BALLET HISTORY

What is Ballet? Ballet is a way of telling a story using music and dance instead of words. It consists of patterns of movement which have developed over centuries. Dancers who perform ballet are highly trained. Ballet is found all around the world, for instance in Europe, USA, China, Japan and South America.

Romantic Ballet Early ballets such as Giselle and La Sylphide were created during the Romantic movement of the first half of the 19 century. This ballets involved the supernatural world of spirits and magic. It often showed women as passive and fragile.

Classical Ballet Ballet created later part of the 19th century, such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. Their main aim was the display the techniques of ballet to its fullest. These ballets have complicated sequences of movements to show off demanding steps, leaps and turns to fit the story.

Modern Ballet Ballets that are created in this century. They do not always have a definite story but they have a theme. These ballets concentrate more on emotions and atmospheres and attempt to arouse the feelings of the audiences. They use the parallel positions of the feet instead of turn out. Examples of Modern Ballets – Firebird (Michel Fokine), Jewels and Stars and Strips (George Balanchine).

How Ballet Began? The roots of ballet go back more than 100 years. It began in the courts of Italian noblemen who sang, danced and recited poems. It soon spread to the French courts. King Louis XIV of France, founded the first ballet school called the Royal Academy of Dancing (1661). A ballet master of the academy, Pierre Beauchamps, established the five feet positions of the feet which are still the basis of all ballet steps.

How Ballet Began? Continues…. When ballets were first performed, men played the female roles, disguising themselves with wigs and masks. Women, finally, were allowed to dance publicly in 1681. Unfortunately, they had to wear bulky clothes that hampered movement. Then the possibility of fast foot work emerged when Marie Camargo daringly shorten the dress above the ankles. In result, the Tutu appeared across all stages.

Ballet Vocabulary Ballet Shoes – Soft Slippers made of flexible leather with thin flexible soles. Leotard – A jersey body suit usually worn with tights. Pointe shoes – Soft fabric (usually satin) slippers blocked across the toes with a hard pad to give support when the dancer rises on pointe. Tutu – The traditional ballet skirt usually made with many layers of gathered tulle. The length of the tut varies according to the period or style of the ballet being performed. Barre- A long wooden/metal pole attached to walls or on legs in a dance studio. Traditional where ballet warm-up is done. Center – Exercises done freely in the center of the room. Tights – Jersey stockings fitted closly on legs and lower torso.

Answer the Following 1.Describe the difference between the Romantic and Classical ballet style. 2.Who was King Louis XIV and what major contributions did he have in the dance world? 3.Explain who was Pierre Beauchamp and what were his contributions to the dance world? 4.Describe two elements that make up a Modern Ballet. 5.What language are the ballet spoken in? 6.Who was the prima ballerina that shortened the length of the skirt and why? 7.In a ballet class, where is the warm up done? 8.Classical Ballet is performed all over the world, research and find three American Ballet Companies. 9.In what year were women allowed to perform publicly? 10.What is Ballet?