Over the Footlights and Under the Moon: Images of Dancers in the Ballet at the Alhambra and Empire Palaces of Varieties, 1884–1915

Abstract

In general discourse on cultural representation, dance tends to be absent and its contribution to the cultural life of society and its specific role in the social production of gender identity are largely ignored (1). When feminist scholars have addressed dance, the focus has tended to be on ballet as a “high” art form has been significant in forming ideological constructs of an idealised femininity. The following exposition aims to extend the debate by offering a case study located in the Victorian/Edwardian era, when ballet was the main attraction at the rival Alhambra and Empire palaces of varieties in London's Leicester Square. An examination of the period reveals the complexities of the representations of women in the ballet and demonstrates that, whilst the ideology of the dominant culture is embodied in the body of the dancer, that ideology is not singular but plural. It is argued that such a plurality is not at odds, but is commensurate with, co-existing notions of femininity (2).