Can You Appreciate the Art of Ballet

Ballet is an art and it is different from other dance forms. You may take ballet lessons or you probably have seen ballet on television or in the movies. Whatever your association with ballet, it is a graceful and beautiful kind of dancing .The letter “t” on the word “ballet” is silent, so we pronounce it as “ballay.”

Ballet is a specific dance form and technique. Works of dance choreographed using this technique are called ballets, and may include dance, music, acting and mime.

Ballet was first performed in Italy in the early 1600’s. The first ballet school was opened in France in 1661. It is one form of dance that developed in the courts of Renaissance Italy. It was brought to France at the time of Catherine de Medici and became a great favorite with King Louis XIV who cast himself in the leading roles of elaborately costumed court spectaculars. Only men were allowed to dance. Slowly things changed and Women first danced the ballet in 1681.

Throughout the beginning years, until 1789, the performers not only danced, but also sang songs and recited poems. The dance steps taught so long ago in France are still used today. Most steps still have their original French names.

Beauchamps, a French ballet teacher created the basic five ballet positions in the 1600’s. These arm and leg positions helped the dancers to balance while still looking graceful. Most ballet steps and combinations begin with one of the basic positions.

Ballet has since spread to all the corners of the world reaching new heights of perfection in Russia and now worldwide. You can view professional ballet companies on every continent. New York has been called the Dance Capital of the World.

The ballet dancers you see on movies, television or at the ballet are usually professionals. The lady dancers, or “ballerinas,” dance on their toes. This is called dancing “en pointe.” A dancer is usually at least 12 years old before she begins to dance en pointe. She then wears “toe shoes,” Lambs wool is put into the toes of the shoes to cushion the ballerina’s toes. Sometimes a foam pad is also worn on the toes. These shoes are stiff-toed slippers with ribbons that tie around the feet and ankles.

Long ago ballet dancers used to wear ankle-length dresses. But now things have changed and dancers dress more elegantly. For performances, the ballerinas wear “tutus,” which are short, full skirts, often made of netting or satin material. Sometimes, they wear a slightly longer skirt, which flows gracefully as the ballerinas dance.
Ballerinas traditionally wear their hair in a bun, pinned high on the head. All ballet dancers wear “tights” on their legs. They are like stockings and cover the entire leg.

Male dancers, simply called “ballet dancers,” always dance in soft-soled shoes. They do not dance en pointe. The men must be in good shape to be able to lift the ballerinas into the air.

Jeffrey Meier of Jam727 Enterprises at http://www.Jam727.com offers Information articles. For more detailed articles about Ballet please visit http://www.jam727.com/ballet.htm

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