Dance and the education of femininity: Belo Horizonte – MG (1930-1960)

Abstract

In 1934, serving only girls, the first private school specialized in dance in Belo Horizonte, MG, was established, the "Natalia Lessa Course ". The surrounding historical and cultural context of the lives of the students, the teacher and society compose certain scenes in the city which, despite being incomplete, elicit a rich assemblage of meanings for the female formation during this period. The central hypothesis of this research is that this school’s practices in dance education for girls led to a new direction for the education of femininity in Belo Horizonte, becoming a representative reference in this context. From the analysis of different sources, it was possible to identify, in the Course, the pedagogical intention to teach femininity through dance, following the ideologies in circulation. Since the beginning of her career, the statements and disclosures made by Lessa about the Course presented it as both an educational and a female activity, with the objective to develop qualities and skills related to three areas: grace, health and beauty, involving issues of discipline, rhythm and eugenics. It is observed that Natália Lessa’s proposal caused little strangeness and safely represented ways of educating, already legitimized by the school, which were recognized and appreciated by the local society.

Keywords
dance education; dance history; female education