Gisella Caccialanza

Gisella Caccialanza (September 17, 1914 – July 16, 1998) was an American prima ballerina and teacher whose career spanned theater, opera, and film. Born in San Diego to Italian American parents, she began her training under Italian teacher Giovanni Rosi, who recommended she pursue advanced study abroad. In 1925, Caccialanza traveled to Milan, where she trained at La Scala for three years. During her final examinations at the opera house, she earned bronze, silver, and gold medals. Her work there brought her to the attention of ballet dancer Enrico Cecchetti, who devoted his final years to her development and later became her godfather at her confirmation, having received special permission from the Pope to do so.

Caccialanza returned to the United States in 1928. Cecchetti advised her to follow his methods rather than study under certain American teachers he regarded as unqualified. She subsequently signed a three-year contract with Viennese choreographer Albertina Rasch, touring the country with Rasch's dance troupes in vaudeville houses, motion picture prologues, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and Radio City Music Hall, where she performed five times daily. Ballet dancer Serge Lifar encouraged her to audition for a new school being established by George Balanchine, and she immediately received a scholarship to the School of American Ballet. Caccialanza became a charter member of the associated company in 1934 and performed in major cities across the United States.

Her work under Balanchine included the ballet Serenade in 1934, Le baiser de la fée in 1937, and The Four Temperaments in 1946. She also appeared in the musical films The Goldwyn Follies in 1938 and On Your Toes in 1939, both featuring Balanchine's choreography. When the main company was not performing, Caccialanza danced with the touring group Ballet Caravan, appearing in the 1936 premieres of Harlequin for President, Promenade, and The Soldier and the Gypsy, including a performance at the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles. In 1941, the American Ballet and Ballet Caravan collaborated on a tour of Latin America. That same year, Caccialanza danced a pas de deux at the New York headquarters of the United Service Organizations and spoke at a rally promoting scrap metal collection.

Her Broadway appearances ran from 1939 to 1942 and included Ballet Imperial, The Devil and Daniel Webster, and La Parisienne. Her role in Ballet Imperial, in which she performed as the second ballerina in its 1941 premiere, was produced under the New Opera Company. In October 1943, she was offered the role of Laurey in the Theatre Guild's road company production of Oklahoma! in New Haven but declined in order to honor a prior commitment. She later joined the Ballet Society and continued dancing with the San Francisco Ballet until the birth of her son in 1953, after which she taught and coached at the organization's school. In 1944, she had danced the lead role in the full-length American premiere of The Nutcracker with the San Francisco Ballet at the San Francisco Opera House.

A collection of her correspondence with Cecchetti was published under the title Letters From the Maestro in 1971. The Dance, Music, Recorded Sound, and Theatre Divisions of the New York Public Library holds a collection of letters and manuscripts related to her life spanning 1926 to 1972. Caccialanza was married to American choreographer Lew Christensen from 1941 until his death in 1984; their son Chris became a conductor. She died on July 16, 1998, at Seton Medical Center in Daly City following a series of strokes.