Italian ballet great Carla Fracci has
died, Milan's La Scala theatre said on Thursday.
The queen of Italian dance would have turned 85 in August.
"With her elegance and her artistic efforts, the fruit of
intense work, Carla Fracci honoured our country," said President
Sergio Mattarella.
"I express my most deep-felt condolences to her family and to
the world of dance, which has lost a precious and unforgettable
figure today.
"Her extraordinary artistic and human qualities made her one of
the greatest ballet dancers of our time at the international
level".
Fracci was born in Milan in 1936 and started out at the La Scala
Theatre Ballet School at the age of 10, having Russian dancer
Vera Volkova among her teachers.
She graduated in 1954, becoming soloist in 1956 and principal in
1958.
She also worked with the Royal Ballet and the American Ballet
Theatre, among many other companies, and her dance partners
included Rudolf Nureyev.
She went on to direct the ballet company of Naples' Teatro San
Carlo, the Verona Arena Ballet Company and the Teatro Dell'Opera
di Roma Ballet Company.
"Maria Taglioni Carla Fracci was the most important figure in
the history of dance at La Scala," said the theatre's
superintendent, Dominique Meyer
"She grew up at the academy and tethered her name intimately to
the history of this theatre.
"We will always think of her with affection and gratitude".
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