Ballet in Mexico, like much of the society in the first two-thirds of the nineteenth century, was unstable and erratic. Yet, at least in the capital, it was more vibrant and more widely followed than most students have recognized. In this sequel to her Danza en México en la época colonial (1990), the author narrates a virtual season-by-season summary of post-independence Mexican ballet, divided into the pre-Romantic and Romantic eras (1825-1840 and 1841-1867, respectively). Although the book lacks a theoretical framework and focuses almost exclusively on the capital, it draws on an impressive range of contemporary periodicals and suggests various themes that transcend the internal history of the ballet.
The fortunes of the ballet and other cultural genres (opera, dramatic theater, symphonic orchestra), often linked by overlapping personnel and shared facilities, were adversely affected by such domestic and international crises as the Pastry War, the U.S. invasion, the Revolution of Ayutla, the Wars of the Reform, and the French intervention—the last despite Maximilian’s personal effort to promote serious dance. In addition, the expulsion of Spaniards in the 1820s drove out some key dancers and further reduced Iberian influence on the ballet. Italian and, increasingly, French models set the standard until the fall of the Second Empire. Periodic cholera epidemics likewise emptied theaters and decimated the ranks of performers. Finally, endemic rural crime and violence discouraged both visits by foreign stars and the movement of ballet troupes to provincial centers.
Clearly, in these decades Mexico did not develop an authentic national ballet. But thanks to individuals such as the indefatigable Andrés Pautret, who served as producer, choreographer, and teacher, Mexico prepared a generation of capable dancers and knowledgeable, often passionate, spectators.
Whatever its shortcomings, this study is valuable if only because it documents in detail that, despite frequent natural and manmade crises and limited physical resources, between 1825 and 1867 ballet survived, at times even prospered, in Mexico City. Its appeal crossed socioeconomic lines, offering a varied repertoire, talented performers, innovative choreography, and connections with major trends in the European and North American artistic communities.
