Dancing through Fire, and: Marie, Dancing (review)

The little ballerinas of the nineteenth-century Paris Opéra, the recurring subjects of Edgar Degas, are now the subjects of two novels for young people. Lasky's story features young Sylvie, a petit rat whose dreams of rising through the ranks to become a star (and thus fulfill her mother's wishes) are put on hold by the Franco-Prussian War and the terrible siege of Paris. Meyer sets her story a few years later and focuses on Marie, the real model for Degas' famous statue La petite danseuse de quatorze ans; historical realities, such as Marie's eventual dismissal from the Opéra and her younger sister's success there, become the grounds for a fictional story wherein a struggling Marie sacrifices two loves—her sweetheart and the ballet—for marital security in order that her sister can continue to dance. Both novels are rich in detail about historical Paris and the ballet, with real people wandering, sometimes intrusively, through the story. Lasky's story is more stagey than emotionally compelling, however, with little characterization and therefore sympathy for the personae (the abrupt revelation that Sylvie's older sister isn't a fallen dance-hall girl but in fact a political activist, who later dies for her convictions, particularly lacks the necessary impact). Meyer creates a stately paced but highly atmospheric account of a world where a girl's ability to attract a wealthy lover may be more important than her turnout and where gifts from such men can help impoverished dancers' families eke out their meager living. Her tremulous young protagonist, refusing to yield her virtue to her rich admirer yet turning her back on her true love to support her family honorably, is a classic Victorian sentimental heroine (complete with a dramatic swoon at a key moment, her viewing of Degas' depiction of her). Despite the artistic theme of the Portraits series in which Lasky's book appears, there's actually more discussion of art in Meyer's novel (Mary Cassatt figures nearly as prominently as Degas). While Marie, Dancing is a more satisfying narrative, the books would actually be usefully complementary for readers intrigued by the behind-the-scenes world of Degas' famous dancers. Notes explaining the history accompany each book.