The other creation which contributed to the Loïe’s popularity, Le papillon (the Butterfly), was also re-adapted to the cinema by various important production firms. In these films, everything contributes to (re)generate one of the myths of the Belle Époque: the femme papillon, the butterfly lady. The choreography is centred on the characterization of this fantastic and sublime being. The basis of this process is the ample costume, recreating the colours and patterns of butterfly wings. The impression is completed by the undulating movement of the costume and the grace of the dancer. The term papillonisme is untranslatable. It distinguishes the particular use of the representation of the butterfly, at the centre of a more comprehensive symbolism which recalls the typical animal world of the early cinema, often inserted into vues à transformations and métamorphoses. Segundo de Chomón’s film Les papillons japonais is emblematic, as it jointly embraces the Serpentine Dance and Le papillon.

Massimo Piovesana