Carla Fracci

Carla Fracci (born Carolina Fracci, 20 August 1936 – 27 May 2021) was an Italian prima ballerina, actress and ballet director, and a leading dancer of La Scala Theatre Ballet. After leaving that company in 1963 she danced as a guest with The Royal Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, the Royal Swedish Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, especially in the Romantic repertory — La Sylphide, Giselle, Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet — with partners including Erik Bruhn, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov.

She later directed ballet companies in Italy, including the Teatro San Carlo in Naples and, from 2000 to 2010, the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. La Scala’s seasonal Balletto Gala per Carla Fracci is named in her honour; David Coleman conducted the 2024 gala captured on this site.