ENRICO CECCHETTI

ENRICO Cecchetti

ENRICO Cecchetti, Student Council:

Enrico Cecchetti was born in a dressing room in a theater in Rome June 21, 1850. Enrico Young's debut came as an infant in his father's arms. Although his parents wanted him to pursue a career in business or law, Enrico was determined to be a dancer and finally convinced his parents about his great desire and commitment. Trained in the rudiments of ballet by his father, Enrico was sent to training for Giovanni Lepri, who prepared the dancers performed. He also studied with two more of his father's colleagues, Cesare Coppini, who taught at the prestigious La Scala in Milan, and Filippo Taglioni, the father of the famous ballerina, Marie Taglioni. All Cecchetti teachers have been trained by Carlo Blasis. This early training created a background for Enrico Cecchetti's method of teaching according to the guidelines Blasis' own theory. Blasis had codified his teaching methods in the book Traite Elementaire, a technique Practice Art de la Danse, which was published in 1820.

ENRICO Cecchetti, a professional dancer:

Cecchetti began to tour Europe in his late teens, and at the age of 20 had his debut on stage at La Scala in Milan. He was an instant success! Throughout his career, he received rave reviews and accolades and was considered the best male dancer of his time. At the height of his career, he wandered to St. Petersburg. While performing in Russia, he captivated his audience with brilliant feats of batterie, amazing leap, and multiple pirouette. He was hired to perform a Premier dancer, to be Maitre de Ballet with Maryinsky Ballet and to teach at the Imperial Ballet School (1887-1902). So prodigious was his technique and his talent for mime that he has created and performed virtuoso role of Blue Bird and the mime role of Carabosse in Petipa premiere of The Sleeping Beauty in 1890.

MAESTRO Cecchetti, Teacher:

Cecchetti taught at the Imperial School in St. Petersburg from 1887-1902 and from 1902-1905 he taught in Poland, Warsaw State School. Returning to St. Petersburg in 1905, he established a school there. From 1907-1909, he taught Anna Pavlova exclusively until dancers from Maryinsky implored him to open its classes to them again. When Diaghilev would his company, the Ballets Russes, tour, the dancers refused because they would miss their daily classes with Cecchetti. A skilled businessman, Diaghilev hired Enrico for the dual roles of ballet master and mime. Cecchetti performed many mime roles which were specifically for him by choreographers of the Ballets Russes. Cecchetti's presence in the Diaghilev Ballets Russes was very important. He was the link between past and present, contributing to the birth of modern classical ballet. In addition to Cecchetti and the dancers, many other artists worked with Diaghilev Ballets Russes: painters, set and costume designers bakst, Picasso, Cocteau, and Matisse, composers Debussy, De Falla, Prokofiev, Ravel, and Stravinksy. The Ballets Russes toured through Europe, USA, South America and Australia. Tired of touring, Cecchetti settled in London, England, where he opened a school where dancers flocked. Candidate technical beacon for the ballet world, it was said that nobody could become a finished ballet dancer without passing through Cecchetti's hands. 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 in class, Cecchetti collapsed and was taken home where he died the following day, November 13, 1928.

Tradition continues, Cecchetti's Legacy:

Maestro Enrico Cecchetti will always be remembered through the teaching method he developed which expanded upon the principles laid down by Carlo Blasis. He learned from the masters, he assimilated and applied the theories they have learned. From his own experience as a dancer and a teacher, and from his associations with other dancers, artists and musicians, he continued to learn, to share his knowledge and wisdom through a career that spanned nearly eight decades. Cyril Beaumont, a world renowned dance historian and friend of Cecchetti said: "What impressed me most about the Cecchetti method of teaching was the way in which each exercise played a definite and planned part of the student's technical development. There is nothing accidental about the system which depends on the teacher's mood at the moment. There is a clear plan for the daily classes. "The method devised by Maestro Cecchetti was recorded and released in 1922 by Cyril Beaumont with the help of Idzikowski and Cecchetti, himself. Handbook of theory and practice of Classical Theatrical Dancing (Cecchetti Method) is an excellent source of information on technique, position, positions, arms, feet, legs, hands, body, head, port de bras, adage, etc. Margaret Craske and Derra Fridericka the Moroda later collaborated with Cyril Beaumont in recording many enchainements allegro and pirouette.

After completing their handbook on the Cecchetti Method, Beaumont decided it would be advantageous to combine the dancers in London who had studied with Cecchetti. From this group was founded the Cecchetti Society in 1922. Its earliest members were Cyril Beaumont, Margaret Craske, Fridericka. Derra de Moroda, Molly Lake, Jane Forrestier, Dame Marie Rambert and Ninette de Valois. Cecchetti and his wife was the first President and Vice President of the Cecchetti Society. From this community, developed with branches in all parts of the world.

The legacy of the Cecchetti lessons have continued to grow. Among the many dancers influenced by Cecchetti were: Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinksy, Tamara Karsavina; Ninette de Valois and Dame Marie Rambert (Royal Ballet of England and Ballet Rambert, respectively); Gisella Caccialanza (New York City Ballet and San Francisco Ballet); Vincenzo Celli, Luigi Albertieri, Dame Alicia Markova, and Margaret Craske (Metropolitan Opera Ballet) Luba Egorova and Olga Preobrajenska (taught in Paris), Serge Lifar (Paris Opera Ballet); Betty Oliphant (National Ballet of Canada); Molly Lake (Ankara Ballet in Turkey), Adolf Bolin (San Francisco Opera Ballet and Chicago Lyrical Ballet), Mikhail Mordkin (American Ballet Theater), George Balanchine (New York City Ballet); Dame Peggy Van Praagh (Australian Ballet); Dulcie Howes (University of Cape Town, South Africa, also known as CAPAB Ballet Co.). The list is endless. The Cecchetti Council of America, Inc. is an organization with the goal of maintaining Cecchetti Method through seminars, conferences, festivals, examinations, and by providing guidelines and performance standards.