Zan Ganassa, the pseudonym of Alberto Naselli,…

Zan Ganassa, the pseudonym of Alberto Naselli, who had taken his name from that of a character he invented, was perhaps the first to take a commedia company beyond the borders of Italy.

Evidence exists of his appearances at Mantua (1568) and Ferrara (1570), and a performance by him and his company in Paris in 1571 was perhaps the first of an Italian troupe in that capital.

The company appeared in France several times during the next three years, most notably in 1572, when they were invited by Charles IX to entertain at the wedding of his sister, Margaret of Valois, to Henry of Navarre.

Ganassa and his troupe were performing in Madrid by 1574, beginning a decade's work in Spain and making one of the first appearances there by a commedia troupe.

The company eventually acted in at least four theaters in Madrid, as well as in theaters at Sevilla (Seville), Valladolid, Guadalajara, and Toledo.

The influences of Ganassa and his company upon the nascent Spanish professional theater are many: the business organization of the commedia troupe is adopted by the Spanish; the corrales (theaters) being constructed at this time are altered to accommodate the practice of the Italians; and the new secular drama, especially the plays of Lope de Vega, frequently reflect the characters and situations that are the stock of the foreigners.

The sarabande, possibly of Mexican origin or perhaps evolved from a Spanish dance with Arab influence that had been modified in the New World, is apparently danced by a double line of couples to castanets and lively music.

It is vigorously suppressed in Spain in 1583.