The Works of Monsieur Noverre translated from the French : Noverre, his circle, and the English Lettres sur la danse

By going into print, the ballet master, dancer, and writer on dance, Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), helped to set the tone for major reforms in theatrical dance and furthered the development of a style of dramatic pantomime-ballet which would become known as ballet d'action. His dancing style and his ballets were taken up by some of his pupils, several of whom became leading choreographers in their own right, and thereby increased the impact of Noverre's work during and after his lifetime. His major publication, Lettres sur la danse, is a key text which is the primary reason for interest in Noverre today, and its first English translation, The Works of Monsieur Noverre translated from the French, which appeared in 1782, is the focus of this volume. Lettres sur la danse was completed in the autumn of 1759, with a publication date of 1760, and appeared in numerous editions including those of Vienna (1767), Amsterdam (1787), St Petersburg (1803-4), and Paris (1807). The text, which is presented as near as is possible to its 18th-century form, is accompanied by an introduction and commentary, and by eight illustrated essays by dance historians and musicologists, which shed light on aspects of Noverre's career, and on the development of his theories.