Apart from the manuscript written by Enrico Cecchetti himself in Russia at the end of the nineteenth century, the Cecchetti Method until today has been passed on exclusively through the transcriptions of his followers and pupils (Cyril Beaumont and Stanislav Idzikowski and later Margaret Craske and Derra de Moroda; also printed by this publisher in Italian). The recent discovery of the work of Grazioso Cecchetti, son of the great Italian dancing master, Enrico, is therefore of particular importance in that it constitutes a primary document for the reconstruction of the teaching of the Italian School in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The treatise is constructed on a sound theoretic basis which proposes a meticulous structural analysis of all the exercises and steps of academic theatrical dancing through an in-depth study of Enrico Cecchetti's aesthetic and scientific teaching principles. The work is accompanied by more than 700 sketches by the author; it is divided, as the original, into two volumes. The first is an explanation of theory, barre exercises, ports de bras, exercises in the centre, poses, adagio movements and adagi. The second volume explores allegro exercises, pointe work and turns, exercises in turns, enchainements, variations, the programs and a glossary of dance terms. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.