'About the Condition of Dance Today' by Arthur Saint-Léon

Arthur Saint-Léon (1821-1870) is famous as a ballet master and the creator of Coppélia. He was also an outstanding dancer, virtuoso violinist, and inventor of a system of notation which he published as La Sténochorégraphie. Less well-known is his other book, About the Condition of Dance Today (De l’état actuel de la danse), a treatise, written in 1856, on the condition of dance and dance institutions in France. As an international dancer and ballet master, Saint-Léon was well-placed to make informed comparisons with other countries. He divided his book into four parts, analysing the theatres, teaching, and performance conventions in contemporary France. This paper will attempt to detail the background to the book and convey its ideas and arguments, formulated by someone with a penetrating intelligence, vast experience and pragmatic outlook. 

Nadine Meisner (PhD) is a former dance critic, having worked as a contributor to The Times, The Sunday Times and The Independent, and as deputy editor of the now-defunct Dance and Dancers. Her book, Marius Petipa: the Emperor’s Ballet Master, was published by Oxford University Press in 2019 and is the first complete biography of Marius Petipa in any language.