Italian language

Italian ( italiano  [itaˈljaːno] or lingua italiana [ˈliŋɡwa itaˈljaːna]) is a Romance language spoken mainly in Italy, parts of Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City; as a second language in Albania, Malta, Slovenia and Croatia; by minorities in Crimea, Eritrea, France, Libya, Monaco, Montenegro, Romania and Somalia; and by expatriate communities in Europe, in the Americas and in Australia. Many speakers are native bilinguals of both standardised Italian and other regional languages. It is an official language in the European Union and one of the six official languages of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe along with English, Spanish, French, Russian and German.

According to the Bologna statistics of the European Union, Italian is spoken as a native language by 65 million people in the EU (13% of the EU population), mainly in Italy, and as a second language by 14 million (3%). Including the Italian speakers in non-EU European countries (such as Switzerland and Albania) and on other continents, the total number of speakers is around 85 million. Italian has been reported as the fourth or fifth most frequently taught foreign language in the world.

Ballerina (1966 film)

Ballerina also known as The Copenhagen Ballet is the story of a young girl Mette Sorensen (played by Mette Hønningen) who aspires to be a dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet, against the wishes of her mother but with the support of her musician father and her mentor, the famous ballerina Kirsten Holm (played by Kirsten Simone).

The story opens with Mette greeting Kirsten at the airport following the latter's return from a successful dance tour. They ride into the city together where Kirsten notices that Mette is slightly down-hearted about her own progress at ballet school. She soon gathers from the Ballet Master, and Madame Karova, Mette's teacher, that all is not well and Mette is not showing the promise she had originally displayed. The audience then learns that Mette's mother is against her pursuing a career as a ballerina, wanting her instead to settle down with her boyfriend Sven.

With Kirsten's backing, Mette secures a place at the Royal Danish ballet ('the company') and takes a small, solo part in Swan Lake, in which she excels. Kirsten is then asked to go to London at short notice, leaving the Ballet Master without a female lead soloist for Coppelia. Kirsten recommends Mette for the part. The remaining part of the film follows Mette's rehearsals and the various ups and downs on the path towards the finale of Coppelia and her arrival as the company's newest star. A young Jenny Agutter also stars as a pupil at the ballet school who turns to Mette for guidance and mentorship.

Ballerina (Sidney Keith Russell and Carl Sigman song)

"Ballerina" is a popular song.

The song was written by Sidney Keith Russell and Carl Sigman. Published in 1947, the tune is listed as ASCAP Title Code 320012517.

Hit versions were recorded by:

Sources