CERRITO, FANNY

original name Francesca Cerrito born May 11, 1817, Naples died May 6, 1909, Paris ballerina noted for the brilliance, strength, and vivacity of her dancing, and one of the few women in the 19th century to achieve distinction as a choreographer. Cerrito made her debut in Naples in 1832 and gained international fame in London in 1840. There, in 1842, she choreographed her first piece, a pas de trois for Alma. Her greatest role was in Ondine, created for her by Jules Perrot in London in 1843. Two years later she appeared with Marie Taglioni, Carlotta Grisi, and Lucile Grahn in Perrot's Pas de quatre. Fanny Cerrito's favourite partner was Arthur Saint-Lon, a noted choreographer who arranged La Fille de marbre for her Paris Opra debut in 1847. They married in 1845 but separated in 1851. She staged Gemma in Paris in 1854 and then went to Russia. While there, she narrowly missed being hit by a falling piece of burning scenery; the resulting shock so affected her heart that she was forced to retire in 1857.