Ballet Girls of the 1800s
Back in the early days of ballet, one of the highest risk
professions was that of a “ballet girl”.
This was due largely to the gas jet lighting of the pre-electricity
days. The lights added great atmosphere
to the ballets, but were deadly to any young ballet dancer who got too close to
the open flames. The long romantic
length tutus were a definite fire hazard and many young girls lost their lives
in this manner. A method was developed
to make the tutus more fire resistant, but many dancers refused to use it. They said it yellowed the skirt and weighed
it down.
Other hazards abounded for these ballet girls: trap doors used for ethereal exits and
entrances sometimes got stuck or dropped too quickly. Then there were the obvious risks associated
with the common practice of suspending or “flying” dancers using wires.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Dance History Factoid #3:
“One of the highest risk professions in the 1800s was that
of the “ballet girl”.
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“Ballet technique is arbitrary and very difficult. It never becomes easy, it becomes possible.”
-
Agnes de Mille
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