Lecture by Elisabetta Peruzzi, University of Sydney
19th Week of the Italian Language in the World: Italian Language on the Stage
On the occasion of the 19th Week of the Italian Language in the World, whose 2019 theme is the Italian Language on the 
Stage, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Sydney and Cecchetti Ballet Australia are pleased to host a conference dedicated to Commedia dell’Arte and its influence on ballet and the Cecchetti ballet method. The conference will be presented by Elisabetta Peruzzi, PhD candidate at the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies of Sydney University.
The influence of Commedia dell’Arte on ballet deserves more consideration. This theatre genre was born around the 16th century and played a fundamental role not only in the development of acting styles still in use in Italy and abroad, but also in the development of ballet as the art form we know today. Until 1800, Commedia artists were mainly mountebanks performing on squares, interpreting and improvising on canovacci (typical scenarios of Commedia). It was when ballet became the art form that we know today that this theatre genre started attracting the interest of choreographers, who started creating choreographies having at their centre masks and characters of the Commedia. Also, mimic traits, movements and some acrobatic tricks influenced ballet routines movements, especially in the case of the Cecchetti method. This latter was a ballet method created at the beginning of the 20th century by the Italian choreographer and ballet master Enrico Cecchetti (1850-1928). Between 1890 and 1902 Enrico Cecchetti coached important Russian dancers, such as Olga Preobrajenska, Tamara Karsavina e Vaslav Nijinsky. Between 1910 and 1918 he was appointed official ballet master of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes.
The Cecchetti ballet method is still very popular today, especially in Australia. The Cecchetti International Ballet Competition is run every three years, and the 2020 edition will be hosted by Cecchetti Ballet Australia and will be held in Sydney. The competition is open to all the students trained according to the Cecchetti method. The winners will be offered scholarships that will enable recipients to undertake further study with famous International choreographers and dancers.
The Institute will be pleased to welcome Carole Hall, Chair of Cecchetti Ballet Australia and classical ballet instructor, who will illustrate the activities of the association and the purposes of the international competition.
Elisabetta Peruzzi was born in Italy in 1985. After completing her Royal Academy of Dance ballet exams and her Liceo Classico diploma in Rimini, she completed a BA in Modern Languages, Arts and Cultures at University Urbino (major in Russian and American Studies), a MA in Compared Languages and Cultures (major in Russian and American Studies) and a second MA in Teaching Italian as Non-native Language at University of Macerata. She is currently an International PhD candidate at The University of Sydney, where she is conducting a research project at the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies. Her thesis, Approaches to Ballet-making: the Legacy of Ballets Russes in Australia Between 1940 and 1960, explores the choreographic influence of Ballets Russes in Australia in the two decades following the last Australian tour of de Basil’s Ballets Russes. During her candidature, Elisabetta was appointed Teaching Fellow of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and was invited in Italy as guest lecturer at University of Macerata and at University of Urbino. Throughout her candidature, Elisabetta presented at International conferences dedicated to the topic of theatre and performance, including The Royal Academy of Dance International conference (UNSW, 2016), International conference organized by the Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies (Sydney University, 2015), and The Australian Music & Psychology Society (WSU, 2015).
The lecture will be in English.
Free entry. Limited seats.
Booking essential: www.eventbrite.com.au