Throwback Thursday and Clara Webster
Clara Webster (1821-1844) was a ballerina who became another
casualty of the gas-jet lighting that so transformed the theatrical experience in
the 1800s. Emma Livry, who was born just
before Clara died, is probably the most well-known victim of this scourge of
the ballet girls, but there were many others.
According to an account in The Public Ledger , http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=59&dat=18450318&id=cSA1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=GicDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6310,1978758 Clara Webster’s “style of dancing was remarkable for its
neatness, elegance and finish. In the
pantomime action of the ballet she was without a rival….”
She had just begun her rise toward becoming an audience
favorite when the accident occurred during a performance of The Revolt of the Harem. Her skirt caught the flame of a lamp and
ignited. Panicked, she began to run around
the stage. If not for the heroic actions of a stage
carpenter who whisked her offstage, the audience would have witnessed more
tragedy than just a few, brief, frightening moments that played out before their
eyes. Clara’s own mother was in the
audience.
Clara Webster’s injuries were thought at first to be minor
ones. However, it soon became clear that
she had suffered extreme burns, and she died two days later. She was twenty-one years old.
During a subsequent inquiry, as her body was viewed by a
jury, it was noticed that Clara still had artificial flowers in her hair.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Dance History Factoid #33:
“Clara Webster was a
rising young dancer when she died of burns she incurred during a performance.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned,
earned, or worn. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with
love, grace & gratitude.”
-
Denis
Waitley
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