In the third introductory chapter, the reader is provided with a short summary of the rest of the book. The chapter situates these new studies in the wider context of dance history research, highlighting how they provide a novel, broader perspective by studying the dance traditions of smaller European countries. It divides the essays into two groups: the first focuses on the nineteenth century, while the second studies the twentieth century. This chapter also identifies common themes that run through all of the essays in the collection.