Camargo Scandalizes the Paris Opera

July 14, 1703

Marie Camargo, Belgian-born, made her Paris debut and scandalously shortened her skirts above the ankle so audiences could see her entrechats. Voltaire would later write verses about her legs. Ballet, which had been a courtly reinforcement of hierarchy, began its slow transformation into a virtuoso theatrical art. Her rival Marie Salle countered with dramatic expressiveness, and between them they redefined what dance could be.