Costume worn by Ouida Pagola in the variety dance act The Four Pagolas (A Breath of Russian Ballet), 1940s

Given by Nicky Hilliard

The costume was devised, made and worn by Ouida Pagola in the variety dance act The Four Pagolas (A Breath of Russian Ballet), who performed their act in variety and pantomime during the 1940s and early 1950s. The group was originally a trio, Ouida Pagola, Joan Rothwell, and Harold Milroy, but in 1945 they decided to expand into a quartet and Nicky Hilliard became the second man.
After the group broke up, the costume was kept by Nicky Hilliard, one of the two men in the act, who gave it to the Theatre Museum.

Historical significance: The style of the costume and the sub-title of the group 'A Breath of Russian Ballet' are a tribute to the immense popularity of the various Russian dance companies of the 1930s and 1940s as well as the popularity of Russia during the Second World War in their stand against Hitler. The 'peasant' style of the dress is a distant relative of the folklorique ballets of Larionov and Goncharova for Diaghilev, and shows how the traditions of the Diaghilev Ballet become translated down through the theatrical chain to the most popular level. It also pays tribute to ballets based on Russian national dance given by companies such as Jay Pomoroy's Russian Opera and Ballet, which became popular in the 1940s.

An interesting point about the costume is that it was designed and made by the wearer, Ouida Pagola. It was quite common for female variety artists or their families, especially those with a theatrical background, to design and make their own costumes, but few of the costumes have survived. Ouida Pagola was the daughter of an acrobat mother and comedian father and she grew up with them on tour.

S.8:2-2001