Reconstructing la cracovienne

Abstract

Tlhe great popularity in the nineteenth century of short dances on national themes was spurred by the phenomenal success of Fanny Elssler's La Cachucha, first performed in Coralli's Le Diable bofteux in 1836, but frequently danced alone by Elssler and her many imitators. To capitalize on this great success, a similar character pas was introduced for Elssler in Mazilier's La Gipsy, produced at the Paris Opera on January 28, 1839.* This was La Cracovienne. Although the ballet is set in Scotland, this traditional Polish dance was performed in full Polish costume. Its fame soon grew to rival the Cachucha, and it, too, was imitated by dancers throughout Europe and the United States. By the end of the nineteenth century, however, these short dances had gone out of fashion and their choreography was forgotten. Fortunately, the Cachucha was preserved by Albert Zorn in his own notation and has recently been re-created by Ann Hutchinson Guest' and by Pierre Lacotte. Recently, while making a catalogue of the Bournonville papers in the Royal Library in Copenhagen, I found a hitherto unknown score containing La Cracovienne with a number of