Marie-Anne de Cupis de Camargo

At ten years of age, she was given lessons by Françoise Prévost (1680–1741), then the first dancer at the Paris Opéra, and at once obtained an engagement as premiere danseuse, first at Brussels and then at Rouen.

Camargo dazzled audiences with her stunning technique and spritely energy, performing entrechats and cabrioles with brilliant execution.

She popularized two innovations to ballet, changing from heeled shoes to slippers, and she was one of the first ballet-dancers to shorten the skirt to what afterwards became the regulation length.

However, a later incident involving a missing male dancer saw Camargo unexpectedly step into his place and improvise a brilliant solo.

Nicolas Lancret painted a famous portrait of her that exists in several versions including works now held at the Wallace Collection, London,[1] and at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (shown right).