Anne Lister is not a ghost from lesbian history; her decoded diaries paint a palpably formidable figure known as the first documented modern lesbian. Her presence in the past is in tension with the societal expectations of 19th-century women–she was able to see past double-standards to forge a path she could be excited about.
Anne was a Yorkshire landowner, businesswoman, lover, niece and lesbian. She was–unkindly, at times–referred to as “Gentleman Jack” for her masculine appearance, style and personality. She notionally married Ann Walker in the Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York, which is now celebrated as the birthplace of lesbian marriage in Britain.
Anne Lister’s life, written in her own words, has become a well of inspiration for creatives everywhere, whether it be a hit TV show that ended too soon, or an up-and-coming ballet production in Leeds, England, scheduled for March 2026.
I spoke to the performance’s choreographer, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, about how she navigated expressing Anne Lister’s uniquely masculine energy in ballet, which is typically known to accentuate femininity in women… unless she is a villain.
“As soon as Gentleman Jack begins, audiences meet a woman that most will have never seen on a ballet stage: her feet are rooted into the ground, her movements are so strong and direct that she can move men around—and eventually even push them offstage,” Annabelle Lopez Ochoa says.
“And as the ballet unfolds across two acts, telling the story of Anne Lister as a businesswoman, a niece, and a lover, we see a woman in situations most ballets don’t touch: a woman unafraid to disrupt men’s usual business, a woman experiencing pleasure and sorrow with her female lovers, and a woman whose family loves her even as she defies almost every convention of her time.”
Gentleman Jack is a co-production of Northern Ballet and Finnish National Opera and Ballet. You can book your tickets here.
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