Ce travail de recherche traite d’un phénomène culturel marquant de la modernité européenne : le ballet-pantomime. A mi-chemin entre la danse et la pantomime, ce nouveau produit théâtral, qui prétend représenter un récit par le seul concours du geste, se place au centre des réflexions esthétiques sur le théâtre, la peinture, la musique et interroge la relation entre la parole et le corps. Alors qu’il est en plein essor sur les scènes européennes, une controverse éclate entre deux maîtres de ballets le Français Jean-Georges Noverre, et l’Italien Gasparo Angiolini. Se disputant le titre de « réformateur de la danse », Angiolini et Noverre soutiennent des principes esthétiques opposés et leurs divergences font l’objet d’une querelle qui intéressera vivement les villes de Milan et Vienne entre 1773 et 1776. A partir d’une analyse des dramaturgies élaborées par les deux maîtres de ballets rivaux et en prenant en compte leurs modèles culturels respectifs, cette thèse étudie les questionnements esthétiques et sémiotiques soulevées par la polémique et propose de relire la « Querelle des Pantomimes » dans sa dimension sociale en privilégiant deux directions : d’une part elle est interprétée comme un symptôme significatif des relations entre l’Italie et la France, permettant d’examiner ainsi les modalités de dialogue entre ces deux cultures ; d’autre part elle met au jour les termes d’une lutte sociale menée à Milan par les hommes de lettres et elle est envisagée comme un signe du processus de « démocratisation » de la culture que le ballet-pantomime alimente. / This research concerns the emergence of a cultural phenomenon of European modernity: the ballet-pantomime. Between dance and mime, this new theatrical product claims to represent a story done only by gestures and is at the center of the aesthetic reflections on theater, painting, music by inquiring the relationship between word and body. Along its development in the European stages, a controversy broke out between two ballet masters, the French Jean-Georges Noverre and the Italian Gasparo Angiolini. Vying for the title of "reformer of dance," Angiolini and Noverre support opposites aesthetic principles, whose differences are the subject of a literary feud that excites a large interest in Milan and Vienna between 1773 and 1776. Starting from an analysis of dramaturgy developed by the two rivals in masters-ballet and taking into account their cultural patterns, this thesis explores the aesthetics and semiotics issues raised by the controversy and offers a reading of the "Quarrel of Pantomimes" in its social dimension focusing on two directions: on the one hand it is interpreted as a significant symptom of relations between Italy and France and it allows to examine the conditions for dialogue between the two cultures; secondly it manifests the terms of a social struggle that took place in Milan among men of Letters and it is seen as a sign of the process of "democratization" of culture that ballet-pantomime feeds.

Una ricerca che si prefigga di studiare la danza teatrale nel Settecento s’imbatte inevitabilmente in un nodo problematico: l’oggetto della ricerca non è (più). Di esso sono rimaste soltanto alcune tracce, ovvero una serie di materiali eterogenei che si presentano come effetti capaci di mostrare la causalità della causa – l’oggetto vacante – ma non la sua forma. A partire dalle opere riformatrici di G. Angiolini e J.G. Noverre nonché dai testi di diversi filosofi coevi interessati allo statuto del gesto, la tesi interroga la congerie di effetti sopravvissuta al ballet d’action per approfondire la danza come forma artistica e forma del sapere all’interno del più ampio sistema della rappresentazione. Nello specifico la tesi si propone di mostrare come il segno negativo che contraddistingue variamente la disciplina tersicorea e il dibattito critico su di essa nel XVIII secolo sia da ricondurre più propriamente all’essenziale matrice espressiva del gesto stesso e abbia contribuito a un progressivo slittamento del paradigma classico della mimesi della natura da un’accezione “imitativo-riproduttiva” a una “espressivo-creativa”. / A research that aims at examining the theatrical dance in the XVIII century is bound to face a problematic crux: the research object is not anymore. Some traces have remained, namely, a series of various materials able to show the causality of the cause – the vacant object – but not its form. The survey starts from the revolutionary works by G. Angiolini and J.G. Noverre and goes through different philosophicals texts of authors who were interested in the status of the gesture; it questions the bunch of effects which overcame the ballet d’action in order to look into the dance as a form of art and knowledge within the wider system of representation. Particularly, the research wants to show as the negative sign which marks this discipline and the XVIII critical debate on it has to be referred to the essential expressive nature of the gesture which led to a progressive shifting of the classic paradigm of the mimesis of nature from being “imitative-reproductive” to become “expressive-creative”

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François-Antoine-Valentin Riccoboni (1707-1772) représente un paradigme de la rencontre des cultures théâtrales italienne et française au XVIIIe siècle, du point de vue des pratiques scéniques, de la dramaturgie, de la poétique et de la théorie du jeu. Son travail d’acteur participe de l’esthétique italienne visant un jeu plus simple et naturel, qui aura plusieurs échos dans la réforme de la pratique scénique française, la critique contemporaine et la théorie du jeu. Son œuvre se développe dans le sillon de la tradition de la Comédie-Italienne de Paris, démontrant la persistance des processus de composition poétique typiques du savoir artistique italien. Danseur et maître de ballet, François expérimente les possibilités du ballet-pantomime au carrefour des influences choreutiques anglaises, foraines, et du jeu pantomimique italien. Son Art du Théâtre (1750) représente la translation de sa pratique scénique dans le domaine théorique et esthétique. Manuel à l’usage des aspirants acteurs, il revendique aussi une théorie fondée exclusivement sur la pratique du plateau. Aussi, définit-il pour la première fois une théorie du jeu qui repose sur les qualités rationnelles et imitatives de l’acteur, laquelle influencera notamment le Diderot du Paradoxe. Divisé en quatre parties, notre travail reconstruit la vie de Riccoboni (I Partie) ; essaie de saisir son jeu scénique en italien à l’impromptu, en français, dans le chant et dans la danse (II Partie) ; analyse son œuvre dramatique (III Partie) ; étudie l’Art du Théâtre (IV Partie). Deux volumes d’annexes rassemblent des documents d’archives inédits, le répertoire raisonné et l’édition des œuvres inédites de François. / François Antoine Valentin Riccoboni (1707-1772) exemplifies the intersection between Italian and French theatrical cultures in the 18th century in terms of staging practices, dramaturgy, poetics, and the theory of acting. Rooted in the Italian aesthetic, his acting aimed to achieve a style that was simpler and more natural and would be echoed in a number of ways in the reform of French stagecraft, contemporary criticism and the theory of acting. His work develops in alignment with the tradition of the Comédie Italienne in Paris, thus demonstrating the longevity of the process of poetic composition characteristic of the Italian artistic expertise. Dancer and ballet master, Riccoboni experiments with the possibilities of the ballet-pantomime at the juncture of influences from English dance, fairgrounds, and Italien pantomime. His Art du Théâtre (1750) proposes the transposition of his stage techniques in the areas of theory and aesthetics. A practical handbook designed for aspiring actors, it claims also to be a theory based solely on stage experience. It articulates, for the first time, a theory of acting based on the rational and imitative qualities of the actor, which will influence notably Diderot in Le Paradoxe. Divided in four parts, this doctoral dissertation retraces Riccoboni’s life (Part I); attempts to understand his stage craft in Italian all’improvviso, in French, in song and dance (Part II); analyzes his dramatic works (Part III); and studies his Art du Théâtre (Part IV). Two volumes of appendices offer previously unpublished archival sources as well as the annotated inventory and edition of previously unpublished texts by Riccoboni. / François Antoine Valentin Riccoboni (1707-1772) rappresenta un paradigma dell’incontro tra la cultura teatrale italiana e francese nel XVIII secolo, dal punto di vista della pratica scenica, della drammaturgia, della poetica e della teoria della recitazione. La sua arte attoriale partecipa dell’estetica italiana, tesa ad una recitazione più semplice e naturale, che avrà delle eco importanti nella riforma della pratica scenica francese, nella critica contemporanea e nella teoria della recitazione. La sua opera si sviluppa nel solco della tradizione della Comédie Italienne di Parigi, dimostrando la persistenza di processi compositivi tipici del sapere artistico italiano. Ballerino e maître de ballet, François sperimenta anche le possibilità del ballet-pantomime all’incrocio delle influenze coreutiche inglesi, foraines, e dell’arte scenica e pantomimica italiana. Il suo Art du Théâtre (1750) rappresenta la traslazione della sua pratica attoriale nel dominio teorico ed estetico. Manuale pratico all’uso degli aspiranti attori, esso rivendica inoltre una teoria fondata esclusivamente sulla pratica del palcoscenico e definisce per la prima volta un processo interpretativo basato sulle qualità razionali e imitative dell’attore, teoria che influenzerà particolarmente il Diderot del Paradoxe. Diviso in quattro parti, il nostro lavoro ricostruisce la vita di Riccoboni (I Parte); cerca di restituirne la pratica scenica nella recitazione all’improvviso, in francese, nel canto e nella danza (II Parte); analizza la sua opera (III Parte); studia l’Art du Théâtre (IV Parte). Due volumi di appendici raccolgono documenti d’archivio inediti, il repertorio ragionato e l’edizione delle opere inedite di François.