---Came from a large family of Opera performers and Opera singers. Carlotta Grisi was a famous ballerina and court dancer with a piquant, coquettish style from the romantic period, who also had a terrific voice. Her sister Ernesta Grisi (1816-1895) married Théophile Gautier (1811-1872) and was a very successful operatic contralto singer as well as her cousin Giulia Grisi who was the opera prima donna.

   Carlotta started ballet school around 1826 at the La Scala School of Milan later studied Ballet at the Conservatory of Music in Milan and began to finally dance at the age of eight and would be dancing in the corps de ballet at the age of ten (1829). While on a working tour of Italy with her sister in 1834, she met Jules Perot in Naples, who at the time was partnered with Marie Taglioni (1804-1884) and by the age of fourteen, Perot took her to Paris and later married her (some say common law marriage) which was why Carlotta danced briefly under the name Mme. Perrot in 1836. Perot and Grisi later in 1837 had a daughter Marie-June Grisi. Later her and Perrot would split and she would have another daughter by Prince Radziwell

Marie-June Grisi. Later her and Perrot would split and she would have another daughter by Prince Radziwell named Léontine Grisi in 1853.

   Carlotta made her professional debut in Paris in Perot's Ballet "La Favorita" at the Paris Opera House and in the Théâtre de la Renaissance in 1840 where she sang and danced. Her real success, however came in 1843 with "Giselle" and "La Peri". Grisi created the legendary role of "Giselle" in 1841 in that same Ballet. London critics reported during the Polka Mania period when performed at Her Majesty's Theater on 4/11/1845 that Grisi and Perot's Polka was "not the thing," however Fanny Cerrito's and St. Leon's was.

   London would also be the location for another famous "Pas de quatre" which consisted of Marie Taglioni, Fanny Cerrito, Lucile Grahn and Carlotta Grisi in which Perrot

Stage

d, he found this to be no easy task for the four greatest dancing egos of the time.

   Her family members consisted of:
Mother and Father: Maria and Vincenzo Grisi,
Daughters: Léontine Grisiand Marie-June Grisi,
Sister: Ernesta Grisi(1816-1895),
Cousins: a mezzo-sopranoGiuditta Grisi(1805-1840), Italian Soprono Giulia Grisi(1811-1869) who married Giovanni Mario.

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