Cleo de merode biography of albert

Her exquisite features became known throughout Europe. During that time, a dancer could not be considered a respectable woman, so the profession automatically carried the label of a "courtesan. And what respectable woman would perform on stage? Cleo was never a kept woman, but who believed that? Her stage image was original for that time. Cleo danced with her magnificent hair flowing down her shoulders.

It was unconventional for ballet. In the late 19th century, when there was a fashion for simple, neatly styled hairdos, this "loose-haired" dancer attracted attention and shocked at the same time. Loose hair in the minds of ordinary people gave rise to thoughts of the overall promiscuity of its owner. Interestingly, another one of Cleo's hairstyles also contributed to her fame.

Cleo de merode biography of albert

Some prefer a chignon, but they say that 'Cleo de Merode' suits delicate features more," writes O. Henry in the story "The Power of Habit. Bohemian, yet modest styling. However, even this hairstyle gave rise to not only imitation but also absurd rumors. I do not hesitate to say that I accepted them, but this is legitimate for an artist in France. I have never accepted attentions from the King of Belgium, and he has never received a favour from me that I could not have granted to any gentleman in the same circumstances.

I find this the most convincing hypothesis. During her stay in New York, she was besieged by journalists and followed through the streets by girls asking for autographs. Critics and audiences joined in a chorus of disappointment after her first appearance at Koster and Bial, yet she set the trends, crowds followed her progress and large audiences gathered to see her.

The Americans liked me. The newspapers pretended that I danced badly, as if the Americans could understand that. In , she caused a sensation with her performance of traditional Javanese dances at the Exposition Universelle. Her performance gained her a new following and her popularity increased further. In Stockholm, the crowds in the streets prevented her from returning to the hotel.

I know the dance, I know the figure, but somehow I forget everything and leave it to my feet. They know. They never make mistakes. How long will I dance? As long as I live and can move. She grew into a beautiful young woman, noted for her tiny waist which was accentuated by tightlacing that was popular with women at the time. A particular new hairdo she choose to wear became the talk of Parisian women and was quickly adopted as a popular style for all.

It is said that the year-old Belgian King became enamoured with the year-old ballet star and gossip started that she was his latest mistress. I danced in this costume and my gestures made the long folds of fabric undulate in a pretty manner. Underneath I wore a pale rose maillot, covered with a light rose gauze tunic, which hugged my form.

When the moment came to seduce the judges, a follower, with one gesture, raised the immense cape and spread it behind me to its full extent. Against this rather dark ground, I was a pink silhouette, and from a distance, with a certain suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience, the flesh-colored feminine form gave the illusion of a nude body.

I pleased the Americans vastly. The papers pretended that I danced badly, as if Americans could tell. They know nothing about dancing and don't like ballets. I am gowned by a real dressmaker. I know music very well and play the piano as little as possible. I know how to arrange a basket of fruit, place flowers in a jardiniere, and touch a book without spoiling it.

I have read the poets and the historians, and I do not write. I wear stockings that are as fine as a woven mist. What other accomplishments shall I speak of? They are not like us. It is too bad for them that they are not French, but that cannot be helped. They know much more than we do and have ambitions in many directions that we in our country never feel.

I think as a whole they are prettier than we are. I do not wonder that the men from Europe fall in love with the American girls. They are so chic and charming, you know. I have heard so many stories of them that at first, I did not know what to think, and when I walked about on the great steamer that brought me here, I looked at your countrywomen very curiously.

The more I looked the better I liked them. Perhaps it was because they seemed to like me, but that does not matter. My opinion of them is all that I could wish and that is saying a great deal, for I wish to speak and think everything kindly of the women of America. Her performance gained her a new following, and her popularity further increased.

In Stockholm , crowds in the street would prevent her from returning to her hotel. During her stay in Munich from to , she was the model for the painters Friedrich August von Kaulbach and Franz von Lenbach. After the war ended, she toured in the French provinces with Serge Peretti, reluctant to accept engagements abroad. At the request of theater director Henri Varna, she reappeared on stage at the Alcazar on 15 June in Viens poupoule alongside the dancer George Skibine and the actress and singer Cassive.

She did four routines: one in a Norman peasant costume, the traditional Khmer dance she had first performed at the Exposition Universelle in , a Second Empire scene, and "la Valse ". We danced five waltzes in a row; we ended with a big whirlwind, and Skibine carried me in his arms to the back of the stage. First, because the man seems good to me, and also because, you know, in France a woman is never independent until she is married.

You see, I have my mother with me wherever I go. What would they think of me if I went about without a chaperone? Do you think Monsieur whom I shall marry would be happy if he thought I were over here in this great country with no one but my little self to keep away the people that always follow me? No, no, no. I know the dance, I know the figure, but some way I forget it all and leave it to my feet.

They know. They never make mistakes. How long shall I dance? As long as I live and can move about. I do not wish to be thought one of those women who will ever confess that they are passe. I never shall be, never.