The scandal of the distant 1735 in London, when the premiere of Georg Friedrich Handel’s new opera Alcina took place in Coven Garden, one of the most inspiring moments in the life of the great German who lived in England.

A masterpiece that in 2016 was successfully transferred by the group “Rafi” to the Cyclades Street Theater (transcription for string quartet and harpsichord).

However, there was also a scandal at the premiere. And this was due to the use of ballet, which was common in operas of that time. And here we come to a special female figure, as if invented from a novel: the French dancer Marie Salle.

According to the testimonies, Chalet danced “without a skirt, without a dress, leaving her natural crown naked, without a single ornament on her head.” For the English audience of the time, Sallet danced naked.

The English public tolerated her for eighteen nights, but at the last performance she was booed wildly.

Born in 1707 (she was 28 years old when she danced in the Alcine), Chalet challenged the masculine world of ballet, “teased” traditional women’s costumes, danced at the Paris Opera at the age of twenty to the music of the exquisite Jean-Philippe Rameau, who entered into conflict with the administration, took refuge in London in 1734.

There she presented her most famous work, Pygmalion: herself in the role of a statue coming to life, she first developed the choreography, dressed in ancient Greek cloaks and sandals, leaving her hair loose, something unheard of in the age of wigs.

Then Alchina appeared. The English public tolerated her for eighteen nights, but at the last performance she was booed wildly. In a rage, Chalet left England forever, and Handel has since removed ballet parts from the famous opera. Chalet returned to Paris, danced several times at Versailles, and left this busy world in June 1756.

Mr. Gray offers a classical recording of the 1959 opera starring Joan Sutherland and the Cologne Radio Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Ferdinand Leitner (company: Membran Music Ltd). Listening to this beautiful performance, Mr. Gray is upset by the dance of the half-naked Marie, forever absorbed in time. Her choreography faded as the performances withered, remaining alive only in the memory of their audience. However, the figure of defiance of this Frenchwoman in London lives beyond the memories of those who were lucky enough to see her live.