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

Given by Nicky Hilliard

The Pagolas ('A Breath of Russian Ballet') were a dance act in the 1940s, appearing throughout Britain in variety theatres, cabaret and pantomime (including Aladdin - pantomime finding four Russian national dancers in Old Peking perfectly acceptable).

The costume was designed and made by Ouida Pagola who was one of the female dancers in the act. 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.

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 and to the wartime alliance between Russia and Britain. 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.

S.246:2-2002