Andrea Riolo has become the first Maltese to join the prestigious Birmingham Royal Ballet, one of the UK’s top ballet companies.

Speaking to Times of Malta between performances of La Fille mal gardée, Riolo, 19, described her journey from ballet lessons in Malta to professional stages abroad.

“This was the best birthday present I ever had,” she says of the moment she learned she had been accepted into the Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) around her 19th birthday. “It was my dream company. It feels surreal that this is now my life.”

Riolo’s introduction to ballet was a familiar one—her mother enrolled her in lessons at age three at the Brigitte Gauci Borda Ballet School. For years, ballet was just an extracurricular activity. But when members of Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet visited Malta, performing Crystal Palace, it everything changed for the young dancer.

“Being able to perform on stage with these professionals sparked something within me,” says Riolo. “I knew I wanted to do this professionally.”

At just 11 years old, well before her peers had even chosen their O-level subjects, Riolo had already decided to pursue a career in ballet. From that point on, her life revolved around dancing. “I have more memories than I can count of my mother picking me up from St Dorothy’s school, eating lunch quickly in the car, and heading straight to dance class.”

Riolo’s dedication paid off, and at 13, she had the opportunity to attend a summer intensive in New York City with the Bolshoi Ballet – the same company that had inspired her passion. To her surprise, she was selected to continue training with the Bolshoi in Russia as an apprentice. Unfortunately, the pandemic cut her training short. “I took the last flight back, and it was scary, but I was happy to be home,” she recalls.

Riolo had already decided to pursue a career in ballet when she was 11 years old.

A year later, Riolo’s chance to return to Russia came, this time with the prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy. At 14, she moved to Russia alone for an eight-month training programme. “In retrospect, I was a little naïve, but I don’t regret it. It was scary at times not speaking the language, but I made friends and I’m stronger for it.”

Maybe one day I’ll open my own ballet school- Andrea Riolo

Back in Malta, Riolo found inspiration from watching performances by the UK’s Royal Ballet Company, shown at Eden Cinemas. She was particularly captivated by principal dancer Yasmine Naghdi, and soon set her sights on a new goal: joining the British Royal Ballet.

According to the Royal Ballet School, she became the second Maltese dancer ever accepted into the school, where she completed her formal training. “The Royal Ballet School was more holistic than my previous training in Russia… It was definitely a kinder approach on the body.”

After completing a BA in classical ballet, Riolo was selected to join the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Now, she performs regularly with the company and is gearing up for their Christmas production of The Nutcracker, which will be staged in Birmingham and London’s Royal Albert Hall.

According to the Royal Ballet School, she became the second Maltese dancer ever accepted into the school.

Riolo credits much of her success to the unwavering support of her parents. “None of this would have been possible without them,” she says, acknowledging the time, financial resources and encouragement they invested in her. She also expressed her gratitude for the assistance provided by the Malta Arts Scholarship, Malta Arts Council and the BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation, which helped fund her training and scholarships.

In addition to her work with the BRB, Riolo is pursuing an MA in clinical nutrition from the University of Aberdeen. “The career of a dancer is very short – you can manage until 40 at most,” she says. “But who knows, maybe one day I’ll open my own ballet school and contribute to the local dance scene.”

Looking ahead, Riolo hopes to see the local ballet scene develop further. “I would love to see the local ballet scene evolve,” she says, noting that there are currently no full-time opportunities or companies for professional ballet dancers in Malta. However, she encourages young dancers to keep pursuing their dreams. “With the right mindset, you can achieve anything.”