Émilie Bigottini (16 April 1784, Toulouse - 28 April 1858, Paris) was a French dancer of Italian ancestry.

The daughter of Francesco Bigottini, the famous harlequin at Paris's Comédie-Italienne de Paris, she entered the Opéra de Paris at 17 and led its company until her retirement in 1823, distinguishing herself in the ballets of Louis Milon. Napoleon I of France 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.

[edit] Sources

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

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