Antonietta Dell'Era (10 February 1860 Milan — 22 June 1945 Berlin) was an Italian prima ballerina best known for originating the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Tchaikovsky's ballet, The Nutcracker (1892).[1][2]
Antonietta Dell'Era as part of the Berlin Ballet, 1880
Between 1879 and 1909, Dell'Era had a successful career at the Berlin Opera,[3] receiving praise from many critics and writers including author and poet Theodor Fontane.[4] Between 1886 and 1894, she danced in Russia, mainly in St. Petersburg, as an export of the "Italian Invasion" - an influx of talented Italian dancers to Russia that included Pierina Legnani,[5]Enrico Cecchetti, and Virginia Zucchi.[6][7]
The Nutcracker
In 1892, Dell'Era created the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, a new ballet conceived by mastermind choreographer Marius Petipa[4] and composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky.[8] The ballet premièred at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg on December 17, 1892, as a double feature alongside Tchaikovsky's last opera, Iolanta; tickets to the première were sold out.[4][9][1] Dell'Era reportedly received five curtain calls, but critical reception of the ballet was poor.[8][1] Russian ballet dancer Nicolai Solyannikov was unimpressed by Dell'Era's performance: "this coarse, ungraceful dancer is much to the German taste".[9] The influence of politics and current affairs on the evolution of ballet is well-documented, and during Dell'Era‘s time as a leading ballerina in Russia, dancers were influenced by the rise of expressionism and increasing opposition to the rigidity of classic ballet;[3] she had in fact received better critical reception for her role as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty.[9]
Legacy
Before her death in 1945, Dell'Era had expressed a wish that her estate should help dancers in need. The Dell'Era-Gedächtnis-Stiftung foundation was established after her death to provide dancers and their families with financial assistance towards living costs and expenses, such as medical costs, training and retraining.[10]
References
^ abcPritchard, Jane (January 2001). "Antoinette Dell'Era : the first Sugar Plum Fairy". Dancing Times. 3: 337, 339, 341. OCLC49577215.
^Scholl, Tim, 1962- (1994). From Petipa to Balanchine : classical revival and the modernization of ballet. London: Routledge. ISBN0415092221. OCLC28182142.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ abcWiley, Roland John (1997-03-06). The life and ballets of Lev Ivanov : choreographer of The nutcracker and Swan lake. Oxford [England]. p. 144. ISBN9780191657597. OCLC880878305.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
