This year he did not dance on TV on the occasion of the “New Year’s Concert” in Vienna, but the new year still offers a good opportunity to write about Davide Dato, the dancer from Occhieppo Superiore who has now lived in Austria for 16 years and since 2016 he became principal dancer of the Vienna Opera Ballet.
«I did not attend the concert due to other commitments. My first time was in 2011, since then I have danced in almost all editions. In the last few weeks I learned that I was awarded the “ASI Italiani nel Mondo Prize”. At the moment I still don’t know when I will be able to collect it. The idea would be to do it during a tour in Italy, but at the moment, due to the uncertainty linked to the pandemic, which still prevents us from making specific plans for the future, I am unable to imagine a date ».
The proclamation of recognition of the talent of the Biellese dancer took place on 19 December in Rome, on the occasion of the ASI National Council, with the following motivation: “To Davide Dato, admirable interpreter of Dance” for “the extraordinary achievements in his exemplary artistic career international and for the prestigious honor it brings to Italy ». The award was conceived by the journalist Gianmaria Italia, with the aim of paying homage to fellow countrymen who, residing abroad, distinguish themselves in their activities, in the cultural, sporting and social fields, bringing prestige to Italy.
«I created this recognition – he explains – in December 2015, five years after Daniela, my eldest daughter, emigrated to Luxembourg. Since then I had visited the Grand Duchy several times and met some of our fellow countrymen who, realistically said, despite being professionally well regarded, there are always foreigners there, while here a large part of our political class no longer considers them Italians. This makes them foreign twice. I thought it was necessary to give them a tangible sign of attention and the comments of gratitude I receive confirm the goodness of my initiative. Davide Dato is an emblematic example. The award testifies to my personal gratitude and the admiration of all ».