Katti Lanner
Encyclopedia
Katti Lanner (14 September 1829 – 15 November 1908) was a Viennese
ballet
dancer and choreographer
.
Lanner was born in Vienna, Austria. She was the daughter of Joseph Lanner, the director of ballet music at the Court in Vienna. She studied at the Vienna Court Opera
, becoming a pupil of Isidore Carey. She left Vienna in 1856 and worked in several German ballet companies, marrying Johann Alfred Geraldini, the director of the Viennese Ballet Company.
With this company, she toured Europe, Russia and the USA. She first played at Drury Lane
, London
in 1871, returning in 1875 where she took over the National Training School of Dancing, producing many ballets, pantomime
s and trained a number of protégées for the stage.
In the late 1890s and early 1900s, she choreographed numerous works for the Empire Theatre's ballet company, working with composer-director Leopold Wenzel
. This did much to revive the moribund art of ballet in Britain, which had declined in the 19th century.
She died at Clapham
in 1908 and was buried with fellow dancer Giuseppe Venuto de Francesco at West Norwood Cemetery
.
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
dancer and choreographer
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
.
Lanner was born in Vienna, Austria. She was the daughter of Joseph Lanner, the director of ballet music at the Court in Vienna. She studied at the Vienna Court Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
, becoming a pupil of Isidore Carey. She left Vienna in 1856 and worked in several German ballet companies, marrying Johann Alfred Geraldini, the director of the Viennese Ballet Company.
With this company, she toured Europe, Russia and the USA. She first played at Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1871, returning in 1875 where she took over the National Training School of Dancing, producing many ballets, pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
s and trained a number of protégées for the stage.
In the late 1890s and early 1900s, she choreographed numerous works for the Empire Theatre's ballet company, working with composer-director Leopold Wenzel
Leopold Wenzel
Léopold de Wenzel , also known as Leopold Wenzel, was an Italian conductor and composer.Born in Naples, Wenzel spent most of his career working in London, with the exception of some years spent in Paris...
. This did much to revive the moribund art of ballet in Britain, which had declined in the 19th century.
She died at Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
in 1908 and was buried with fellow dancer Giuseppe Venuto de Francesco at West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, and is a site of major historical, architectural and...
.
External links
- Newsletter 50 Friends of West Norwood Cemetery
- Katti Lanner Carte de visite photograph at Picture History
- J. Gilliland, Lanner, Katharina Josefa (1829–1908), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004 (Subscription required)