Pierina Legnani

Pierina Legnani was the first Prima Ballerina Assoluta and considered to be one of the best ballerinas of all time. She was born on October 1, 1868, in Milan, Italy, but little is known about her personal life because she led a very quiet life outside of the theater and was never the target of gossip or controversies.

Legnani began dancing at the age of seven, and after a year of individual instruction, she was accepted into the La Scala School, where she spent ten years training. In her final year, she assisted Prima Ballerina Maria Giuri as an understudy. After a brilliant career in her home Italy, she later danced as Prima Ballerina in Eugenio Casati's ballet Salandra at the Alhambra Theatre in London in 1890.

Her greatest success came in Russia, where she inserted 32 fouette spins into her performance of CINDERELLA, which she had done in London the year before. Pierina Legnani also broke Bessone's previous record of 14 fouettés. The audience was surprised when she inserted her fouettes. This feat became a staple of the ballet.

Born: 1868
Died: 1930
Nationality: Italian