Gesti convenzionali e arte mimica nell’Ottocento italiano

Abstract

The present essay aims at reviewing the issues and methodologies faced in my PhD research. The first step will be the analysis of the theoretical assumptions that underlie the emergence of ballet pantomime and the rediscovery of classical pantomime. The essay will proceed outlining the artistic and cultural landscapes of the two Italian cities examined, Milan and Naples, aiming at defining, from a didactic viewpoint, the teaching of pantomime in the two largest Italian academies, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. The third step will be the recording of the few references to the mime art contained in the treaties and documents relating to the dance in Italy during the Nineteenth century (Carlo Blasis, Vincenzo Buonsignori, Giulio Pompeo Ferrario). These references will be compared to the major mime treatises for actors (Giovanni Emanuele Bideri, Antonio Morrocchesi, Angelo Canova, Alemanno Morelli) and opera singers (Manuel Garcia, Fernando Pelzet, Leone Giraldoni, Enrico Serafino Torelli, Augusto Delle Sedie) in order to analyze the development of gesture during the Nineteenth century and the different use that each interpreter did of the expressive mime.