By Nicole Barrett, DWC Blog Editor

It’s officially March! Women’s History Month is upon us which calls for highlighting some amazing women in the dance community. The ballet world has come a long way through the years, but none of those achievements would be possible without the accomplishments of these amazing women. From Françoise Prévost to Misty Copeland, women have paved the way for the ballet industry for centuries. Here are a few women that influenced the ballet world to make it what it is today:

Françoise Prevost (1680-1741)

Francoise Prevost was a French ballerina that helped establish dramatic dance in the classical ballet era. She was known for her expressive, light, and dramatic way of dancing onstage, allowing her to grow in the dance world. Francoise debuted at the Academie d’Opera in 1699 replacing Marie-Therese de Subligny which gave her her start in the dance world. She performed with Jean Balon in Les Horaces in 1708 which caused the audience to weep. Francoise taught some of her famous solos to her dancers and she helped train two of her most successful students Marie Camargo and Marie Salle. In 1730 she retired from dancing as premiere danseuse to be replaced by her students.

Marie Taglioni (1804-1888)

Marie Taglioni was a Swedish ballerina of the romantic ballet era who was a central figure in the history of European dance. Marie grew to fame while she was dancing at the Paris Opera, but also when she was dancing at the Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Ballet. She is credited through her dance years to be the first ballerina to be truly en pointe. While introducing the phenomena of dancing en pointe, she also introduced new fashion trends and hairstyles throughout her years in the dance world that became very popular in Europe. In 1847 she retired from performing and was known as a guiding spirit for the Paris Opera.

Anna Pavlova (1881-1931)

Anna Pavlova was a Russian prima ballerina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through her early stages of ballet she trained with the Imperial Ballet School where she performed many principal roles with the company and graduated at 18. Anna then made her debut at the Mariinsky Ballet and with her first performance grew great praise from critics. Later in her career, she became a part of the Imperial Russian Ballet and was most recognized for her role The Dying Swan. With her own company she became the first ballerina to tour around the world. In 1931 on her way to a performance, she was diagnosed with pneumonia and later died from pleurisy. In traditional ballet fashion they honored her with a single spotlight on the stage where she would’ve danced next.

*Maria Tallchief in a 1955 promotion for the* *Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo*

Maria Tallchief (1925-2013)

Maria Tallchief was an American ballerina who was considered the first major prima ballerina in America. She is well-known for her roles as Sugar Plum Fairy in George Balanchine’s Nutcracker and the lead role in The Firebird. Her role in the Nutcracker transformed the ballet itself from obscure to one of America’s most famous, and her role in The Firebird made Maria become one of the world’s most famous ballet dancers. She was the first star of The New York City Ballet and became the first American to perform in Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater. In 1966, she retired from dance and began promoting ballet in Chicago where she debuted the Chicago City Ballet.

Misty Copeland (1982 - )

Misty Copeland is an American ballet dancer for the American Ballet Theater. She made history in 2015 by becoming the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the company's 75-year history, and for paving the way for minority dancers all around the country. Misty is considered to be a ballet prodigy after not starting ballet until she was 13 years old. She has written books, starred in documentaries, won spotlight awards for her dancing and charity works and was on Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2015. Misty still dances today and strives for more inclusivity in the dance community.

Learning about the women pioneers in the ballet world should not just be for Women’s History Month, it should be celebrated all year round. Without the breakthroughs that these women have been through, the ballet world would be very different than it is today. By learning the history of some of our favorite ballerinas, we can honor and acknowledge the accomplishments that these women have made for this beloved dance genre.

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