ABSTRACT
The subject matter of the ballets can be categorized into traditional themes that dealt with aspects of nature and the supernatural as contained in mythology, fairy tales and legend, and the topical works that were based on current events or interests. Historical times and foreign locations were common to both traditional and topical works as were sub-themes such as romance, the tussle between good and evil and the moral dilemma. It can be argued that the subject matter of the works was the dancing itself, enshrined in spectacle. The world of the supernatural also served another purpose in terms of how the ballerina was presented. In the ballets, women represented not only the natural phenomenon of flowers but also insects, butterflies and birds. Woman as fairies, as jewels, as decoratively exotic, as essentially 'good' did not disturb the status quo; the composite world of the ballet effectively presented a 'Fairyland of Fair Women'.
