Dancetime: Romantic Ballet: Sensuality & Nationalism

“SENSUALITY AND NATIONALISM IN ROMANTIC BALLET” features never-before-published early ballet solos and duets. The video reveals intriguing facets of 19th century ballet that illustrate innovations far beyond our common understanding of this era. In fact, this period of ballet offered a revolutionary focus highlighting the stories and characters of everyday people, inspired by a combination of dynamic influences from 'national dance'. The colorful ballet of this era, bridges the gap from the opulence of Baroque dance, supported by the wealth of kings and queens, to the broadened aesthetics and virtuosic technique of the Romantic Ballet, which became the vibrant link to Classical Ballet. The film includes a sampling of restaged dances based solely on documentation provided by 19th century dance literature and iconography. Among them is the renowned Cachucha, originally performed in 1836 and identified with the Romantic Ballet icon Fanny Elssler.