Continuing with the series on obscure leading ladies of dance, I give you Aida Overton Walker.
Aida starting in vaudeville and was a huge hit in the US at the start of the 1900s. She went on to successfully transition to more serious dramatic performance, with a Salomé which enchanted crowds – even playing white theatres as a patented star, which was totally unheard of at the time.
So three cheers for Aida, a pioneer well before our times.
Karuski's little shop of colours 