Jean-Georges Noverre - Reference

Dancer, choreographer, dance theorist, and ballet master, born in Paris, France. He proposed the notion of the ballet d'action, which, in its emphasis on mime and dramatic action, is commonly identified as one of the greatest influences on ballet as it is known and practised today. His Lettres sur la dance (1760–1807) aimed to elevate ballet from its position as a courtly divertissement to a serious art form and dramatic narrative through a synthesis of music, choreography, and set design. Although he studied dance, he eventually opted for a career as a choreographer. He was ballet master at the Paris Opéra Comique (1754), the royal court theatre of Württemberg (now the Stuttgart Ballet, 1760–6), and the Paris Opéra (1776–9). He also worked extensively in Lyon, Vienna, and Milan.

Jean-Georges Noverre (April 29, 1727–November 19, 1810) was a French dancer and ballet master, and is considered to be the creator of ballet d'action a precursor of the narrative ballets of the 19th century.

He first performed at Fontainebleau in 1743, and in 1747 composed his first ballet for the Opéra-Comique.

Between 1758 and 1760 he produced several ballets at Lyon, and published his Lettres sur la danse et les ballets. It is from this period that the revolution in the art of the ballet for which Noverre was responsible can be dated. He returned to Vienna in Spring of 1776 to stage ballets there but in June 1776 he returned again to Paris.

Noverre's friends included Voltaire, Mozart, Frederick the Great and David Garrick (who called him "the Shakespeare of the dance"). The ballets of which he was most proud were his La Toilette de Venus, Les Jalousies du sérail, La dour corsaire and Le Jaloux sans rival. Besides the letters, Noverre wrote Observations sur la construction d'une nouvelle salle de l'Opéra (1781);

Reference

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.