John Weaver

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For other people named John Weaver, see John Weaver (disambiguation).

John Weaver (21 July 1673 – 24 September 1760) was an English dancer and choreographer, and is often regarded as the father of English pantomime.

Weaver was born in Shrewsbury. His father, a dance teacher, suggested he go to London and become a ballet master. Weaver soon became a specialist in comic roles and created the first pantomime ballet, the burlesque Tavern Bilkers (1702). His more serious work, The Loves of Mars and Venus dealt with themes from classical literature and required a significant amount of gestures due to the story not being expressed in any spoken form. Because Weaver attempted to use plot and emotion in replacement of more sophisticated technical and speech methods, he is considered a major influence on subsequent choreographers, including Jean-Georges Noverre and Gasparo Angiolini.^{[citation needed]}

His books include a translation of Raoul Auger Feuillet's Orchesography, and two original works titled A Small Treatise of Time and Cadence in Dancing' (1706) and A collection of ball-dances performed at court (1706).

External links

"Weaver, John (1673-1760)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. Check date values in: |date= (help)
The books of John Weaver
Works by John Weaver at Project Gutenberg

Authority control	WorldCat VIAF: 100323552 LCCN: n83177825 ISNI: 0000 0001 1691 9212 GND: 139479775 BNF: cb14318755k

Persondata
Name	Weaver, John
Alternative names
Short description	English dancer and choreographer
Date of birth	21 July 1673
Place of birth
Date of death	24 September 1760
Place of death

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