Enrico Cecchetti was an Italian dancer and choreographer and one of the greatest teachers in the history of ballet. Born in a theatre dressing room in 1850, he was a pupil of Giovanni Lepri, and made his stage debut at La Scala, Milan in 1850, soon afterwards appearing in London and St. Petersburg. In 1890 he became a dancer and teacher in St. Petersburg, moving to Warsaw in 1902, and then returning first to Italy and later to Russia.

His pupils included Pavlova, Preobrajenska, Egorova, Karsavina, Kschessinska, Fokine and Nijinsky. He was the teacher of Diaghilevs Ballets Russes on its...