Pygmalion

ballet by Sallé

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In Western dance: Varieties of the ballet
…miniature dance-drama of her own, Pygmalion (1734). In it she appeared in a flimsy muslin dress and loose, flowing hair rather than the heavy costumes and elaborate wigs usually worn by ballerinas. Thus lightened, the dancer was able to move with much greater freedom.
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In stagecraft: Costume of the 18th and 19th centuries
In Pygmalion, a ballet of her own composition, Marie Sallé danced in London in 1734 dressed only in a muslin robe like that of a Greek statue; she wore no panniers, petticoat, or bodice, and her hair was loose and without ornament. The French ballet master…
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