Enrico Cecchetti
| Enrico Cecchetti | |
|---|---|
 Enrico Cecchetti, St. Petersburg, circa 1900 |
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| Born | June 21, 1850 Rome, Italy |
| Died | November 13, 1928 (aged 78) Milan, Italy |
Enrico Cecchetti (21 June 1850, Rome – 13 November 1928, Milan) was an Italian ballet dancer, mime, and founder of the Cecchetti method.[1] 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 [2] and by 1888, he was widely accepted as the greatest ballet 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, Léonide Massine, and Vaslav Nijinsky. He also restaged many ballets, including Petipa's definitive version of Coppélia in 1894, from which nearly all modern versions of the work are based (Cecchetti's version was notated in the early 20th century, and is today part of the Sergeyev Collection). While teaching a class, Cecchetti collapsed and he died the following day, November 13, 1928.
The general populace was not aware that he could only turn in one direction and in fact, had to have all his choreography tailored especially to accommodate this weakness.
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[edit] 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.[3] This was extremely rare at the time because normally dancers would be asked to join a company on a lower level.
In 1890, Cecchetti performed in the ground-breaking production of The Sleeping Beauty. With the introduction of the pointe shoe in the early 19th century, ballet was dominated by female performers using the pointe technique. .[4] The male technique had been reduced to the role of a servant who would help the ballerina perform by lifting and spinning .[5] However, Cecchetti's contrasting roles in The Sleeping Beauty changed this. He performed the role of Carabosse, the villainous witch, without the traditional mask [3] and then performed the technically demanding role of the Blue Bird.[3] By performing in these two contrasting roles, Cecchetti showed Russian audiences that men could perform all the ballet steps that were usually reserved for women.[6] In 1919 Cecchetti performed at the inaugural performance of the ballet La Boutique fantasque in London, appearing in the role of the shopkeeper.[7]
[edit] Teaching
Cecchetti also taught at the Imperial School in St. Petersburg from 1887 — 1902, and then the Warsaw State School in Poland from 1902 — 1905. Returning to St. Petersburg in 1905, he established a school there. From 1907-1909, he coached Anna Pavlova exclusively until dancers from the Maryinsky pleaded with him to open his classes to them again. When Sergei Diaghilev wanted his company, the Ballets Russes, to tour, the dancers refused because they would miss their daily classes with Cecchetti. An astute businessman, in 1910 Diaghilev hired Enrico for the dual roles of ballet master and mime. Cecchetti performed many mime roles which were created expressly for him by choreographers of the Ballets Russes.
Cecchetti's presence in Diaghilev's Ballets Russes was very important. He was the link between the past and the present, contributing to the birth of modern classical ballet. He also maintained the technical level of the dancers by enabling them to cope with the physical and dramatic challenges of the company's demanding choreographers.[8] In addition to Cecchetti and the dancers, many other artists worked with the Diaghilev Ballets Russes: painters, set and costume designers Léon Bakst, Picasso, Jean Cocteau, and Henri Matisse; composers Claude Debussy, Manuel De Falla, Sergei Prokofiev, Maurice Ravel, and Igor Stravinsky. The Ballets Russes toured through Europe, the United States, South America, and Australia.
Having had enough of life on the road, Cecchetti settled in London, England where he opened a dance school in 1918. Considered the technical marvel of the ballet world, it was said that no one could become a finished ballet dancer without passing through Cecchetti's hands.
It is in the tradition of classical ballet that technique is passed on directly Enrico Cecchetti having been taught by Giovanni Lepri who was taught by Carlo Blasis and the line can be traced back to Beauchamp the first ballet master at the court of Louis X1V. So too the Cecchetti method has been passed on directly by his former pupils like Laura Wilson
In 1923, he returned to Italy to retire but was invited by Arturo Toscanini to resume his teaching career at La Scala, his lifelong dream. While teaching a class, Cecchetti collapsed and was taken home, where he died the following day, November 13, 1928.
[edit] 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.[9] After Cecchetti's death, Cyril Beaumont and Stanislas Idzikowsky decided to codify Cecchetti's method so it could continue to be used by ballet teachers to perfect the technique of ballet dancers [10] 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.
[edit] References
- ^ Barringer, Janice (2007-01-01). "Cecchetti's choices. (Technique) Enrico Cecchetti". Dance Magazine (Macfadden Performing Arts Media LLC). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-156447365.html. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
- ^ Wiley, Roland John (1990). A Century of Russian Ballet. New York: Oxford Clarendon Press. p. 375.
- ^ a b c Brillarelli, Livia (1995). Cecchetti A Ballet Dynasty. Toronto: Dance Collection Danse Educational Publications. p. 31.
- ^ Bland, Alexander; Percival, John (1984). Men Dancing. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- ^ Cass, Joan (1993). Dancing Through History. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall Inc. p. 114.
- ^ Poesio, Giannandrea (1995). "The Maestro". Cecchetti a Ballet Dynasty (Toronto: Dance Collection Danse Educational Publications): 82.
- ^ Australiadancing.org
- ^ Brillarelli pg 47
- ^ Poesio pg 80
- ^ Brillarelli pg 59
[edit] Sources
- Enrico Cecchetti at www.Cecchettiusa.org
