among participants. This approach emphasizes choreography and self-expression, allowing the students to be creators in their own right rather than mere performers. Collaborative sessions with Scuola28, Orsolina28’s resident dance school, will further enrich the students’ exposure to professional dance environments.

Culminating the residency, the group will present "Still I Dance – Rising Together" on November 7 at Teatro The Eye, a venue within the Orsolina28 complex. The performance will showcase original choreography developed over the week, reflecting the students’ artistic growth and intercultural dialogue. Attendance is free, with a voluntary contribution option, and reservations are required through the foundation’s website.

This initiative builds upon a partnership launched in 2024 between Alessio Carbone and Still I Rise, a non-profit organization that provides high-quality education to vulnerable children globally. Still I Rise operates the Nairobi school located in the Mathare district, which is notable for offering the International Baccalaureate curriculum entirely free of charge—a pioneering achievement for a non-profit serving disadvantaged youth.

Carbone’s initial involvement included fundraising and introductory dance workshops in Nairobi, followed by a 2025 on-site visit where he began collaborative choreography projects with local students. These efforts laid the groundwork for the current Italian residency, representing a tangible expansion of the artistic and educational collaboration.

The residency and its outcomes are being documented through an artistic film project that captures the participants’ experiences and the broader impact of the initiative. This documentation aims to highlight the transformative potential of dance as a medium for empowerment and cross-cultural connection.

Still I Rise continues to expand its global footprint, operating schools in regions affected by conflict and hardship including Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia, and Yemen, with plans to open new institutions in South Sudan, India, and Italy. The organization’s pioneering model addresses the global education crisis by combining academic excellence with creative development.

The upcoming residency at Orsolina28 exemplifies how artistic collaboration can serve as a platform for social inclusion and personal development, particularly for youth facing adversity. By facilitating direct interaction with esteemed international dance professionals and enabling creative authorship, the project offers a unique perspective on the role of the arts in educational innovation.

Nicolò Govoni, CEO of Still I Rise, is expected to attend the performance, underscoring the significance of the partnership. This residency not only highlights the potential of dance to bridge geographic and cultural divides but also reinforces the importance of access to arts education as a tool for resilience and growth.