The Dance World of Katti Lanner (1829-1908)
In her talk Dr Geraldine Morris will focus on Katti Lanner’s significance in the world of dance. There were no female choreographers in the 19th century, making Lanner, who ran dance schools in her Clapham home, and in Bloomsbury, unique. She provides a striking example of a stage performer who found respectability and financial security when stage work for women was frowned on. Not only did she achieve status, but she was a celebrated and well-off member of the Clapham community. It is high time a plaque to celebrate her achievements was mounted on her former home at 40 Clapham Common North Side.
Our Speaker
Dr Geraldine Morris danced with the Royal Ballet Company, Covent Garden, and later studied dance as an academic discipline. A Senior Honorary Research Fellow at Roehampton University, she has lived in Clapham for 50 years. The second edition of her 2012 book, Frederick Ashton’s Ballets: Style, Performance, Choreography, was published in November (2024) by Oxford University Press.