Carlotta Brianza (1867–1930) was an Italian prima ballerina, dancing with

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

in Milan and later with the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg.

Biography

Born in Milan, Brianza studied at the ballet school of

under

Carlo Blasis Carlo Blasis (4 November 1797 – 15 January 1878) was an Italian dancer, choreographer and dance theoretician born in Naples. He is well known for his very rigorous dance classes, sometimes lasting four hours long. He danced in France, Italy, ...

. She went on to dance as the company's prima ballerina in Luigi Manzotti's ''Excelsior''. She toured the United States with the ballet in 1883 and danced it in Saint Petersburg in 1887. Thanks to her popularity there, in 1889 she was hired by the Mariinsky Theatre where she danced with Enrico Cecchetti in Lev Ivanov's '' The Tulip of Haarlem'' in 1889. On 15 January 1890, she danced Aurora in the premiere of

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (russian: Мариус Иванович Петипа), born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa (11 March 1818), was a French ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. Petipa is one of the most influential ballet masters an ...

's '' Sleeping Beauty''. She continued her dancing career in Vienna, Italy, Paris and London before returning to Paris where she taught until she retired. In 1921, Sergei Diaghilev brought her out of retirement to dance (as the 'bad fairy', Carabosse) in ''The Sleeping Beauty''. She died in Paris in 1930.

Notable performances

Among Brianza's notable appearances are: *c. 1883: debut in Luigi Manzotti's ''Excelsior'' at La Scala, Milan *1883: one of five Star Premiere Danseuses in the Kiralfy Brothers ''Excelsior'' in New York *1887: as the Spirit of Light in Luigi Manzotti's ''Excelsior'', Arcadia Theatre, Saint Petersburg *1890: as Aurora in '' The Sleeping Beauty'' *1892: as Sylvia in '' Sylvia'', Arcadia Theatre, St Petersburg *1895: Sylvia, La Scala *1896: Aurora in ''The Sleeping Beauty'', staged by Giorgio Saracco, La Scala *1921: Carabosse in the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...

production of ''The Sleeping Beauty'', London

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brianza, Carlotta 1867 births 19th-century Italian ballet dancers Dancers from Milan Prima ballerinas 1930 deaths Italian ballerinas

Biography

Notable performances

See also

Further reading

References