Archival Sources for the Study of Nineteenth-Century Theatrical Dance in Italy

The main archival sources related to the Italian ballet of the nineteenth century give insight into a period both rich in documentation and important to the history of Western theatrical dance.* A well-established historiographical tradition retains its focus on the French Romantic ballet, about which many valuable reference texts have been published in English, for example those representing Ivor Guest's lifelong achievements.(1) The paradigms elaborated on the basis of the French ballet, however, cannot be applied to the whole of nineteenth-century Europe. Much has yet to be discovered, as shown by research published in the last thirty years. It cannot be denied that the Italian ballet had distinct features of its own, or that it deserves a definite place in the historical study of nineteenth-century theatrical dance. Although a full bibliographical list of research on this subject cannot be provided here, some important publications based on primary sources will be given in the course of this report.(dagger)