Douvillier

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A newly installed plaque in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 marks the area where Suzanne Douvillier was reputedly buried. (Photo courtesy French Quarter Journal)

Danseuse du Roi: The Life of Suzanne Vaillandé Douvillier

Originally published in the French Quarter Journal, February 7, 2020. A mysterious dancer in the early 1800s mesmerized crowds and caused consternation by cross-dressing and challenging social norms. She led a life both romantic and tragic, the stuff of which epics are written. Yet, little is known about her birth and upbringing. In the ballet halls of 18th-century Paris, she was declared a child prodigy. Later, she became America’s first female choreographer, and among the first to perform a full...