Compilation of Historical Photos of Notable Examples of Crossdressing in Ballet
A collection of photos that I find fascinating, whether they are crossdressing within or outside of the narrative, in drag, en travesti, or just androgynous characters. I limited this to images from before 1970 and to ballets that are still performed today because otherwise it would be completely unmanageable, but I am sure there are still many fascinating roles that I have deliberately or accidentally excluded so please contribute more if you have them.
1-2. Grigory Riabtsev (1899, Marius Petipa Society) and Stanley Holden (1960, LA Dance Chronicle, original cast of Ashton’s version) as Widow Simone in La Fille Mal Gardee.
Since 1789, one of the most consistent aspects of the many wildly different versions of this ballet has been that the mother is played by a man. Ashton’s version is the most popular today, and Widow Simone is always a drag role in it, as well as dancing one of the most famous parts of the ballet, the clog dance. For all that it is an adaptation of a story from 1789, Ashton’s version is also kind of an adaptation of a Christmas panto.
- Hans Beck as Madge in La Sylphide, 1901, the book Bournonville Ballets
In Taglioni’s original version of La Sylphide, Madge was danced by a woman. Bournonville staged his version in 1836, and historically at the Royal Danish Ballet the role has been portrayed by both men and women. Hans Beck, pictured here, is a pivotal figure in the preservation of Bournonville’s ballets, whose importance to the company really cannot be overstated. Apologies for the poor quality of the Bournonville photos here, I get better versions in a few weeks when I have access to the book again and send them if people are interested.
4-5 Betty Schnell and Anna School (1868) and then Grethe Ditlevsen and Elna Lausgaard (1908) as Poul and Edward in Far From Denmark
Poul and Edward, homesick Danish cadets, have been played by ballerinas from the premiere in 1860 to the present day. The roles were originated by Petrine Fredstup and Mme. Stillman. Adding to the irony, the two characters cross dress within the ballet, wearing women’s clothing in a character dance divertissement. I included both photos because I think they help illustrate the increasing acceptance of women wearing pants on stage in the early 20th Century compared to the mid 19th Century. They also make an interesting comparison with the next two photos.
6-7. Maria Surovshchikova Petipa (1863, Petipa Society) and Tamara Karsavina (1908, Foster’s biography) as Medora in the Le Petit Corsaire number of Le Corsaire.
Petipa choreographed the Le Petit Corsaire variation early in his career as a showcase for his wife. In the solo, Medora cheers up Conrad by dressing in boy’s clothing, miming about mustaches, and shouting a command through a megaphone. The solo is not performed in most recent productions, which is odd since it was very popular in the imperial era and even recorded on film in the early 20th Century. Ratmansky did restore it in his production for the Bolshoi, which I fully support. Once again, you can see the increasing acceptance of women wearing pants on stage.
- Eugenie Fiocre as Franz in Coppelia, 1870, from Garafola’s article “The Travesty Dancer in Nineteenth Century Ballet”
Eugenie Fiocre originated the leading male role of Franz, as was customary in Paris at the time. Petipa’s version made the choreography more masculine, so in virtually every prominent subsequent production, the role has been danced by men. Apologies for the caricature, but it was the only image of her in the role I could find. If you want to see an actual photo of Eugenie Fiocre crossdressing, Wikipedia has one in a different role: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eug%C3%A9nie_Fiocre_as_a_matador.jpg. Fenella Kennedy gives this image an approximate date of c. 1860.
- Enrico Cecchetti as Carabosse in The Sleeping Beauty 1890 Marius Petipa Society
Impressively, Cecchetti originated the roles of both Carabosse and Bluebird. He also danced the Widow Simone opposite Pavlova. In the modern day, the role varies between productions and can be portrayed by men, women, and as this sub knows, non-binary dancers like Taylor Stanley.
- Nikolai Yakovlev as Mother Ginger in the Nutcracker 1892 Dance Magazine
Yakovlev was in the original cast, but little of Ivanov’s choreography is performed today. The Nutcracker varies immensely between versions, and Mother Ginger is often altered or cut. Even the Royal Ballet version, which preserves pieces of the Ivanov choreography, has no Mother Ginger. Notably, Edward Bigelow originated the role in Balanchine’s 1954 production, doubling with the Mouse King, and NYCB retains it (in more over the top fashion than the original).
11-12. Vera Nemchinova as “La Garçonne” or the girl in blue in Les Biches, 1924 LOC
Garafola interprets the whole ballet as centering queer themes, especially the dance for two women, and La Garçonne, originated by Nemchinova, as an androgynous or drag figure. While the Hostess gets masculine steps, La Garçonne wears garb very different from the other women. I thought Les Biches would be an interesting parallel with Rodeo and Scotch Symphony in that respect.
- Feya Balabina as the Classical Dancer in the Bright Stream 1935 Maly/Mikhailovsky Theater from the website belcanto
In the original version of The Bright Stream, the male and female touring dancers switch costumes to deceive the dacha dwellers and hilarity ensues. I could only find an original cast photograph of Balabina and not her partner, but he did dress as a sylphide in the original. The Bright Stream is well known for being virulently condemned by Pravda, even though the Moscow production was a toned-down version, but from writers such as Laura Kennedy, it does not seem like crossdressing in particular was the issue. The current Ratmansky production follows the original libretto, including the crossdressing, but has entirely original choreography.
- Agnes de Mille as the Cowgirl in Rodeo 1951 NEH
De Mille both choreographed the ballet and originated the lead role in 1942. The Cowgirl is generally considered more of a tomboy role than a traditional travesty part, but the ballet emphasizes themes of gender and nonconformity. Of course, ABT recently brought it back.
- Sir Frederick Ashton and Sir Robert Helpmann as the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella 1965 V&A
The two famous choreographers created the roles of the stepsisters in Ashton’s 1948 version of Cinderella. In Russian versions of Prokofiev’s ballet, the stepsisters are often played by women, but in Ashton’s version they are always danced by men. I know some people who do not like Ashton’s use of crossdressing, viewing it as merely replicating the historical pattern of men in drag as villains, but I do think he had a genuine interest in the gendered nature of clothing. You can see the various photographs he took of himself dressed as famous historical women even apart from any ballet production.
- Patricia Wilde in Scotch Symphony 1954 (possibly later) George Balanchine Foundation
Patricia Wilde created the role of the only girl who wears a kilt in the ballet. Her part contrasts the lyricism of the lead role with sharp, energetic choreography, sometimes jumping side by side with two men. Unsurprisingly, the role has not been altered.
- Hans Beck as Loke (Loki) in The Lay of Thyrm 1901
These last two photos are from ballets that are no longer performed, but I thought they were fun and intriguing examples anyway. According to his memoirs, Bournonville considered Loke the most prominent and complex character in his 1868 adaptation of Norse mythology. In one act, Loke transforms into a woman as a disguise to trick the giant Thyrm. The original Loke was Harald Scharff, who Bournonville describes as serpentine in the role.
18. Tamara Karsavina as Cupid in Saint-Leon’s Fiametta, 1913
In this scene, Cupid is disguised as a page. The ballet features Cupid transforming into various disguises as part of his plan to bring the lovers together. Eugénie Fiocre performed this role in Paris in 1864, which I simply had to use as an excuse to put another photo of Karsavina in here.