Serpentine dance facts for kids
The serpentine dance was a very popular dance style in the United States and Europe during the 1890s. It became a common sight in stage shows and early movies.
What is the Serpentine Dance?
The Serpentine dance grew out of the skirt dance, which was a type of burlesque dance that came to the United States from England. Skirt dancing itself was a new style that moved away from strict ballet. It included simpler versions of folk and popular dances, like the can-can.
The new Serpentine dance was created by Loïe Fuller. She told different stories about how she came up with it. One popular story says she had never danced professionally before. She was performing in a play called Quack M.D.. She accidentally discovered how amazing her gauze costume looked under different stage lights. The audience loved how her skirt appeared in the lights. Because of their excitement, she quickly developed this new dance style.
During the dance, Loïe Fuller held her long skirt in her hands. She waved it around, making it flow and move. This showed her body shape underneath. A dance expert named Jack Anderson described it well. He said her costume for the Serpentine Dance used "hundreds of yards of China silk." She would let this silk fabric billow around her. Special lighting made it look like the fabric was catching fire. It also seemed to take on shapes like flowers, clouds, birds, and butterflies.
Serpentine Dance in Early Movies
The Serpentine Dance was often filmed in early motion pictures. This was because it perfectly showed off how the new movie cameras could capture movement and light.
Two very famous film versions were Annabelle Serpentine Dance (1894) and a Lumière brothers film from 1896. The 1894 film featured Broadway dancer Annabelle Whitford and was made by Edison Studios. Many other filmmakers also made their own versions. They would often distribute film copies that were hand-tinted. This coloring was done by hand to try and copy the look of colored light projections on stage.
See also
- Serpentinen Tanz
