The Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens was the first women educational institution in Russia. It was opened in 1764 by decree of Catherine II. The empress’s favorite project embodied the newest ideas of the Enlightenment: the empress believed that educated girls would help to soften the cruel morals of the society and to create a new breed of people.

In Smolny, noble daughters were prepared for secular life and service at court. Future maids of honor were taught foreign languages, sciences and etiquette, as well as dancing, singing and playing musical instruments. The schooling went on for twelve years, the girls' parents gave a receipt that they would not pick them up until graduation.

In the 1770ies artist Dmitry Levitsky created a series of smolyanki portraits by Catherine II order. He painted all the girls full-length and life-size.

Levitsky painted the last three canvases of the cycle in 1776, capturing senior pupils. The author conceived a triptych: on the left there is Ekaterina Molchanova in the image of the Allegory of Science, on the right in a symmetrical pose there is Glafira Alymova as the Allegory of Music, and in the center there is Natalya Borshchova in the image of the Allegory of Dance.

When the artist painted Borshchova, she was 17-18 years old, she studied in the graduating class. Natalya was one of the best dancers of her course, therefore Levitsky reflected it in the portrait. Probably, the girl wears a ball dress in which she danced at a ball in the Smolny Institute.