Tuesday 2 April 2013

The Versailles Glide

The ladies of Versailles were renowned for walking in a particular way which was known as "the Versailles Glide".

When walking "the Versailles Glide" a lady's foot would never leave the ground but glide across the ground. Besides making the women appear with a distinguished air, this walk had a more practical function: by never lifting your foot you avoided stepping on the train of the lady in front of you. Imagine the noise it made whenever the Queen and her entourage passed a gravelled path with their heavy gowns and shoes that never left the ground!

Marie Antoinette excelled in this walk. Her mother had had the choreographer Jean-Georges Noverre who was to teach the young archduchess how to easily blend in with the Grande Mademoiselles at the infamous French court.

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