The Museum of Theater and Music houses a small porcelain figurine in the Rococo style. It was created by an unknown artisan in the late 18th century in Germany, presumably at the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. The figurine depicts a young dancer dressed in a puffy dress with snow-white ruffles. The attire is complemented with gold heeled bow shoes and bright flowers scattered over the dancer’s dress and hair. She seems frozen in a graceful and delightful dance with the right arm raised above her head and the left one stretched out along her body.

The Rococo, which superseded the Baroque in the 18th century, was characterized by theatricality, frivolity, and festivity. Women’s costumes in this style had numerous decorative elements such as bows, strings, ribbons, and ruffles. The abundance of jewelry and the elegant and sensual nature of women’s attire were supposed to allude to a delicate flower.

There were no female ballet dancers for quite some time. The concept of ballet originated in Italy in the late 15th century, and over the next hundred years, the basics of classical ballet technique spread throughout the rest of Europe. In France, the word “ballet” designated a theatrical performance that combined drama, music, painting, and dance.

The first mention of female dancers dates back to the late 17th century. In 1681, Jean-Baptiste Lully’s pastoral ballet “Le Triomphe de l’Amour” (The Triumph of Love) featured four ballerinas. One of them was Mademoiselle De Lafontaine. Her grace and charm were such that she came to be called the “queen of the dance” and went down in history as the first female professional ballet dancer.

In the 18th century, the female ballet was strictly regulated: although dance movements and positions grew more graceful and sophisticated, the manners still had to be restrained. In addition, cumbersome stage costumes of ballerinas hindered their movements. As one of the early dance theorists noted,

Ballet regulations changed dramatically when the French ballerina Marie-Anne de Cupis de Camargo shortened her skirt by about twenty centimeters. The shorter hem allowed the public to see the refined and graceful movements of legs. Despite puffy dresses and lacing, female dancers became freer and bolder in their movements. This is evident from the posture of the museum’s figurine.