La Scala Theatre Ballet School La Scala Theatre Ballet School La Scala Theatre Ballet School () is one of the leading classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of La Scala Theatre Ballet, an international ballet company based at La Scala in Milan, Italy. The school forms part of the theatre's Academy for Performing Arts. The ballet school was founded in 1813 by Benedetto Ricci, as the "Accademia di ballo" (dance academy) of the "Teatro alla Scala". Following the defeat of Napoleon, the school's name was changed to "Imperial Regia Accademia di Ballo del Teatro alla Scala" (Royal Imperial Dance Academy
La Scala a memorable concert conducted by Arturo Toscanini—twice La Scala's principal conductor and an associate of the composers Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini—with a soprano solo by Renata Tebaldi, which created a sensation. La Scala hosted the first productions of many famous operas, and had a special relationship with Verdi. For several years, however, Verdi did not allow his work to be played here, as some of his music had been modified (he said "corrupted") by the orchestra. This dispute originated in a disagreement over the production of his "Giovanna d'Arco" in 1845; however the composer later conducted his "Requiem" there