Visions of Dance at the King's Theatre: Reconsidering London's "Opera House"

This article takes as its point of departure a well-known image of 1796 ballet performance of Cupid and Psyche in progress at the King's Theatre, included in Rudolph Ackerman's Microcosm of London (London, 1808-1811). The illustration appears to show not one routine, but two; a second set of dancers appears to be imitating (or at least reflecting) the movements of the first set. The implications of this technique leads to a discussion of the physical history of the King's Theatre as a house in which dance played not only an important role, but had a decisive effect on its design.