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Archives of the Dance (8) Dance Material in the Archives of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

Archives of the Dance (8) Dance Material in the Archives of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Francesca Franchi It is sometimes assumed that the Royal Opera House Archives contain only material on opera. Although it would be fair to say that a large proportion of the collection is devoted to opera, it does also contain a considerable amount of dance material. The contents of the Archives reflect the varied nature of the three theatres that have stood on the Covent Garden site, and of the entertainments offered there. This article will trace the history of those theatres therefore before describing the formation and present contents of the Archives. As is well known, John Rich opened the first Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, in 1732. This theatre was primarily a playhouse, operating under one of two sets of Letters Patent that had been granted by Charles II in 1662. These Letters Patent allowed their owners sole rights to perform spoken drama in the capital, to build theatres, assemble companies and to call their theatres 'Royal'; but dance also formed part of the entertainment most evenings, being included within the drama or between items. The first major dance event at Covent Garden was the appearance of Marie Salle, the French ballerina, in 1733. The following year she http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Dance Research Edinburgh University Press

Archives of the Dance (8) Dance Material in the Archives of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

Dance Research , Volume 6 (2): 78 – Oct 1, 1988

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Publisher
Edinburgh University Press
Copyright
©© 1988 Society for Dance Research
ISSN
0264-2875
eISSN
1750-0095
DOI
10.2307/1290738
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Francesca Franchi It is sometimes assumed that the Royal Opera House Archives contain only material on opera. Although it would be fair to say that a large proportion of the collection is devoted to opera, it does also contain a considerable amount of dance material. The contents of the Archives reflect the varied nature of the three theatres that have stood on the Covent Garden site, and of the entertainments offered there. This article will trace the history of those theatres therefore before describing the formation and present contents of the Archives. As is well known, John Rich opened the first Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, in 1732. This theatre was primarily a playhouse, operating under one of two sets of Letters Patent that had been granted by Charles II in 1662. These Letters Patent allowed their owners sole rights to perform spoken drama in the capital, to build theatres, assemble companies and to call their theatres 'Royal'; but dance also formed part of the entertainment most evenings, being included within the drama or between items. The first major dance event at Covent Garden was the appearance of Marie Salle, the French ballerina, in 1733. The following year she

Journal

Dance ResearchEdinburgh University Press

Published: Oct 1, 1988

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