Marie Sallé

Marie Sallé was a dancer and choreographer. Believing that dance should be natural and expressive, Sallé pioneered a new approach by abandoning adornment in order to focus on grace and movement. After studying with the ballerina Françoise Prévost, she debuted at the Paris Opéra in 1721. In 1729, in a performance of Les caractères de la danse, Sallé and her partner removed their masks in order to be more engaged with each other’s expressions throughout the performance. Her greatest fame was achieved through her choreography, which included the 1734 pieces Bacchus and Ariadne, Pygmalion, and the solo Les caractères de l’amour.