Luciano Aimar was born in Italy and began studying ballet at age nine at the Teatro Nuovo in Turin. He then traveled to Paris, where he studied at both the Peter Goss Dance School and Carolyn Carson Dance School. He returned to Turin to dance with the Teatro Nuovo as part of the corps de ballet and did his first solo in their production of Coppelia.
In 1985, he entered the Ballet Theatre l’Ensemble in Brussels, directed by Micha van Hoecke. The company was considered the Junior Company of Maurice Bejart’s Ballet du XXe Siècle. With the Ballet Theatre l’Ensemble, Aimar danced original roles as both a soloist and principal for more than seven years. He received his master’s degree in dance therapy at the Centro Regionale per la Danza Terapia, Maria Fuxin Florence, Italy.
From 1992 to1996, Aimar was a developer and instructor of dance therapy programs, working with individuals with Down’s syndrome, mental illness, and blindness. He also developed a special program for children (ages one to three) born and living in prisons, as well as a group for women cancer survivors. In addition to his work in special education, Aimar taught ballet to children age seven to 12 at the Centro Studi Danza e Movimento in Florence, Italy. He was chosen as team manager and coach for the Italian team at the First Children’s Dance Festival in Seoul, South Korea.
In 1997, Aimar moved to the United States where he worked as volunteer at the Perkins School for Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts as a dance therapy instructor. After his volunteer work, he moved to the Creative Movement and Arts Center in Needham, Massachusetts as teacher and program director, where he successfully developed programs for children ages three months to seven years.
Aimar’s passion for understanding the process of learning helped him develop a strong technique and approach to teaching young children. He joined Boston Ballet School in 2005 and teaches several classes at the Newton and Boston studios. He was named the Head of Children’s Curriculum in 2012 and is responsible for training the program’s faculty. He also works closely with Boston Ballet School Director Margaret Tracey in creating the curriculum for the Children’s Program.
In 2007, he founded A Bridge of Roses, a charity in honor of his mother that supports educational projects for children in Africa. Aimar built three schools for A Bridge of Roses – each in remote areas of Madagascar – that serve more than 200 children.
