Montessu, P., née Paul

Montessu, P. , née Paul (1805, Marseilles; July 1877, Asnières), ballerina, received her first dancing lesson at age eight from her brother, the dancer Paul. Eager to become a ballerina, she followed her brother to the Opéra and continued to study at the dancing school attached to the theatre. In Paris, her teacher was Antoine Coulon , who arranged for her to make her debut on 17 June 1820 with her brother in a pas de deux from Aspasie et Périclès. Mlle Paul’s graceful manner appealed to the…