Grisi, Carlotta

Grisi, Carlotta

 orig. Caronne Adele Josephine Marie Grisi

(born June 28, 1819, Visinada, Istria, Austrian Empire—died May 20, 1899, Geneva, Switz.) Italian ballerina of the Romantic era. She trained at the ballet school of La Scala in Milan. In 1834 she became the protégé of the dancer and ballet master Jules Perrot. She was engaged at the Paris Opera, where her first creation was Giselle (1841). Grisi remained the undisputed principal ballerina of the Opera until 1849 and was praised for her seemingly spontaneous and effortless style. She retired in 1853.