Maria Rita Rapisarda

Rome, Italy

Maria Rita began her professional ballet training at the School of Opera di Roma in Italy. She then moved to Florence where she was trained by Eugenio Buratti in his professional private school. After a year, Maria was awarded a full scholarship for the Tanz Akademie in Zurich under the direction of Oliver Matz and Steffi Scherzer. During her studies, Maria trained in Vaganova technique with Tina Goldin and contemporary with teacher and choreographer Luciano Di Natale. She performed in the academy repertoire, including pieces by Maged Mohamed and Leo Mujic.

After graduating in 2021, Maria joined Tulsa Ballet, where she performed in works such as Swan Lake, Don Quixote, and Romeo and Juliet and performed roles such as Mother Ginger in The Nutcracker, the Mother in Jack and the Beanstalk, and the Mother in Ma Cong’s Tchaikovsky, the Man Behind the Music. Maria also had the opportunity to dance the Summer Fairy in Andrew McNicol’s Cinderella. During her time at Tulsa Ballet, Maria also had the opportunity to work with international choreographers such as Annabel Lopez Ochoa, Andy Blankenbuehler, Val Caniparoli, Daren Deane, Jennifer Weber, Adam Hugland, Penny Saunders, Jennifer Archibald, and others.