Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, Giusi Santagati began her classical dance studies at the Sofia Opera House School. After moving to Italy in 1982, she continued her studies at the National Academy of Rome under the guidance of étoile and maître de ballet Margarita Trayanova. Alongside dance, she also honed her skills in piano.
In 1986, she joined the ballet corps of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, performing soloist and principal roles in numerous ballets. That same year, she won first place at the “Gonzaga” International Dance Competition in Mantua. In 1997, she was featured in the book “Tecnica della Danza Classica” by F. Pappacena, both in the photographs inside the book and on the cover.
She joined Aterballetto, directed by A. Amodio, in 1988, performing in various productions and participating in tours to Argentina and Brazil. In 1991, she performed in the summer season at the Arena di Verona Theatre, dancing in the ballet Romeo and Juliet, choreographed by John Cranko, alongside Carla Fracci and Giuseppe Iancu.
She also performed as a guest with several prestigious companies, including:
- Compagnia Danza Italiana, directed by Carla Fracci,
- Il Balletto di Roma, directed by F. Bartolomei and W. Zappolini,
- Arte Danza, directed by E. Terabust and G. Vantaggio,
- Ballet de Temps Modernes with V. Derevianko, among others.
From 1991 to 1996, Santagati was a member of the ballet corps at the Teatro alla Scala di Milano, where she danced as a soloist and prima ballerina. She also toured extensively in Italy and abroad, including Japan and Egypt.
Since 1996, she has been working at the Teatro Comunale di Firenze – MaggioDanza, dancing soloist and principal roles in numerous productions.
In addition to her performance career, Santagati has been teaching classical dance and repertory for many years, participating in various workshops, festivals, and competitions as a judge and examiner.