History

Carolina Ferreira, though Portuguese by birth, had spent her formative years training in Milan. She had arrived in London in 1900 to dance at The Alhambra Theatre where she became prima ballerina from 1901-1904, following Emma Palladino’s 1899 retirement. 

Following her successful musical hall career, Ferreira wished to transition into more ‘serious dancing’. To do so, she sought employment at either His Majesty’s Theatre or Covent Garden, the two venues for ‘serious ballet’ in London. Richard Hague, the balletmaster in chief at Covent Garden, had seen her at The Alhambra and so invited her to sign a two-year contract to dance at Covent Garden for the 1905 and 1906 seasons. Ferreira accepted and made her debut in The Vivandiere in the 1905 season.

Critics praised her speed, attack and precision, as well as her mime and good humour. Her speed was notable, as she specifically requested that her variations be played faster than the usual tempos to demonstrate her ability. She also debuted in Giselle that season, receiving positive reviews, though less enthusiastic than those for her performances in The Vivandiere.

1906 brought with it revivals of The Buccaneers and Sylvia for the troupe. Ferreira was to continue The Vivandiere as well as to debut in Sylvia, but as part of her contract it stated that she could request a ballet to be revived for her, with the stipulation that it would be a ballet that the troupe had already performed before, not a completely new staging. Ferreira examined the repertory of the troupe and settled on her choices: she would either have Faust, Coppelia, Naïla or Esmeralda.

Though Ferreira indicated that her preference was that Faust should be revived, both Hague and management considered it out of the question due to the immense expense incurred during the 1889 staging of the ballet. Esmeralda and Coppelia were eventually both rejected for different reasons and it was decided that Naïla would be revived, abridged from three acts and four scenes to two acts and three scenes. 

The 1906 revival fared better than the 1900 revival, principally due to Ferreira’s fleet-footed portrayal of Naïla, which was better received by the critics than Harriet Linwood’s 1900 portrayal of the rôle. However, critics at first considered Ferreira’s acting and mime lacking, with some attributing this to her music hall origins, though it was stated that her portrayal improved as the run continued. 

When the 1906 season came to an end, Ferreira received the offer to extend her contract one further year, for the 1907 season and accepted the offer. She continued to dance the same rôles in The Vivandiere and Naïla with the addition of debuting in Ondine (which did not go particularly well) and in The Wayward Daughter (which went much better). She also portrayed the rôle of Beranger in the second act of Esmeralda, which was given as part of the State Performance for the Visit of the King and Queen of Denmark.

Despite Ferreira’s successes in The Vivandiere and Naïla, it soon became apparent to her that due to Hague’s reforms there would be little room for her at Covent Garden. In 1907, there were four permanent premières (including herself) in addition to a guest première who was invited by Hague from time to time to dance at Covent Garden. Harriet Linwood had retired in 1906, but Ferreira still found herself fourth ranked after the other three danseuses who had been in the troupe for longer. Thus, she concluded that her opportunities would be better elsewhere and chose not to renew her contract after the 1907 season, choosing instead to seek further employment on the continent.

Rôles

• Kathi in The Vivandiere (1905)
• Giselle in Giselle (1905)
• Naïla in Naïla (1906)
• Sylvia in Sylvia (1906)
• Beranger in Esmeralda (1907)
• Ondine in Ondine (1907)
• Lise in The Wayward Daughter (1907)

Created rôle in new ballet

First London revival, new production*