Pierina Legnani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pierina Legnani
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Pierina Legnani photographed during her tour of London, 1891. Written on the photo is "Signorina Pierina Legnani, Première danseuse assoluta".
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Pierina Legnani
September 30, 1863 |
| Died | November 15, 1930 (aged 67) Milan, Italy
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Pierina Legnani (born September 30, 1863 – died November 15, 1930) was an amazing Italian ballerina. Many people think she was one of the greatest ballerinas ever! She was even called a prima ballerina assoluta, which means she was considered the very best dancer of her time.
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Her Early Life and Training
Pierina Legnani was born in Milan, Italy, on September 30, 1863. She started her ballet training at a famous school called La Scala. There, she learned from a well-known ballet dancer named Caterina Beretta. This training helped her become very skilled and strong in her dancing.
Becoming a Star Ballerina
Pierina's professional career really took off when she danced as the main ballerina in a show called "Salandra" in London. This was at the Alhambra Theatre. In 1892, she became the main ballerina for La Scala. Soon after, in 1892, she moved to St. Petersburg, Russia.
In Russia, Pierina became very famous. She danced with the Tsar's Imperial Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre. She stayed there until 1901.
Famous Dance Moves and Roles
A famous ballet choreographer named Marius Petipa helped Pierina create many important roles. These included:
- Cinderella in 1893
- Swan Lake in 1895
- Raymonda in 1898
- La Camargo in 1901
Pierina Legnani is especially known for being the first ballerina to perform 32 fouettés en tournant. This is a difficult series of 32 turns on one leg, while the other leg whips around. She did this in the final part of the Cinderella ballet.
This amazing dance move shows how strong and skilled a dancer is. Later, 32 fouetté turns were added to the Black Swan solo in Swan Lake. Dancers still perform them today. Pierina was one of only two dancers at the Mariinsky Theatre to be named prima ballerina assoluta. This means she was truly considered the best of the best.
Retirement and Later Life
Pierina Legnani's last performance was on January 28, 1901. She danced in the ballet La Camargo. After this, she retired from the stage. She went to live in her beautiful house near Lake Como in Italy.
Even after she stopped dancing professionally, she stayed involved in ballet. She helped examine students at the La Scala Ballet School. She did this until just four months before she passed away. Pierina Legnani died on November 15, 1930.
Ballets She Performed In
Here are some of the ballets by Marius Petipa that Pierina Legnani performed in:
- Cinderella (music by Fitingof-Shell, 1893) – She was the first to do 32 fouettés en tournant in this ballet.
- The Talisman (music by Riccardo Drigo, 1895)
- La Perle (music by Drigo, 1896)
- Raymonda (music by Alexander Glazunov, 1898)
- Les ruses d’amour (music by Glazunov)
- Coppélia (music by Léo Delibes, 1896)
- The Cavalry Halt (music by Johann Armsheimer, 1896)
Gallery
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Caricature of Legnani as Odette in Swan Lake by the brothers Nikolai and Sergei Legat
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Legnani in the title role of Cinderella. St. Petersburg, 1893.
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Legnani in the title of Cinderella. St. Petersburg, 1893.
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Legnani as the Tsar Maiden in Petipa's revival of The Little Humpbacked Horse. St Petersburg, 1895.
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Legnani as the White Pearl in La Perle, a ballet created for the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II. Moscow, 1896.
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Legnani in the title role of Raymonda. St. Petersburg, 1898.
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Legnani as Medora in Petipa's final revival of Le Corsaire, with Pavel Gerdt as Conrad (left) and Alfred Bekefi as the Saïd Pasha (right). St. Petersburg, 1899.
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Legnani in the title role of La Camargo, revived by Lev Ivanov. St. Petersburg, 1901.
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Legnani in the title role of La Camargo with Nikolai Legat as Vestris. St. Petersburg, 1901
See also
In Spanish: Pierina Legnani para niños
