Unlikely engagements: ballet in pantomime in late Victorian London.

Although classical ballet has conventionally been thought of as a 'high' art form, during the Victorian period it was a well-established component of popular entertainment. As well as being part of variety acts in the large music halls, it was also a standard ingredient of pantomime. This reseach explores that phenonemon, placing it within its social context, and identifying both the nature of the dance as spectacle and the status of the dancers.