Vlasta Novotna

Vlasta Novotna was a Czech dancer born in Prague in the 1890s who built a career across Broadway, European venues, and international touring productions. She was frequently described as a protégée of Emmy Destinn and was often billed as a member of the Imperial Russian Ballet, though her work spanned variety programs and comic opera as readily as classical dance.

Novotna made her Broadway appearances in 1911, performing in both La Belle Paree and Bow-Sing. That same year she also danced in Ein Walzertraum at the Irving Place Theatre, and in 1912 she appeared in the revue From Broadway to Paris. In 1913 she toured Australia and New Zealand as part of a company presenting Les Sylphides alongside Adeline Genée and Halina Schmolz, with the troupe traveling under the Imperial Russian Ballet billing. She returned to Australia in 1914 and 1915, joining the J. C. Williamson Comic Opera Company in productions of Gipsy Love, Princess Caprice, The Count of Luxembourg, and High Jinks. During that Australian period she also performed at a benefit for the Thespians War Fund.

Later in 1915, back in New York, Novotna presented a dance program built around her interpretations of Australian and Polynesian native dances, which drew attention for its exotic and minimal costuming. A Honolulu newspaper took issue with her rendering of the hula, observing that while she described the piece as Hawaiian, audiences familiar with the islands would find little recognizable in it beyond elements of the costume. In 1916 she danced at a New York benefit for the Montenegrin Relief Association of America, developed a seven-part program titled The Dance of the War Bride, and performed at the Metropolitan Opera House.