Jean-Baptiste Lande

Ballet dancer, choreographer, and teacher
Born: ?
Died: St. Petersburg 26 February 1748

Jean-Baptiste Lande was a French ballet dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor who began his career at the Polish court. In 1723, he was appointed by Frederick I of Sweden to the position of dance master and director of the French Opera-Theatre in Stockholm. After a falling out in Sweden and spending some time in Denmark, Lande was invited to Russia to take the position of dance master at the military academy. In 1738, Lande was appointed ballet master for the first Russian Ballet School by Empress Anna on his own suggestion. It was in this position that he would influence the course of Russian ballet forever. Lande was the teacher of the founding members of the Imperial Ballet Theatre and was the instructor for such lauded dancers as Aksinya Sergeeva and Athanasius Toporkov. His position in Russian dance was such that when Catherine the Great needed dance lessons, Lande was her instructor.

Connected with: Aksinya Sergeeva, Athanasius Toporkov