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Virginia Zucchi (10 February 1849 – 12 October 1933) was an Italian dancer. Her career as a ballerina spanned the years 1864 to 1898, and she was known as "the Divine Zucchi" or even "the Divine Virginia" for her artistry, expressiveness, and virtuosity.^[1] Perhaps her most lasting legacy is the celebrated La Esmeralda pas de six, which Marius Petipa created for her to the music of Riccardo Drigo in 1886. She was a guest artist in Berlin, London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Naples and Rome. She was a force in introducing Italian technique in Russia.

Life[edit]

Zucchi was born in Cortemaggiore. She studied ballet under Lepri & Carlo Blasis in Milan,^[2] She made her debut in 1864 in Varese and danced throughout Italy, as well as in Berlin and Paris. In 1885, she went to St. Petersburg to dance for the summer at Kin Grust, one of the music theaters that replaced the Imperial Theatre during the summer in St. Petersburg. The Imperial Theatre was the official Russian theatre that was closed during the summer months. In addition to Zucchi's gaining popularity and high public regard from these appearances, upon dancing for the Tzar he insisted that she joined the Maryinsky Theatre in Russia where she danced until 1888.^[3] During her time with the Imperial she performed in A Trip to the Moon(1885), Padmana in Brahma(1885), Coppelia, as well as many of Marius Petipa's ballets and ballet revivals, including The Pharaoh's Daughter (1885), La Fille Mal Gardée (1885) La Esmeralda (1886), and The King's Command or The Pupils of Dupré (1887). On one occasion under Petipa, Zucchi performed an entire solo en pointe.^[4]

Because of the intensity of the dramatic dynamic of her performances, she inspired the formation of Mir iskusstva, or the World of Art. Mir iskusstva was a movement created by Ballets Russes collaborators that included Leon Baskt, Diaghilev, and Alexandre Benois. Together they founded the journal of the same name that was focused more on the visual than the performing arts. In 1917 Baskt even drew a portrait of Zucchi at 68.

Of this period, Mary Clarke and Clement Crisp say:

"Zucchi revolutionized ballet in Russia. The magic of her presence, the extraordinary emotional power of her performances gripped the imagination of the public and also other artists. Regrettably, she was [then] forbidden the Imperial stages by the Tzar's command because of a liaison with an aristocrat."^[5]

After her tenure with the Imperial Ballet came to an end, Zucchi danced in Moscow and St. Petersburg with her own company in the late 1880s and the early 1890s. She was commissioned by Cosima Wagner to choreograph the Bacchanal in Tannhäuser when the opera was performed at the Bayreuth Festival for the first time in 1891.^[6]^[7] She also performed in the Palais Garnier (Opera of Paris) in 1895. Her final performance was in Nice, France, in 1898. She also contributed to the development of the St. Petersburg ballet school, and her influence in this led to the school making greater demands of its dancers in terms of technical perfection.^[2]

Zucchi later retired to Monte Carlo, where she opened a school & became a teacher.^[2] Her dancing influenced many ballerinas after her, including Mathilde Kschessinska. When Kschessinska first saw Zucchi in person, she said:

"I was fourteen when the famous Virginia Zucchi arrived in St Petersburg. From the day that Zucchi appeared on our stage I began to work with fire, energy and application: my one dream was to emulate her. The result was that when I left the School I already had a complete mastery of technique."^[8] She died in Nice.

Gallery[edit]

Virginia Zucchi in Petipa's version of Paquita, 1884.
Virginia Zucchi in La Esmeralda, 1886

Notes[edit]

^ Suchanek, Isabel. "Bakst-Portrait of Virginia Zucchi". Retrieved 2009-06-24.
^ ^a ^b ^c Kassing, Gayle (2007). History of dance: an interactive arts approach. Human Kinetics. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-7360-6035-6.
^ Guest, 120
^ Leach, Robert; Victor Borovsky (1999). A history of Russian theatre. Cambridge University Press. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-521-43220-7.
^ Clarke, Mary and Crisp, Clement 1981. The history of the dance. Orbit, London. p162
^ "The Bayreuth Festival." The Times (London, England), 29 July 1891, p. 3. (The Times Digital Archive, Web, accessed 13 January 2016. Subscription required.)
^ Spotts, Frederic (1994). Bayreuth: A History of the Wagner Festival. New Haven, CT, Yale University Press, p. 108.
^ Scholl, Tim (1994). From Petipa to Balanchine: classical revival and the modernization of ballet. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-09222-7.

References[edit]

Guest, Ivor Forbes (1977). The Divine Virginia: A Biography of Virginia Zucchi. M. Dekker. pp. 187. ISBN 978-0-8247-6492-0.

External links[edit]

[1] Suchanek, Isabel. "Bakst-Portrait of Virginia Zucchi". Retrieved 2009-06-24.

[kassing-2] Kassing, Gayle (2007). History of dance: an interactive arts approach. Human Kinetics. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-7360-6035-6.

[3] Guest, 120

[4] Leach, Robert; Victor Borovsky (1999). A history of Russian theatre. Cambridge University Press. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-521-43220-7.

[5] Clarke, Mary and Crisp, Clement 1981. The history of the dance. Orbit, London. p162

[6] "The Bayreuth Festival." The Times (London, England), 29 July 1891, p. 3. (The Times Digital Archive, Web, accessed 13 January 2016. Subscription required.)

[7] Spotts, Frederic (1994). Bayreuth: A History of the Wagner Festival. New Haven, CT, Yale University Press, p. 108.

[8] Scholl, Tim (1994). From Petipa to Balanchine: classical revival and the modernization of ballet. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-09222-7.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[File:Fedor Bronnikov 008.jpg|thumb|By Fedor Bronnikov, 1889]]
-'''Virginia Zucchi''' ([[Parma]], 10 February 1849 &ndash; [[Nice]], 12 October 1930) was an [[Italians|Italian]] [[dancer]]. Her career as a [[ballerina]] spanned from 1864 to 1898, and she was known as "the Divine Virginia" for her artistry, expressiveness, and virtuosity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arthistory.upenn.edu/ashmolean/Bakst/Bakst_entry.html|title=Bakst-Portrait of Virginia Zucchi|first=Isabel|last=Suchanek|accessdate=2009-06-24}}</ref>
+'''Virginia Zucchi''' (10 February 1849 &ndash; 12 October 1933) was an [[Italians|Italian]] [[dancer]]. Her career as a [[ballerina]] spanned the years 1864 to 1898, and she was known as "the Divine Zucchi" or even  "the Divine Virginia" for her artistry, expressiveness, and virtuosity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arthistory.upenn.edu/ashmolean/Bakst/Bakst_entry.html|title=Bakst-Portrait of Virginia Zucchi|first=Isabel|last=Suchanek|access-date=2009-06-24}}</ref> Perhaps her most lasting legacy is the celebrated ''La Esmeralda pas de six'', which [[Marius Petipa]] created for her to the music of [[Riccardo Drigo]] in 1886. She was a guest artist in Berlin, London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Naples and Rome.  She was a force in introducing Italian technique in Russia.
+==Life==
-Zucchi studied ballet under [[Carlo Blasis]] in Milan,<ref name=kassing>{{cite book|title=History of dance: an interactive arts approach|first=Gayle|last=Kassing|publisher=Human Kinetics|page=145|year=2007|isbn=9780736060356}}</ref> She made her debut in 1864 in [[Varese]] and danced throughout Italy, as well as in [[Berlin]] and [[Paris]]. In 1885, she went to [[St. Petersburg]] to dance for the summer at Kin Grust. Zucchi became so popular and highly regarded from these appearances that she joined the [[Mariinsky Theatre]] in Russia from 1885 to 1888.<ref>Guest, 120</ref> During these three years, she performed in many of [[Marius Petipa]]'s ballets and ballet revivals, including [[The Pharaoh's Daughter]] (1885), [[La Fille Mal Gardée]] (1885) [[La Esmeralda (ballet)|La Esmeralda]] (1886), and [[The King's Command or The Pupils of Dupré]] (1887). On one occasion under Petipa, Zucchi performed an enitre solo [[en pointe]].<ref>{{cite book|title=A history of Russian theatre|first=Robert|last=Leach|coauthors=Victor Borovsky|page=189|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=1999|isbn=9780521432207}}</ref>
+Zucchi was born in [[Cortemaggiore]]. She studied ballet under Lepri & [[Carlo Blasis]] in Milan,<ref name=kassing>{{cite book|title=History of dance: an interactive arts approach|first=Gayle|last=Kassing|publisher=Human Kinetics|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofdancein00kass/page/145 145]|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7360-6035-6|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofdancein00kass/page/145}}</ref> She made her debut in 1864 in [[Varese]] and danced throughout Italy, as well as in [[Berlin]] and [[Paris]]. In 1885, she went to [[St. Petersburg]] to dance for the summer at Kin Grust, one of the music theaters that replaced the Imperial Theatre during the summer in St. Petersburg.  The Imperial Theatre was the official Russian theatre that was closed during the summer months. In addition to Zucchi's gaining popularity and high public regard from these appearances, upon dancing for the Tzar he insisted that she joined the Maryinsky Theatre in Russia where she danced until 1888.<ref>Guest, 120</ref> During her time with the Imperial she performed in A Trip to the Moon(1885), Padmana in Brahma(1885), Coppelia, as well as many of [[Marius Petipa]]'s ballets and ballet revivals, including [[The Pharaoh's Daughter]] (1885), [[La Fille Mal Gardée]] (1885) [[La Esmeralda (ballet)|La Esmeralda]] (1886), and [[The King's Command or The Pupils of Dupré]] (1887). On one occasion under Petipa, Zucchi performed an entire solo [[en pointe]].<ref>{{cite book|title=A history of Russian theatre|first=Robert|last=Leach|author2=Victor Borovsky |page=189|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=1999|isbn=978-0-521-43220-7}}</ref>
-[[File:Paquita -Virginia Zucchi -1886.JPG|thumb|250px|left|Virginia Zucchi]]
-Of this period, Mary Clarke and Clement Crisp say:
-:"Zucchi revolutionized ballet in Russia. The magic of her presence, the extraordinary emotional power of her performances gripped the imagination of the public and also other artists. Regrettably, she was [then] forbidden the Imperial stages by the Tzar's command because of a liaison with an aristocrat." <ref>Clarke, Mary and Crisp, Clement 1981. ''The history of the dance''. Orbit, London. p162</ref>
+Because of the intensity of the dramatic dynamic of her performances, she inspired the formation of Mir iskusstva, or the World of Art.  Mir iskusstva was a movement created by Ballets Russes collaborators that included Leon Baskt, Diaghilev, and Alexandre Benois.  Together they founded the journal of the same name that was focused more on the visual than the performing arts.  In 1917 Baskt even drew a portrait of Zucchi at 68.
-After her tenure in the Mariinsky Theatre came to an end, Zucchi danced in [[Moscow]] and St. Petersburg with her own company in the late 1880s and the early 1890s. She also performed in the [[Palais Garnier]] (Opera of Paris) in 1895. Her final performance was in [[Nice]] in 1898. She also contributed to the development of the St. Petersburg ballet school, and her influence in this led to the school making greater demands of its dancers in terms of technical perfection.<ref name=kassing/>
+Of this period, [[Mary Clarke (dance critic)|Mary Clarke]] and [[Clement Crisp]] say:
-[[File:Esmeralda -Virginia Zucchi -1886.JPG|thumb|Virginia Zucchi in La Esmeralda, 1886]]
+:"Zucchi revolutionized ballet in Russia. The magic of her presence, the extraordinary emotional power of her performances gripped the imagination of the public and also other artists. Regrettably, she was [then] forbidden the Imperial stages by the Tzar's command because of a liaison with an aristocrat."<ref>Clarke, Mary and Crisp, Clement 1981. ''The history of the dance''. Orbit, London. p162</ref>
-Zucchi later retired to [[Monte Carlo]], becoming a teacher.<ref name=kassing/> Her dancing influenced many ballerinas after her, including [[Mathilde Kschessinska]]. When Kschessinska first saw Zucchi in person, she said:
-:"I was fourteen when the famous Virginia Zucchi arrived in St Petersburg. From the day that Zucchi appeared on our stage I began to work with fire, energy and application: my one dream was to emulate her. The result was that when I left the School I already had a complete mastery of technique." <ref>{{cite book|title=From Petipa to Balanchine: classical revival and the modernization of ballet|first=Tim|last=Scholl|publisher=Routledge|year=1994|isbn=9780415092227}}</ref>
+After her tenure with the Imperial Ballet came to an end, Zucchi danced in [[Moscow]] and St. Petersburg with her own company in the late 1880s and the early 1890s. She was commissioned by [[Cosima Wagner]] to choreograph the Bacchanal in ''[[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]]'' when the opera was performed at the [[Bayreuth Festival]] for the first time in 1891.<ref>"The Bayreuth Festival." ''The Times'' (London, England), 29 July 1891, p. 3. (''The Times Digital Archive'', Web, accessed 13 January 2016. Subscription required.)</ref><ref>Spotts, Frederic (1994). ''Bayreuth: A History of the Wagner Festival.'' New Haven, CT, Yale University Press, p. 108.</ref> She also performed in the [[Palais Garnier]] (Opera of Paris) in 1895. Her final performance was in [[Nice]], France, in 1898. She also contributed to the development of the St. Petersburg ballet school, and her influence in this led to the school making greater demands of its dancers in terms of technical perfection.<ref name=kassing/>
+Zucchi later retired to [[Monte Carlo]], where she opened a school & became a teacher.<ref name=kassing/> Her dancing influenced many ballerinas after her, including [[Mathilde Kschessinska]]. When Kschessinska first saw Zucchi in person, she said:
+:"I was fourteen when the famous Virginia Zucchi arrived in St Petersburg. From the day that Zucchi appeared on our stage I began to work with fire, energy and application: my one dream was to emulate her. The result was that when I left the School I already had a complete mastery of technique."<ref>{{cite book|title=From Petipa to Balanchine: classical revival and the modernization of ballet|first=Tim|last=Scholl|publisher=Routledge|year=1994|isbn=978-0-415-09222-7}}</ref> She died in [[Nice]].
+==Gallery==
+<gallery>
+File:Paquita -Virginia Zucchi -1886.JPG|Virginia Zucchi in Petipa's version of ''[[Paquita]]'', 1884.
+File:Esmeralda -Virginia Zucchi -1886.JPG|Virginia Zucchi in La Esmeralda, 1886
+</gallery>
+==See also==
+*[[Women in dance]]
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 18: / Line 28: @@
 ==References==
-*{{cite book|first=Ivor Forbes|last=Guest|title=The Divine Virginia: A Biography of Virginia Zucchi|publisher=M. Dekker|year=1977|pages=187|isbn=9780824764920}}
+*{{cite book|first=Ivor Forbes|last=Guest|title=The Divine Virginia: A Biography of Virginia Zucchi|publisher=M. Dekker|year=1977|pages=[https://archive.org/details/divinevirginiabi0000gues/page/187 187]|isbn=978-0-8247-6492-0|url=https://archive.org/details/divinevirginiabi0000gues/page/187}}
 ==External links==
+* http://www.arthistory.upenn.edu/ashmolean/Bakst/Bakst_entry.html
-*{{findagrave|9475347|Virginia Zucchi}}
+* http://michaelminn.net/andros/biographies/zucchi_virginia/
+{{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Zucchi, Virginia}}
 [[Category:1849 births]]
-[[Category:1930 deaths]]
+[[Category:1933 deaths]]
-[[Category:Italian ballet dancers]]
+[[Category:Italian ballerinas]]
-[[Category:People from Parma]]
+[[Category:Dancers from Parma]]
-[[it:Virginia Zucchi]]

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