Pubblico dominio (Commons)
_(Yorck).jpg){kind=link}
The Elementary Treatise: The Bible of Dance
In 1820, Blasis published his Traité élémentaire, théorique et pratique de l'art de la danse in Milan. It was a revolutionary work: for the first time, the steps, poses, and exercises of dance were analyzed with scientific precision and graphically illustrated. Blasis introduced the concept of "en dehors" taken to 90 degrees and established the structure of the classical dance lesson (barre and center) that has remained virtually unchanged to this day.
The invention of the Attitude. Inspired by the famous statue of Mercury by Giambologna, Blasis codified the attitude position: one leg raised and bent behind, giving the dancer a slender and dynamic line. This pose became one of the symbols of virtuosity and elegance in academic ballet.
The La Scala Academy and the "Pleiades"
During his directorship at La Scala, Blasis selected a group of six extraordinarily talented dancers, nicknamed the Pleiades. Thanks to his rigorous and almost military teaching method, these artists (including Marietta Baderna and Augusta Maywood) scaled the stages of the world, making the La Scala method synonymous with technical perfection and expressive power.
Choreography and universal culture
Blasis's choreographies, such as Cyrus the Great or The Fake Philosophers, were distinguished by their geometric complexity and attention to the historical truth of costumes and sets. Blasis was convinced that a choreographer must possess encyclopedic culture, ranging from painting to literature, to create works that were not just entertainment but high intellectual expression.
A wandering master
Despite his deep connection with Milan, Blasis was a restless traveler. He taught and staged ballets in London, Paris, Warsaw, and even Moscow, where he made a fundamental contribution to the development of the Russian school. His influence was such that the very structure of Russian Imperial ballet owes a great deal to the pedagogical principles he established years earlier in Italy.
The legacy: the birth of virtuosity
Blasis died in Cernobbio in 1878, leaving an inestimable legacy. Without his work of codification, romantic ballet and the subsequent classicism of Petipa would not have had the necessary technical foundations to develop. Every time a dancer today performs an exercise at the barre or a pose in attitude, they are putting into practice the teachings of Carlo Blasis.
This article is part of the section dedicated to masters of the stage and the history of dance on italianopera.
Explore the list of choreographers →