Marco Berrettini is an Italian dancer and choreographer.
His interest in dancing began in 1978, when he won the German championship of Disco Dancing. There upon he decided to improve his technical skills. In the next following three years, he took a multitude of classes and workshops in Jazz Dance, Modern Dance and Classical Ballet. Next to his regular school education, he worked for the Ballroom Dance School Bier in Wiesbaden as a choreographer for Gala Nights. He directed 28 male and female amateur dancers. In order to improve the Shows, he watched American Musical movies for the first time in his life. With his dancers he studied and stole and adapted some dance scenes from West Side Story to Eastern Parade.

After his A levels, he started a professional dance-formation; first at the London School of Contemporary Dance, then at the Folkwangschulen Essen, under the direction of Hans Züllig and Pina Bausch. In Essen and Wuppertal he developed his interest for the German Tanztheater and choreographed his first contemporary Solo: "the horny Santa Claus". Since that time, the Jooss/Laban/Leeder/Cecchetti technique meant everything to him and in the next 10 years he would work under the influence of Pina Bausch's Tanztheater. Especially concerning the "form" of how a show is build. There seemed to be a great amount of freedom and possibilities. But concerning the "content", Berrettini seemed much more sceptical. Berrettini belonged to the 1980ies and the psychoanalytical work of most of the big contemporary companies did not appeal to him. One could feel a change of generation.

Straight after the diploma as a dancer he tried to build up his own company in Wiesbaden. One must say, without any success. Retrospectively it could be mentioned that at the beginning of the 1980ies independent dance companies weren't really helped at all in Germany and the audience would be strictly used to frequent the state-theatres. Also, Berrettini's work wasn't the most communicative. Next to his attempts to be recognised as a good, new, revolutionary choreographer, he studied European Ethnology, Cultural Anthropology and Theatre-Sciences at the Frankfurt University. For few years, Berrettini fighted rather badly his way through dance. He could have had easily a job as a classical dancer or at the Wuppertaler Tanztheater, but he seriously believed that one day his career will work. In the meantime he payed his rent by playing Backgammon and giving amateur-classes.
In 1988 he signed a contract with a French dance company. He was fed up with Germany and hoped that France would offer new opportunities. This time he was luckier. Besides his work for the choreographer Georges Appaix, he created his own pieces. The name of his Company was Tanzplantation.
In 1999 the Kampnagel Theatre in Hamburg produced his show "MULTI(S)ME". Following the advice of the Kampnagel Director Res Bosshart, his Company of 12 members, changed its name. *MELK PROD. was born.

Since then Marco Berrettini produced more than 25 pieces in collaboration with his Company, and won some prizes like the ZKB PRIZE at the Theaterspektakel Festival in Zürich, what ever it means to win prizes for choreography.
In 2005 "No Paraderan" opened at the Theatre de la Ville in Paris. A huge scandal broke off at the opening night. Few spectators even wanted to beat Berrettini up, waiting for him at the artist's entrance. In less than 6 months the company lost the support of the theatres *MELK PROD. used to work with. No money, no gigs anymore. For two years the company would really have a hard time and 3 members of the crew had to leave for financial reasons. But since 2007 the situation seems to be stable again. His last piece "*MELK PROD. goes to New Orleans" (for which the company has really travelled to New Orleans in order to create the piece), they reconquered the audience. His dancers, the youngest 26, the oldest 57 years old, improved through the years. Just like good red wine.
Berrettini's work spreads widely. From the Performance in Museums to movie-productions with foreign film-directors; from Video-Installations at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris to festive dinner parties with famous people who don't know him at all. At the present Berrettini works on the piece "Si, Viaggiare". A piece for 9 dancers who will try to translate Peter Sloterdijk's book: "Blasen" in theatrically exploitable material. The opening night took place in July 2011 in Vienna. But his best "creation" is and will be Stella, his 6 year old daughter with whom he lives in Geneva.
Marco Berrettini for Marco Berrettini