Gaetano Apolline Baldassarre Vestris (18 April 1729 – 23 September 1808), French ballet dancer, was born in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and made his debut at the opera in 1749.

Life

Born of an Italian theatrical family, he studied dance with Louis Dupré at the

Royal Academy in Paris Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

, later joining the

Paris Opéra The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

where he served as dancing master to

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

. Vestris was the first dancer to discard the mask and to use his face in mime. By 1751, his success and his vanity had grown to such a point that he is reported to have said, "There are but three great men in Europe—the king of Prussia,

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

and I." He was an excellent mimic as well as dancer. From 1770 to 1776 he was a master and composer of ballets, retiring, in favour of Jean Georges Noverre, with a pension. Vestris married his former rival, dancer Anna Heinel (1753–1808), in 1792. She was of German origin and had wonderful success at the Paris Opera Ballet. They had a son, Adolphe, in 1791. He reappeared at the age of seventy-one on the occasion of his grandson's debut.

Family

Gaetano had several children who also became dancers. He was the lover of French ballerina Marie Allard; their son

Auguste Vestris Marie-Jean-Augustin Vestris, known as Auguste Vestris (27 March 1760 – 5 December 1842), was a French dancer. He was born in Paris, the illegitimate son of Gaétan Vestris and Marie Allard. His father was a Florentine dancer who had joined ...

(1760–1842) was also considered the greatest male dancer of his time. Auguste made his debut at 12 with the Paris Opéra and was the company's leading dancer for 36 years. Auguste's son, Auguste Armand Vestris (1788–1825), husband of

Lucia Elizabeth Vestris Lucia Elizabeth Vestris (''née'' Elizabetta Lucia Bartolozzi; 3 March 1797 – 8 August 1856) was a British actress and a contralto opera singer, appearing in works by Mozart and Rossini, among others. While popular in her time, she was more ...

, took to the same profession and made his debut at the opera in 1800, but left Paris for England, Italy and Vienna never reappearing in France. Gaetano's brother, Angiolo Vestris (1730–1809), formerly a dancer and later an actor at the

Comédie-Italienne Comédie-Italienne () or Théâtre-Italien () are French names which have been used to refer to Italian-language theatre and opera when performed in France. The earliest recorded visits by Italian players were ''commedia dell'arte'' companies ...

, married Marie Rose Gourgaud, the sister of the actor

Dugazon Jean-Henri Gourgaud (15 November 1746 – 19 October 1809) was a French actor under the stage name Dugazon, the son of Pierre-Antoine Gourgaud, the director of military hospitals there and also an actor. He began his career in the provinces, m ...

. Gaetano and Angiolo's sister,

Thérèse Therese or Thérèse is a variant of the feminine given name Teresa. It may refer to: Persons Therese *Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1773–1839), member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Duchess of Mecklenburg *Therese of Br ...

(1726-1808), was also a dancer.

References

Attribution: * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vestris, Gaetano 1729 births 1808 deaths People from Florence Emigrants from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany Immigrants to France French male ballet dancers French ballet masters 18th-century French ballet dancers Paris Opera Ballet étoiles Paris Opera Ballet artistic directors Burials at Montmartre Cemetery Vestris family