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~~Sophia Lissington~~ · April 22, 2022 – 7:08 AM

the triplet with the audacity

aged 27 | WCPB | rep 6 | Gryffindor '75 - '80
Widow | Renowned ballerina

past connections. Though Soph left after her fifth year for her ballet career, she was very extroverted and cared most about friends, art and music. She came back from abroad one year to debut alongside her sisters, where she rejected all prospects because she was already in love. Always open to old suitors - whether jilted or even relieved.

do I know you? Perhaps you know her triplet sisters? There's ever-so-proper socialite Ana, or hard-working sweet Lydia. I love mistaken identities! If you think she's Ana or Lydia... sorry not sorry, Sophia will act the part for as long as it's fun. Wink

friends. Would love Soph to rekindle old friendships, she would've kept in touch over the years and sent cute trinkets from around Europe. Otherwise, she's really sociable talker type. She’s got kids, big MCPB family, errands etc, so she’s around outside ballet stuff too.

enemies! no doubt Sophia makes enemies. Given her past, she really doesn't give a shit about society standards or gossip. She's also very protective and even maternal with friends, so she stands up to bad people - in a world where powerful financiers often lurked backstage to harass dancers post-shows.

hurls? True relationship is a bit far-fetched at the moment, her husband died just a year ago. But there's always room for misunderstandings as she's a bit of a natural flirt if she's in a good mood. Or unwitting/anonymous admirers?, as ballerinas enjoyed a bit of celeb status in this time.

nolie nerds tf out

Sophia is very much inspired by true VE ballerinas like Fanny Elssler and Pierina Legnani! I did some pointe in my ~youth~ and really just wanted an excuse to hardcore obsess and share this amazing world of ballet that evolved to its modern-day form during this era. I'm not an expert but a massive fangirl. So! Come visit Sophia to see a show (past or present day IC) and I'll promise you a few clips of phenomenal dances. <3

Pictured - Elssler was one of the first international dance stars, and one of the first to tour America – a major undertaking in the years before the railways were established. On the voyage over she was attacked by a sailor but dealt him such a kick that he died a few days later. Romantic Ballet, Victoria & Albert Museum

Ballet had a bit of its golden era in the romantic period 1800-70s and very much considered family-friendly cultural programming. It marked a major shift in gender roles where women stole the spotlight, even playing male roles. The dance started to emphasize the soft long lines of one's limbs, and took pointe to new feats to mimic the appearance of floating and gliding. Dancers wore costumes far less form-fitting than today's leotards and tights, and bell-shaped skirts kept their knees mostly covered.

We meet Soph a bit later, during the Russian classical period. This took off in St. Petersburg in the late 1800s with some of the most important historical choreographers and dancers who developed far greater technical abilities. This is where we start to see more challenging, full-length classic ballets beloved to this day: Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker. We see the return of the male ballet dancer here too. Russian classic ballets are characterized by including a pas de deux (dance for two) for the male and female lead dancers followed by a difficult solo for each one of them and a coda (a short quick finale). Dancers spend far more time on harder pointe shoes, and costumes evolved to more classical tutus, for the audience to see more of the dancers' legs and feet as they executed difficult paces such as fouettes. This was unusual compared to the French romantic ballet the English were probably used to, and would be an utterly exhilarating show to watch in the 1890s! This form of classical ballet in the way we know it today did not really go mainstream across Europe in earnest until the early 1900s.

Legnani was a legendary master of technical pointework, and is credited as the first person to attempt a fouette - to turn on one's leg without the other leg coming down. In a scrapbook recently uncovered by historians, Lengani wrote under an article that praised her incredible feat of 32 fouettes, "I never did 32 fouettes, I could barely manage 24."
Ballet Evolved - Pierina Legnani 1863-1923, Royal Opera House

All the glamor aside, it is still Victorian Era, so misogyny puts a damper on things. Theatres have expansive foyers for dancers to warm up and practice before and during performances. Post-show, subscribers and sponsors of the ballet house are welcome backstage. In Paris, this often created a very sexualized men's club atmosphere where wealthy noblemen and financiers would come to meet with each other, ogle at the dancers, and even proposition them. Of course, their social status excused this behavior, and dancers were expected to be polite and responsive to their creepy admirers. Soph is privileged to not need financial support in these circumstances, and is more protective of the young girls.

...Ugh are you kidding of course I have citations. #IdaChang4Life
Ballet Evolved series, Royal Opera House on YouTube
Ballet History, Victoria & Albert Museum
Sexual exploitation was the norm for 19th century ballerinas, History
History of Ballet, Austin Ballet

The following 4 users Like ~~Sophia Lissington~~'s post:
Barnabas Beck, Basil Foxwood, Elsie Kirke, Naeva Marshall

thank you gin for the set<3

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