Bridging Cultures Through Dance: Sara Alessia Giannini's Path

Sara Alessia Giannini, a 26-year-old modern dancer from Bari, Italy, has established herself as an prominent performer in New York City’s dance scene. With a foundation rooted in European training and a clear artistic identity, Alessia is earning attention through lead roles and solo performances in both artistic and culturally significant productions across the city.

Most recently, Sara starred at the Ailey Citigroup Theater in KoDaFe 2024 in NYC—the Korean Dance Festival—produced by I KADA Contemporary Dance Company. The festival is known for bringing together international choreographers and performers to explore global themes through contemporary movement. Sara was the main dancer in two works: Human Revolution, a contemporary piece, and Hueng & Han, a choreography that blends Korean traditional elements with modern dance. She led both pieces, carrying the core narrative and emotional tone of the works, and was recognized for her ability to move fluently between distinct cultural vocabularies.

She also starred in Dance Against Cancer 2024 at New York City Center, an annual benefit concert in collaboration with the American Cancer Society. The event raises funds for cancer research and featured a curated cast from prestigious companies including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and the National Dance Institute. Sara was the main dancer in Unleashed!, choreographed by Earl Mosley. Her role included featured solo sections and placed her at the center of a high-caliber ensemble, highlighting her presence among some of the most prominent dancers in the U.S. dance community. The event held personal importance for Sara due to its philanthropic mission.

In addition to contemporary work, Sara has been active in preserving and showcasing Italian heritage through dance. She was the featured dancer with Incanto Productions for two major events: the San Gennaro Feast 2023 and the Columbus Day Parade 2023, broadcast on ABC. These performances highlight traditional Italian dances such as the Tarantella and Pizzica. Incanto focuses on sharing Italian culture with American audiences through live performance and television, and Sara’s starring role in these events emphasized her role as a cultural ambassador through movement.

While pursuing her formal dance education, Sara also took part in a number of high-profile performances following competitive audition processes. She danced in the Opening Night Gala of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, performing Festa Barocca, restaged by Clifton Brown, and in the Ailey Spirit Gala, in Chasing the Spirit by Hope Boykin. She was also selected to perform with ASPG, the school’s company, touring various theaters and schools with Ailey repertory restaged by Freddie Moore, including Aspects of a Vibe by Darrell Moultrie, Upside Down by Ronald K. Brown, and Virtues by Amy Hall Garner. In November 2023, she performed in Ascend with the Salvatore LaRussa Dance Company, further expanding her range across New York’s independent dance scene.

Sara continues to grow artistically through both performance and education. Beginning in the fall, she will join the faculty at Ballet Academy East, a renowned school on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Deeply passionate about sharing her experience and love for dance, Sara looks forward to inspiring and nurturing the next generation of dancers.

She also leads the ChoreoJoey project, a choreographic and performance initiative blending African, modern jazz, and West African dance styles. The group performs regularly across Manhattan and in other major cities throughout the U.S., serving as a platform for multidisciplinary work and community engagement.

“I feel I’m making a real contribution to the New York dance scene,” Sara shares. “I’m bringing my Italian roots, my technical background, and the dances I’ve done in the past into what I’m doing now. The great thing about coming from abroad and dancing here is that it’s like learning a new language—my dance becomes a mix of two beautiful languages.”

With a growing body of work that includes main roles, solo performances, and culturally meaningful projects, Sara Alessia is shaping a professional path that reflects artistic depth, cross-cultural fluency, and international relevance.