Point shoe worn by Olga Spessiva as Giselle in Act II of the ballet "Giselle" with the Camargo Society at the Savoy Theatre, 1932. Signed and inscribed.

White satin point shoe, undarned, with ribbons attached. Scored sole, made by Angelo Bra(illegible). Inscribed on inner sole "Camargo Society / Giselle Act II / Savoy Theatre / Shoe worn by Olga Spessiva".

Cyril W. Beaumont Bequest

One of a collection of signed ballet shoes given by various dancers to the dance critic and historian Cyril Beaumont.
The shoe was worn by the Russian ballerina Olga Spessiva (Spessivtseva), who danced Giselle for the Camargo Society production at the Savoy Theatre in 1932. Spessiva was accounted one of the greatest of all Giselles and he appearances with the Camargo Society were a great boost to embryonic British ballet in the early 1930s.
The soles of ballet shoes were often scored, either by the manufacturer or the dancers, to give improved grip on stage.
The shoe came to the Museum as part of the Cyril Beaumont Bequest.

Historical significance: The ballet shoe is the most personal of dance aretfacts, as each dancer is responsible for darning and stitching on the ribbons to suit her own personal preferences and each dancer 'wears' out the shoe in a different way, according to her physique and the role. The dancer darning shoes is a potent image in 20th century dance iconography, a symbol of at once her drugery and humility.
A shoe worn by a great dancer in a particular role on a certain night (such as a premiere) and signed, dated, and dedicated to the recepient, implying that the recepient was with the dancer at the time, attains almost iconic significance for balletomanes.

S.798-1981