The first important Sforza man was Francesco Sforza. He was the city’s “muscle,” a condottie ri or mercenary who took over the city by force. Francesco married Bianca Maria Visconti, the heir to the previous Visconti rulers. Bleiberg, Laura (December 9, 2005). "Kiev Ballet cleaves to the classics". Orange County Register . Retrieved March 10, 2012.

Several popes were leaders in Renaissance patronage. But none was as influential as Pope Julius II. They took over Mantua from the previous family by force. They became dukes in 1530. The court patronized artists like Andrea Mantegna and Giulio Romano. Today, the palace is home to the National Museum of the Marche. It boasts some of the most famous paintings of the Renaissance including Piero della Francesca’s surreal and puzzling The Flagellation of Christ, Raphael’s luminous La Muta, and the Ideal City Panel.Vuillier, Gaston (1898). of Dancing from the Earliest Ages to Our Own Times , pp. 65–69. New York: D. Anderson and Company. [Facsimile reprint (2004): Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7661-8166-3.]

The 19th century was a period of great social change, which was reflected in ballet by a shift away from the aristocratic sensibilities that had dominated earlier periods through romantic ballet. Ballerinas such as Geneviève Gosselin, Marie Taglioni and Fanny Elssler experimented with new techniques such as pointework that gave the ballerina prominence as the ideal stage figure. Taglioni was known as the "Christian Dancer," as her image was light and pure (associated with her role as the sylph in La Sylphide). She was trained primarily by her father, Filipo Taglioni. In 1834, Fanny Elssler arrived at the Paris Opera and became known as the "Pagan Dancer," because of the fiery qualities of the Cachucha dance that made her famous. Professional librettists began crafting the stories in ballets. Teachers like Carlo Blasis codified ballet technique in the basic form that is still used today. The ballet boxed toe shoe was invented to support pointe work. The art-historical literature on Italian Renaissance courts has traditionally been one of in-depth studies of individual court cities and specific artists. Alison Cole’s lucidly written book summarizes some of this literature for a general audience, focusing on the courts of Naples, Urbino, Ferrara, Mantua, and Milan during the fifteenth century. The work is a revised edition of the author’s 1995 book Virtue and Magnificence: Art of the Italian Renaissance Courts, expanded to reflect recent scholarship. Cole approaches her subject primarily from an art-historical perspective, highlighting the varieties of media, styles, and uses of art at court while presenting a picture of the artists and patrons behind its production. Cole’s writing thus offers the nonspecialist a concise overview of an important and fascinating topic, and an alternative to the many general studies of the artistic centers of Florence, Venice, and Rome. Today there are many contemporary ballet companies and choreographers. These include Madrid Ballet; Royal Ballet of Flanders; Alonzo King and his company, Alonzo King LINES Ballet; Nacho Duato and Compañia Nacional de Danza; William Forsythe, who has worked extensively with the Frankfurt Ballet and today runs The Forsythe Company; and Jiří Kylián, formerly the artistic director of the Nederlands Dans Theater. Traditionally "classical" companies, such as the Kirov Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet, also regularly perform contemporary works. By the Late Middle Ages ( c. 1300 onward), Latium, the former heartland of the Roman Empire, and southern Italy were generally poorer than the North. Rome was a city of ancient ruins, and the Papal States were loosely administered, and vulnerable to external interference, particularly by France, and later Spain. The Papacy was affronted when the Avignon Papacy was created in southern France as a consequence of pressure from King Philip the Fair of France. [5] In the south, Sicily had for some time been under foreign domination, by the Arabs and then the Normans. Sicily had prospered for 150 years during the Emirate of Sicily and later for two centuries during the Norman Kingdom and the Hohenstaufen Kingdom, but had declined by the late Middle Ages. [6] But the most celebrated item in the ducal palace is the studiolo. It was the duke’s personal study where the duke would retreat to stimulate his mind.McGowan, Margaret M. (1978). L'art du ballet de cour en France, 1581–1643. Paris: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Kassing, Gayle. (2007). History of dance: an interactive arts approach. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. ISBN 9780736060356. Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.