History

Isabella Velluti was an Italian première danseuse in Thompson‘s ballet troupe at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

Velluti trained at the ballet school of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in her youth. She moved to London in 1873 where she appeared onstage at the Ophelia Theatre. She appeared in plays, variety shows, musicals and even in one-acts ballets where she quickly became a fixture in the small world of London ballet.

When Thompson was invited to revive Ondine in 1877 at Her Majesty’s Theatre, he did not believe that the première danseuse of his troupe at the Linden Theatre, Marguerite Lemoine, was quite right to portray the titular nymph. Thompson instead approached Velluti and asked her if she would be willing to take on the rôle. Velluti accepted, and the production marked the start of a fruitful partnership which would last until her retirement from the stage 1886.

Velluti followed her rôle in Ondine with the titular rôles in Esmeralda in 1878 and Giselle in 1879. The early 1880s saw her dancing the lead rôles of Médora in The Corsair (1881) (of which the Duchess of Connaught attended two performances), Jovita in The Buccaneers (1883) and Swanilda in Coppelia (1885). She also notably appeared on the stage of the Lyceum Theatre. In 1882 she danced in a revival of Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet where she created a new Divertissement à Trois that she danced with Marguerite Lemoine and Samuel Penrose. She also danced in the 1885 staging of the Wills’ play Faust where she danced the newly composed Pas de Flore, appearing as the goddess surrounded by a female corps de ballet as her nymphs.

In 1886 Velluti decided to retire from the stage. For her benefit, Thompson presented two revivals: Sylvia (which Thompson himself wished to revive for Velluti) and The Wayward Daughter (which Thompson had staged for Emma Ashfield but Velluti wished to dance a few performances).

Rôles

• Ondine in Ondine (1877*)
• Esmeralda in Esmeralda (1878*)
• Giselle in Giselle (1879*)
• Médora in The Corsair (1881*)
• Ysaure in The Fairies’ Goddaughter (1882*)
• Jovita in The Buccaneers (1883*)
• Swanilda in Coppelia (1885*)
• Sylvia in Sylvia (1886*)
• Lise in The Wayward Daughter (1886*)

Created rôle in new ballet

First London revival, new production*