Whilst ballet is undoubtedly one of the most graceful and elegant art forms, it also has a long and dark history of sexual exploitation.
How did King Louis XIV's love of the ballet fundamentally change it? What was the patronage system and how did dancers use it to their advantage? And who were some of the female pioneers who embraced sexuality within the ballet?
Joining Kate today is Deirdre Kelly, author of Ballerina: Sex, Scandal and Suffering Behind the Symbol of Perfection, to find out more.
This podcast was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
History of Make-Up
Eleanor Aquitaine: The Life of a Medieval Badass
Lube: A Slippery History
Victorian Abortion & Birth Control
Barbie: Feminist Icon?
Scottish Kings' Sex Lives
Althea Gibson: The Wimbledon Champion Who Beat The Odds
Mozart's Sex Life
Victorian Baby Farming Killer: Amelia Dyer
History of Breastfeeding
April Ashley: Paris Showgirl, Vogue Model & Trans Trailblazer
Women Warriors: From Boudicca to Ukrainian Snipers
Stonewall Uprising: Liberation & Mafia Exploitation
History of Camp: From Oscar Wilde to James Bond
Dick Pics: The History
Shakespeare's Sex Life
Anne Lister: The First Modern Lesbian?
Victorian Pregnancy & Childbirth: The Untold History
The Pre-Raphaelites: Art & Sexual Liberation
A History of Queer Women
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal
Gone Medieval
Not Just the Tudors
Empire
Real Dictators