As impossible as it may seem, the grand ball is still alive: the magical atmosphere conjured up by the grand balls made famous by majestic dames such as Empress Sissi, Angelique, Elizabeth, Natasha and Scarlet O’Hara is still a dream come true. We can feel the joy and excitement of swirling on the dance floor, waltzing in a close embrace, breathing in the harmony of a quadrille, reveling in the elegance of a regency dance or basking in the pure fun of a contredanse.

It is thanks to the Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica, directed by Nino Graziano Luca, and its Grand Ball of the 19th century that these emotions can be rekindled! It is a show that over the years has always been staged against spectacular backdrops – theaters, castles, palaces, embassies and luxury hotels.

The Grand Ball of the 19th century features an extraordinary cast of professional dancers wearing elegant tuxedos and precious crinolines. They dance a wide variety of dances - Waltz, Quadrille, Contredanse, Mazurka, Polonaise – whose choreographies are based on the handbooks of famous 19th cent. masters and the most delightful costume-drama films: Sissi, Gone with the Wind, The Leopard, War and Peace, Pride and Prejudice.

An elegant, entertaining and exciting show with a rich music repertoire – Strauss, Verdi, Ziehrer, Bellini, Tchaikovsky, Puccini, Purcell, Rameau, Lehár and Nino Rota.

The Grand Ball of the 19th century is the brainchild of Nino Graziano Luca and his intellectual passion, creativity and rigorous philological investigation of historical dance. He has drawn inspiration from the information contained in the most important manuals of the time, for which he has been researching for the past 20 years and that now has made accessible to everyone.

The manuals used as reference materials for the Grand Ball of the 19th century are the following: Der Tanz, by Max Von Boehn; The Social Dances of the Nineteenth Century in England by P.J.S. Richardson; Analysis of the London Ballroom by Thomas Tegg, 1825; English Dancing Master by John Playford; Raccolta di balli di società, published by Ardini in 1887; Uniche danze nobili italiane dedicate alla Real Casa di Savoia by Giovetti, 1888; The Waltz, by Remi Hess; Le Quadriglie - Metodo teorico e pratico by D’Aquino, 1891; De la walse au tango by Boulenger; Lezioni di ballo giusta l'uso delle civili conversazioni, by Crespi, 1830; Il vademecum indispensabile del ballerino, by Poletti, 1867; Repertorio di danza e figure di cotillon per l'eletta società by Della Croce, 1886; Il nuovo precettore della danza domestica by Folega, 1868; Manuale dei balli di società ossia il maestro di ballo in famiglia, by Innocenti, 1883; Nuovo trattato sulla danza con varie figure di cotillon, published by Verri, 1891; Manualetto dei balli di società, published by Giovan Battista Rossi, 1868.

The costumes dancers wear for The Grand Ball of the 19th century have come out of the best traditional tailoring shops. Their design was inspired by 19th cen. paintings, historical illustrations, descriptions found in essays and novels by Tomasi di Lampedusa, Dickens, Balzac, Flaubert, Mann, Tolstoj, and Stendhal, as well as from figurines published in fashion magazines of the time.

The Grand Ball of the 19th Century features four to eight professional dancers, a Master of Ceremonies, an opera singer and pre-recorded music.

The Ball is a kaleidoscope of the historical dances that were popular in 19th century Europe from Austria to France, Italy, England and Russia. Its choreographies draw inspiration from the manuals of great dance masters and famous films.