Ballet Dance History

The applauding audience, the lights, sequins and feathers, the colorful, elaborate tutus, and satin pointe shoes capture the hearts of young girls. Where else can a young girl dream of becoming a princess, a swan, a dancing snowflake or flower, or a sugarplum fairy? Where else can she be a fairy tale character like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty? Where else can she be rescued by her handsome prince and collapse into his arms? Ballet is the magical world where these dreams can come true. Young girls and women can be all of these things, symbolizing femininity in a culture that teaches young girls to be and want everything pink and pretty.

The history of ballet dates back to the 18th century starting with Baroque dance. Fabritio Caroso da Sermoneta was a famous Italian Renaissance dancing master. He was born around 1526-1535 and died around 1605-1620. His dance manual "Ballarino" was published in 1581, with a subsequent edition, significantly different, Nobiltà de dame, printed in 1600 and again after his death in 1630. In the 19th century there was the pre-romantic, romantic and the classical ballets. Anthony Tudor deserves an honorable mention for his choreography and teaching. Pre-romantic ballet occurred sometime circa ?? up to 1831. The romantic period covered the early to mid 1800's. This era also introduced the calf-length dress. A few of the great Romantic dancers were Marie Taglioni, Fanny Elssler and Carlotta Grisi. The tequnique became more developed, but the role

Ballet is a beautiful and romantic type of performance art. It originated in the Italian court systems in the 15th century (Jonas). Since its origination, ballet has undergone many changes and gained worldwide recognition. Filled with elaborate costumes, cheering audiences, lights, weightless movements and beauty; ballet is admired by many. On the magical stage ballerinas can become whoever they wan to be, and perform in a world of fantasy. For these reasons, children, especially little girls, all over the world dream of becoming ballerinas when they grow up. However, becoming a professional ballerina is an extremely difficult accomplishment, in which few will achieve (Kelso 1). The world of ballet may seem to be filled with glitz and

When one hears the word ballerina, most picture a pretty, delicate dancer in a music box. The word is associated with grace and beauty. A ballet company would be considered a utopia for many little girls. They imagine being center stage with a tiara and a big tutu on. The public would not consider the world of professional ballet to be as corrupt as it is. There is trickery, politics, discrimination, and even self-sabotage in the seemingly harmless world. The tinkling music box world suddenly becomes a startlingly bleak place.

Dance demands the same physical skills that are required in other sports. Flexibility, strength, and endurance are key characteristics that most dancers need to posses. As with other “athletes,” most dancers are not born with these abilities but must establish them through practice and repetitive training. Similar to traditional sports practices, dance rehearsals are extensive and require diligence, dedication, and patience from the dancers as they will have to repeat exercises and stretches to perfect their technique and stay on

Mrs. Farrell’s book is quite technical when it comes to the lengthy descriptions of the dances she rehearses and performs; from a dancer’s view these varied conclusions of the types of movements she was dancing is quite astonishing. In fact, it adds a whole new level to the imagination that can come alive in a person’s thoughts when they read an expressive book. Although the technical explanations will excited, astound, and reveal how much passion and deep meaning ballet had in Suzanne Farrell’s life, but a reader, who may not be involved in the arts will be unfamiliar with the ballet and musical terms in

Dance is one of the most beautiful, expressive forms of art known to mankind. It expresses joy, love, sorrow, anger, and the list truly goes on for all the possible emotions that it can convey. Dance not only can express how one feels, but it can tell a story or even be used to praise a higher power. Dance has intricately played an important role to every culture over the course of time. Two forms of dance that have not only stood against the test of time but have influenced the development of other various styles of dance is none other than Classical Ballet and Modern Dance.

Influential philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, stated that “the human body is the best picture of the human soul.” A great example of the human body portraying the soul is through the art of ballet. From the Cambridge Dictionary Online, ballet can be defined as “a type of dancing in which controlled movements of the body are designed to express the beauty of physical motion, often while telling a story, or a piece of music for such dancing.” With ballet’s long history, it has shifted through various eras of time, including Ballet de Cour, Opera Ballet, Romanticism, Classical, Russian Imperialism, and the current modern era. All of which are characterized by particular ballets, prominent people, and various other theatrical elements. However, as the art of ballet evolved through the different eras, the emotions, messages, and nonverbal cues of each ballet changed to fit the societal norms and standards.

I learned technique in the lower levels, strengthening my body and preparing for advanced work. I found release and joy in my classes, working until I built up a sweat, and stretching each night as my muscles began to ache. Ballet was intense, a workout to become stronger, yet it was also a freeing expression of myself. I learned to leap across the floor with such grace that seemed to contrast the effort behind each move.

For a dance major, one must be trained in classical ballet, or specialize in a particular style. They also must rehearse on a daily basis and remain in “tip-top” shape, in regards to their physical health. Jobs in this field lead

In my childhood, I used to dream about wearing an exquisite pink tutu that shone with glitter, a jeweled tiara, and, most importantly, beautiful satin shoes that seemed to always remain flawless. As a child, my perception of ballet was limited, but now that I have experienced a dancer’s life, I realized that this is what I am meant to do. I have sacrificed my normal teenage life to dedicate myself to this profession, and I cannot imagine any of those sacrifices going to waste. One thing I want to accomplish in the future is becoming a professional ballet dancer because I love the pure, captivating art of dance, dancing makes me feel complete, and I truly love performing. I have always had a special connection with music whether it be musicality, or the way I am consumed and mesmerized by it.

Ballet originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. Barre is French for bar, and a “barre” has been used in ballet training as a support to help with balance while practicing traditional ballet technique.

Every step you take of ballet you have to constantly be thinking about your posture being correct, if your foot is beveled so you don’t break your ankle, if both of your feet are turned outwards from the body, if you are doing the many steps of ballet correctly, and if your foot is pointed and sharp. In fact, it takes years and years of practice

The art of ballet, originating and initially flourishing within Europe’s borders, experienced vast reforms between the mid-17th and early 20th centuries. Born in France’s royal court, ballet pursued its most defining escalation upon Louis XIV’s founding of the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661, wherein professional dancers received training to perform for the king and his court. Upon ballet’s increased state of professionalism and movement to locations apart from the court ballroom, women were incorporated into the formerly male-dominated art, leading ballet to be deemed a woman’s profession by the nineteenth century. With the coming of the 20th century, a focus regarding the view of the human body combined with a desire for modernization

Is one example of Theatrical or Spectacular Dance. It refers to a series of solo and concerted dances in which poses and steps are combined with light flowing figures accompanied by music and scenic accessories expressive of a dramatic story theme or atmosphere. Ballet serves as backbone for many other style of dance since many other dance genres were based on ballet. Ballet dancers wear tights and leotards during class or rehearsals while TUTOS or ballet skirts are reserved for performances. Learning the poses and steps of ballet most of them have French names. It’s because, King Louis XIV of France started the first ballet school namely The Royal Academy of Dance in 1661.