Virginia Zucchi

Who was Virginia Zucchi?

Virginia Zucchi was an Italian dancer. Her career as a ballerina spanned from 1864 to 1898, and she was known as “the Divine Zucchi” or even "the Divine Virginia" for her artistry, expressiveness, and virtuosity. Perhaps her most lasting legacy is the celebrated La Esmeralda pas de six, which Marius Petipa created for her to the music of Riccardo Drigo in 1886. She was a guest artist in Berlin, London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Naples and Rome. She was a force in introducing Italian technique in Russia.

Zucchi studied ballet under Lepri & Carlo Blasis in Milan, She made her debut in 1864 in Varese and danced throughout Italy, as well as in Berlin and Paris. In 1885, she went to St. Petersburg to dance for the summer at Kin Grust, one of the music theaters that replaced the Imperial Theatre during the summer in St. Petersburg. The Imperial Theatre was the official Russian theatre that was closed during the summer months. In addition to Zucchi's gaining popularity and high public regard from these appearances, upon dancing for the Tzar he insisted that she joined the Maryinsky Theatre in Russia where she danced until 1888.