Abstract
The article deals with significant 16th-century Italian dance masters, representatives of a dance style popular in many European countries, which formed part of the upbringing of people who wanted to display their high cultural niveau. Valuable information regarding this topic can be found in the two dance collections by Cesare Negri, Le Gratie d'Amore (1602) and Nuove Inventioni di Balli (1604).
Negri, a most competent expert in the field, writes about 46 Italian dance masters, some of whom led their own schools in Italian cities, many of whom left abroad and the most capable of whom gained magnificent and lucrative positions at prominent courts and with patrons. The text presents more detailed information about the spreading of the Italian dance style and, as far as it is possible, provides more precise temporal and spatial locations of these dance masters, concluding with their complete systematic survey.