This essay is a reflection on the theoretical implications for theatre historians of practical reconstructions, revivals, or recollections of past performance practices. It argues that the notion of `cultural memory' can be played out through performing bodies, and that the historicity of performers' bodies needs to be respected, observed, and analysed. The essay suggests that the embodied histories of style and professional practice encapsulated in classical dance performance practice can be instructive for twenty-first century researchers seeking to revive pre-Naturalist styles of acting and staging.