The dance leotard has become hugely successful over a relatively short period of time. It was developed by a truly revolutionary French acrobatic performer named Jules Léotard who developed the art of trapeze. His immense success as a trapeze artist helped popularise this one-piece garment which he used to call his maillot and has now lived on to bear his name.
Léotard, the son of a gymnastics instructor was born in Toulouse, France. He originally set out to study Law and after passing all of his exams, it seemed almost certain he would join the legal profession. However, at the age of 18 he began to experiment with trapeze bars, ropes and rings which were suspended over a swimming pool. Soon afterwards, Léotard left his prospects of joining the legal profession behind as he joined the Cirque Napoleon.
It was November 12, 1859 when Léotard made his first public appearance as a trapeze artist. After this, he became the first ever performer to complete a full mid-air somersault as he jumped from one trapeze to the other. His act consisted of him jumping between three trapezes over a period of about twelve minutes after which he would complete a full mid-air somersault before landing on a carpet-covered safety mat. In 1861, Léotard moved to London where he appeared at the Alhambra Theatre in London's Leicester Square. Here, Léotard's performance was carried out over the heads of diners which proved to be incredibly popular.
