Françoise Prévost was a French ballerina who helped establish classical ballet

Ballet

Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...

. She was expressive, light and dramatic in style. Prevost debuted at the Paris Académie

Paris Opera

The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...

 in the ballet, Atys, later replacing Marie-Thérèse de Subligny

Marie-Thérèse de Subligny

Marie-Thérèse Perdou de Subligny was a French ballerina. She entered the l'Académie Royale de Musique in 1688, where she succeeded Mlle La Fontaine as prima ballerina, a position she held until 1707. She appeared mostly in opera ballets of Jean-Baptiste Lully and André Campra. She was the first...

 as the female lead. In 1708, she performed with Jean Balon in the dance pantomime

Pantomime

Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...

, Les Horaces, a performance which is said to have caused the audience to weep. She retired as première danseuse in 1730, being replaced by her students Marie Camargo and Marie Sallé

Marie Sallé

Marie Sallé was a French dancer and choreographer known for her expressive, dramatic performances rather than a series of "leaps and frolics" typical of ballet of her time...

.