Use Restrictions

Public Domain. There are no known restrictions.

Access Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Mezzotint print of ballet dancer Rose Colinette Didelot as the character Calypso from the ballet "Telemachus in the Island of Calypso", C0457, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Processing Information

Processing completed by Amanda Brent in September 2020. EAD markup completed by Amanda Brent in September 2020. This item was formerly part of the Performing Arts Manuscript Materials collection, C0215.

Biographical and Historical Information

Rose Colinette Didelot (sometimes written as Marie Rose Colinette) was a French ballet dancer who lived during the late 18th and early 19th century, dying in 1806. Not much is known about her life other than that she was married to Charles Didelot, a renowned ballet dancer and choreographer, and was a popular ballet dancer during her lifetime. She assisted him with revolutionizing ballet in Russia during the early 1800s. Madame Didelot and her husband caused a scandal in 1798 when they performed in revealing costumes for a performance of "Alonzo e Caro" in London, England with their frequent dance collaborator, Madame Parisot.

"Telemachus in the Island of Calypso: A Pantomime Ballet" is a ballet written by Jean Dauberval. It premiered in London, England at the King's Theatre, Pantheon in March 1791. The ballet is based on the Greek myth of Odysseus. Telemachus is the son of Odysseus and Penelope.

Pantomime Ballet or ballet d'action is a form of ballet in which the dance is performed as "a narrative art form, rather than an ornamental spectacle...[the first to do so] was Jean-Georges Noverre...Noverre believed that dance steps and gestures should be used to describe the characters' motives and advance the plotline rather than simply form pleasing patterns" (Oxford Reference.) Ballet d'action transformed the ballet world into what it has become in modern day, with performances rooted in furthering the story and emotions of the characters.

Scope and Content

Mezzotint print of ballet dancer Rose Colinette Didelot as the character Calypso from the ballet "Telemachus in the Island of Calypso" attributed to Conde & Reynolds after the drawing by Charles Henard, made circa 1791. Includes a description in both English and French which reads "Mdme. Rose Didelot in the Character of Calypso in the Ballet of Telemachus Composed by Mr. Dauberval." The image features Didelot posing in classical costume and in a Grecian setting.

Arrangement

This is a single item collection.

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center holds other collections related to dance and ballet, as well as other areas of the performing arts.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Art
• Ballet
• Didelot, Rose Colinette