Introduction Dance in 18th Century Theatre Dance in Music Halls and Variety  Ballet at the Alhambra and Empire Theatres Adeline Genée Skirt Dancing The Tiller Girls

Adeline Genee as Camargo

Adeline Genée’s style of dance suited the light-hearted nature of music hall ballet. She made her first appearance in London at the Empire Theatre in 1897 and was its star for ten years.

Trained by her uncle in Denmark, she danced in his touring ballet company as a child. When she came to London she had already danced as guest ballerina at the opera houses in Munich and Berlin. It is as Swanilda in Coppélia that she is best remembered. Her style and technique were said to have been near perfection, and she was responsible for ballet becoming very popular in London. Diaghilev saw her dance in 1911, and was so impressed that he offered her a contract to dance with his company, but she declined.

Adeline Genee as Swanilda

Adeline Genee in The Little Michus

In 1906 Adeline Genée requested that the Empire theatre put on Coppelia so that she could dance the role of Swanilda. As in the original French production, Franz was played by a girl dressed as a boy. Although London audiences loved ballet, there was great prejudice against male dancers –the public would only tolerate them in character roles, like Dr Coppélius.

Adeline Genee Costume

In America Genée danced in musical spectaculars – ballet in its own right was unknown there at the time. She also toured Australia. In both countries she generated huge public interest in ballet. Adeline retired as a dancer in 1917. In 1920 she was active in setting up what is now the Royal Academy of Dance, to establish proper ballet teaching in Britain. She retired as President in 1954 and was succeeded by Margot Fonteyn, but remained on the committee till she died at the age of 92 in 1970.