Émilie Bigottini was a French dancer of Italian ancestry.

The daughter of Francesco Bigottini

Francesco Bigottini

Francesco or François Bigottini was an Italian actor, playwright, set designer and grip active in Italy, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Spain.-Life:...

, the famous harlequin

Harlequin

Harlequin or Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French, and Arlequín in Spanish is the most popularly known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'arte and its descendant, the Harlequinade.-Origins:...

 at Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

's Comédie-Italienne de Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, she entered the Opéra de Paris at 17 and led its company until her retirement in 1823, distinguishing herself in the ballet

Ballet

Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...

s of Louis Milon

Louis Milon

Louis-Jacques-Jessé Milon was a French ballet dancer and ballet master.-Life:After some years spent as premier danseur at Paris's Académie royale de Musique, he became ballet master at the Ambigu-Comique, where he had much success with Boulevard plays...

. Napoleon I of France

Napoleon I of France

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...

 was one of her fervent admirers and, despite her numerous liaisons, escaped the reputation for immorality which afflicted most of her contemporaries in the dance world. She was considered as an example of good artistic taste, svelte, precise and excelling in mime

Mime

The word mime is used to refer to a mime artist who uses a theatrical medium or performance art involving the acting out of a story through body motions without use of speech.Mime may also refer to:* Mime, an alternative word for lip sync...

.

Sources

• Félix-Bouvier, Une danseuse de l'Opéra, la Bigottini (Paris, Noël Charavay, 1909).