Enrico Cecchetti (; 21 June 1850 – 13 November 1928) was an Italian
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...
dancer,
mime, and founder of the
Cecchetti method.
The son of two dancers from
Civitanova Marche, he was born in the costuming room of the ''Teatro Tordinona'' in Rome. After an illustrious career as a dancer in Europe, he went to dance for the
Imperial Ballet in
St. Petersburg, Russia, where he further honed his skills. Cecchetti was praised for his agility and strength in his performances, as well as his technical abilities in dance.
By 1888, he was widely accepted as the greatest
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...
virtuoso in the world.
After an esteemed career in Russia, originating such roles as both the Bluebird and Carabosse in Petipa's masterpiece, ''
The Sleeping Beauty'', he turned to teaching. Some of his students included other notable dancers of the
Imperial Ballet, such as:
Anna Pavlova
Anna Pavlovna Pavlova ( , rus, Анна Павловна Павлова ), born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova ( rus, Анна Матвеевна Павлова; – 23 January 1931), was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20t ...
,
Léonide Massine, and
Vaslav Nijinsky. While in London in 1920, he provided instruction to the American ballerina
Ruth Page and to
Ninette de Valois
Dame Ninette de Valois (born Edris Stannus; 6 June 1898 – 8 March 2001) was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet. Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Ru ...
. He also restaged many ballets, including Petipa's definitive version of ''
Coppélia
''Coppélia'' (sometimes subtitled: ''La Fille aux Yeux d'Émail'' (The Girl with the Enamel Eyes)) is a comic ballet from 1870 originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to the music of Léo Delibes, with libretto by Charles-Louis-Étie ...
'' in 1894, from which nearly all modern versions of the work are based. (This version was notated in the early 20th century, and is today part of the
Sergeyev Collection
The Sergeyev Collection is a collection of choreographic notation, musical materials, designs for décor and costumes, theatre programs, photos and other items that document the repertory of the Imperial Ballet (precursor of the Kirov/Mariinsky B ...
). While teaching a class, Cecchetti collapsed and he died the following day, 13 November 1928.
Changes to the choreography of the male
variations featured in the works of the Imperial Ballet's repertory. In 1890, Cecchetti performed in the ground-breaking production of ''
The Sleeping Beauty'', where his performance as the Bluebird caused a sensation in the audience at the
Mariinsky Theatre. The choreography of the Bluebird has challenged male dancers even to the present day.
Cecchetti left the Imperial ballet in 1902 to accept the directorship of the Imperial Ballet School in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
, Poland, then part of the Russian Empire. His farewell gala at the Mariinsky Theatre featured all of the leading ballerinas of the day, many of whom were his students. In order to have everyone pay him homage, the ''
Paquita'' Grand pas classique was performed, with the inclusion of the favorite solos of all of the participating ballerinas. This led to the tradition of including a long suite of variations for several ballerinas.
In 1919 Cecchetti performed at the inaugural performance of the ballet, ''
La Boutique fantasque
''La Boutique fantasque'', also known as ''The Magic Toyshop'' or ''The Fantastic Toyshop'', is a ballet in one act conceived by Léonide Massine, who devised the choreography for a libretto written with the artist André Derain, a pioneer of Fau ...
,'' in London, appearing in the role of the shopkeeper.
Mariinsky Theatre
In 1887 Cecchetti performed in St. Petersburg where
Ivan Vsevolozhsky, the director of the
Mariinsky Theatre saw him perform. He was so impressed with Cecchetti that he immediately hired Cecchetti as a principal dancer for the theatre.
This was extremely rare at the time because normally dancers would be asked to join a company on a lower level.
With the introduction of the
pointe shoe in the early 19th century, ballet was dominated by female performers using
pointe technique.
In many ways male technique had been reduced to the role of an actor whose responsibilities as a dancer were relegated to a servant who partnered the ballerina.
Cecchetti immediately began transforming the traditionally conservative roles for the male dancer, making drastic changes to the choreography of the
male variations featured in the works of the Imperial Ballet's repertory. In 1890, Cecchetti performed in the ground-breaking production of ''
The Sleeping Beauty'', where his performance as the Bluebird caused a sensation in the auditorium of the
Mariinsky Theatre. The choreography of the Bluebird has challenged male dancers even to the present day.
Cecchetti left the Imperial ballet in 1902 to accept the directorship of the Imperial Ballet School in Warsaw, Poland. His farewell gala at the Mariinsky Theatre featured all of the leading ballerinas of the day, many of whom were his students. In order to have everyone pay him homage, the ''
Paquita'' Grand pas classique was performed with the inclusion of the favorite solos of all of the participating ballerinas. This led to the tradition of including a long suite of variations for several ballerinas.
In 1919 Cecchetti performed at the inaugural performance of the ballet ''
La Boutique fantasque
''La Boutique fantasque'', also known as ''The Magic Toyshop'' or ''The Fantastic Toyshop'', is a ballet in one act conceived by Léonide Massine, who devised the choreography for a libretto written with the artist André Derain, a pioneer of Fau ...
'' in London, appearing in the role of the shopkeeper.
Teaching
In the tradition of classical ballet, techniques and parts are taught directly, person to person. The technique was passed on directly to Enrico Cecchetti, as he was taught by Giovanni Lepri in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...
,
who in turn was taught by Carlo Blasis and the line can be traced back to Beauchamp the first ballet master at the court of Louis XIV. Cecchetti also studied with other two colleagues of his father: Cesare Coppini, who worked a ''
La Scala'' of Milan, and
Filippo Taglioni, father of the dancer
Maria Taglioni
Marie Taglioni, Comtesse de Voisins (23 April 1804 – 22 April 1884) was a Swedish-born ballet dancer of the Romantic ballet era partially of Italian descent, a central figure in the history of European dance. She spent most of her life in t ...
. All of them had been students of Carlo Blasis, who taught at ''La Scala'' of Milan. There he applied the method explained in the book ''Traité élémentaire, théorique et pratique de l'art de la danse'', published in 1820. So, too, the Cecchetti method has been passed on directly by his former pupils such as Laura Wilson.
In 1925,
Arturo Toscanini appointed Master Cecchetti as director of the ''La Scala'' theatre dancing school.
Two years later, Cecchetti was deeply affected by the death of his wife and died in Milan on 13 November 1928.
Cecchetti Method
Cecchetti created a ballet technique that is now known as the Cecchetti method. This technique is popular with past and present ballet teachers, remaining fresh and contemporary.
[Poesio pg 80] After Cecchetti's death, Cyril Beaumont, Stanislas Idzikowsky,
Margaret Craske and Derra de Moroda decided to codify Cecchetti's method so it could continue to be used by ballet teachers to perfect the technique of ballet dancers.
[Brillarelli pg 59] Under the Cecchetti Method, dancers follow strict routines and daily exercises to develop all-around skills to support learning and performance of every kind of dance.
This training method is used by many ballet companies around the world, including The
National Ballet of Canada and Mont Albert Ballet School in
Melbourne, Australia.
Legacy
Among his notable students there were: Anna Pavlova, Cia Fornaroli,
Pierina Legnani,
Léonide Massine,
Attilia Radice,
Vaslav Nijinsky,
Tamara Karsavina, Dame
Ninette de Valois
Dame Ninette de Valois (born Edris Stannus; 6 June 1898 – 8 March 2001) was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet. Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Ru ...
, Dame
Marie Rambert,
Gisella Caccialanza
Gisella Caccialanza (September 17, 1914 – July 16, 1998) was an American prima ballerina and teacher who danced in theater, opera and film productions. She studied ballet under Italian teacher Giovanni Rosi, and then with ballet dancer Enrico C ...
,
Vincenzo Celli, Luigi Albertieri, Dame
Alicia Markova
Dame Alicia Markova DBE (1 December 1910 – 2 December 2004) was a British ballerina and a choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her career with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and touring internat ...
,
Olga Preobrajenskaja,
Matilda Kšesinskaja,
Serge Lifar,
George Balanchine,
Ruth Page.
As dancer and choreographer, he created and interpreted the Eunuch in the ''
Scheherazade
Scheherazade () is a major female character and the storyteller in the frame narrative of the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the '' One Thousand and One Nights''.
Name
According to modern scholarship, the name ''Scheherazade'' der ...
'' (1910) of
Michel Fokine
Michael Fokine, ''Mikhail Mikhaylovich Fokin'', group=lower-alpha ( – 22 August 1942) was a groundbreaking Imperial Russian choreographer and dancer.
Career Early years
Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant an ...
, Kostchei in ''
The Firebird'' (1910), and the Magician in ''
Petrushka''.
Cultural depictions
* ''Pavlova and Cecchetti'', duet from the ''
Nutcracker'', ballet by
John Neumeier (The Frankfurt Ballet, 1971),
* ''
Anna Pavlova
Anna Pavlovna Pavlova ( , rus, Анна Павловна Павлова ), born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova ( rus, Анна Матвеевна Павлова; – 23 January 1931), was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20t ...
'', film by
Emil Loteanu
Emil Vladimirovich Loteanu (6 November 1936 – 18 April 2003) was a Romanian-Soviet film director born in what is now Moldova. He moved to Moscow in his early life. His best known films are '' Lăutarii'', '' Gypsies Are Found Near Heaven'', '' A ...
; portrayed by Georgio Dimitriou (1983).
* ''
Nijinsky'', film directed by
Herbert Ross
Herbert David Ross (May 13, 1927 – October 9, 2001) was an American actor, choreographer, director and producer who worked predominantly in theater and film. He was nominated for two Academy Awards and a Tony Award.
He is known for directing ...
; portrayed by
Anton Dolin (1980).
References
Sources
*
History of Enrico Cecchettiat Cecchetti USA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cecchetti, Enrico
Choreographers of Mariinsky Theatre
Italian male ballet dancers
Ballet teachers
Ballet masters
19th-century Italian ballet dancers
Italian expatriates in Russia
1850 births
1928 deaths