Rita Sangalli (1849-1909)

[rg]

the scanned carte de visite is said to show Rita Sangalli (the source says Sangalli's name is written on the card).

the Italian-born ballerina had a wide-ranging career - Italy, America, England, and eventually Paris, where she created leading roles in LA SOURCE, YEDDA, SYLVIA and NAMOUNA.

[duffster]

After scanning down to her feet, looks as though she had quite a good turnout!

[Mel Johnson]

And the pose is a connoisseur's choice. Even by today's standards, her position of effacé looks good. It's difficult to use that in any form of photography; all the dancer's faults are revealed. A fun period detail is the photographer's stand/brace immediately behind her.

[bart]

Thanks, rg. Sangalli has an appealing smile and come-hither look that suggest a sense of humor.

These photos can really lead one on to unexpected discoveries. Wikipedia/Spain has a brief article, which has an illustration of her in the role of Sylvia and also includes the following bit of information:

Hizo giras por América donde destacó como el personaje principal de The Black Crook (El báculo negro) y en Flick Flock.

Translation: She made several tours to America where she stood out in the principal role of The Black Crook and in Flick Flock.

http://es.wikipedia....i/Rita_Sangalli

The story of The Black Crook, on English Wikipedia, is actually quite fascinating. It includes a reproduction of the original cast list, featuring Sangalli.

The Black Crook was born when a dramatic group and Parisian ballet troupe joined forces in New York. Henry C. Jarrett and Harry Palmer had hired the ballet troupe to perform at the New York Academy of Music, but the troupe was left without an engagement when a fire destroyed the Academy. They approached Wheatley at Niblo's Garden to see if he could use them. Wheatley offered them a chance to participate in a musical "spectacle" by combining their ballet forces with Barras's melodrama.^[5]

In operas, even comic operas with dialogue like The Magic Flute, the principal singers leave the dancing to the ballet troupe. In burlesque, music hall and vaudeville, there is little or no unifying story, just a series of sketches. So The Black Crook, with song and dance for everyone, was an evolutionary step, and has been called the first musical comedy.^[2][6] Cecil Michener Smith dissented from this view, arguing that while multiple scholars point to the show as the first popular comedy, "calling The Black Crook the first example of the theatrical genus we now call musical comedy is not only incorrect; it fails to suggest any useful assessment of the place of Jarrett and Palmer's extravaganza in the history of the popular musical theatre ... but in its first form it contained almost none of the vernacular attributes of book, lyrics, music, and dancing which distinguish musical comedy."^[7]

The production was a staggering five-and-a-half hours long, but despite its length, it ran for a record-breaking 474 performances and revenues exceeded a record-shattering one million dollars.

http://en.wikipedia....The_Black_Crook

[cargill]

There is a wonderful book by Barbara Barker called Ballet or ballyhoo, the American careers of Maria Bonfanti, Rita Sangalli and Giuseppina Morlacchi which has lots of information about The Black Crook. It was based on her dissertation, as I recall, but it is very readable. Mary

[bart]

There is a wonderful book by Barbara Barker called Ballet or ballyhoo, the American careers of Maria Bonfanti, Rita Sangalli and Giuseppina Morlacchi which has lots of information about The Black Crook. It was based on her dissertation, as I recall, but it is very readable. Mary

Thanks, Mary. This really intrigued me, combining, as ti does, ballet with so many elements of 19th century popular culture. I clicked Amazon (at top of page) and found three used copies. But the prices are from $75 to $115, so I think I'll have to pass right now.

[sarah123]

I am so impressed by her turnout! What a great little picture to find!

[rg]

more items related to Sangalli:

1] half of an undated and uncaptioned stereoscopic photocard of the ballerina, perhaps produced in the U.S.

2] a handwritten note from the item's seller with some information

3] an undated page from Le Monde Illustré perhaps depicting Sangalli on the left in the segment captioned "Yedda et le mikado" - an educated guess to the date might be 1879, by which time Sangalli was back in Europe and settled in Paris.

<<

Yedda - Chor: Louis Mérante; mus: Olivier Métra; lib: Philippe Gille, Arnold Mortier & Louis Mérante; scen: Daran (Act I), Lavastre jeune (Act II), Lavastre and Carpezat (Act III); cos: Eugène Lacoste. First perf: Paris, Opéra, Jan 17, 1879, Paris Opéra Ballet.

>>

[Amy Reusch]

Wow! Over $1,000,000?

According to the inflation calculator found here: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ (I know nothing about its accuracy)

What cost $1,000,000 in 1866 would cost $14,475,398.79 in 2009.

That's pretty astoundingly successful!