Ballet

Ballet is a type of performance dance. It began in Italy during the Renaissance in the fifteenth century. Later, it grew into a concert dance form in France and Russia. Today, ballet is a widespread and highly technical style of dance with its own vocabulary, and it has influenced people all over the world.

Ballet has also helped shape the basic techniques used in many other kinds of dance and in many cultures. Schools around the world have added their own cultural traditions, so ballet has changed in different ways in different places.

A ballet, as a complete work, includes the choreography and the music for a ballet production. Trained ballet dancers choreograph and perform these works.

Traditional classical ballets are usually performed with classical music. They often have elaborate costumes and staging. Modern ballets, by contrast, are often performed in simple costumes and without elaborate sets or scenery.

Etymology

The word ballet comes from French. It started from the Italian word balletto, which is a diminutive, or smaller form, of ballo (dance). Ballo comes from Latin ballo and ballare, meaning "to dance." These Latin words come from the Greek word "βαλλίζω" (ballizo), meaning "to dance, to jump about." The word came into English from French around 1630.

In French, the word can refer to a ballet performance, a ballet work, and possibly the dance style itself. The phrase danse classique also means the dance style. It is clearer and is more often used when talking about learning this dance.

History

Main articles: History of ballet and Timeline of ballet

Ballet began in the Italian Renaissance courts of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Under the influence of Catherine de' Medici, who was Queen, it spread to France and developed further there. The dancers in these early court ballets were mostly noble amateurs. Their costumes were decorated to impress viewers, but they limited how freely performers could move. Later, the proscenium arch, introduced in 1618, separated performers from the audience. King Louis XIV founded the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661 to set standards and certify dance teachers. In 1672, he made Jean-Baptiste Lully director of the Paris Opera, where the first professional ballet company, the Paris Opera Ballet, began. Pierre Beauchamp worked as Lully's ballet-master, and together they are credited with creating the five main positions of the feet.

Ballet declined in France after 1830 but kept developing in Denmark, Italy, and Russia. The arrival of the Ballets Russes, led by Sergei Diaghilev, just before the First World War renewed interest in ballet and started the modern era. In the twentieth century, ballet influenced many other dance styles, and it also gave rise to modern dance, which led to new movements in several countries. Famous dancers of the twentieth century include Mikhail Baryshnikov, Erik Bruhn, Maria Tall Chief, Jeanne Devereaux, Suzanne Farrell, Margot Fonteyn, Rosella Hightower, Gelsey Kirkland, Natalia Makarova, Arthur Mitchell, Rudolf Nureyev, Anna Pavlova, Maya Plisetskaya, and Galina Ulanova.

Styles

Ballet styles have changed over time. Early classical styles are mostly linked to where they began, such as Russian ballet, French ballet, and Italian ballet. Later styles, such as contemporary ballet and neoclassical ballet, mix classical ballet with non-traditional technique and movement. Perhaps the most widely known style is late Romantic ballet (or Ballet blanc).

Classical ballet

Main article: Classical ballet

Classical ballet is based on traditional technique and vocabulary. Styles from different countries include French ballet, Italian ballet, English ballet, and Russian ballet. The Royal Academy of Dance method was created by a group of dancers who combined Italian, French, Danish and Russian methods into a style that is recognized internationally as the English style of ballet. Some well-known classical productions are Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker.

Romantic ballet

Main article: Romantic ballet

Romantic ballet was an artistic movement within classical ballet, and several productions are still performed today. This era, from the early to mid-nineteenth century (the Romantic era), saw the rise of pointe work and female dancers, along with long, flowing tutus. Its stories often focused on intense emotion as a source of aesthetic experience and on spirit women who enchanted mortal men. The 1827 ballet La Sylphide is widely considered the first, and the 1870 ballet Coppélia the last. Famous dancers of this era include Marie Taglioni, Fanny Elssler, and Jules Perrot, who also choreographed Giselle, often considered the most celebrated romantic ballet.

Neoclassical ballet

Main article: Neoclassical ballet

Neoclassical ballet is usually abstract, with no clear plot, costumes or scenery. Its music is often also neoclassical, such as works by Stravinsky and Roussel. George Balanchine's Apollo (1928) is considered the first neoclassical ballet, a return to form after Sergei Diaghilev's abstract ballets. Balanchine worked with Martha Graham and brought modern dancers such as Paul Taylor into his company. Others also made important contributions, including Frederick Ashton with Symphonic Variations (1946), set to César Franck's score. Modern Ballet also grew out of neoclassicism, with innovators such as Glen Tetley, Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino. Their work favored greater athleticism and daring physicality, departing from the delicacy of ballet.

Contemporary ballet

Main article: Contemporary ballet

Contemporary ballet is often performed barefoot and may include mime and acting, usually set to music. It is close to contemporary dance, but the main difference is that ballet technique is essential. George Balanchine is considered a pioneer of this style. Twyla Tharp choreographed works for the American Ballet Theatre and her own company, blending modern movements with pointe shoes and classically trained dancers. Today, companies and choreographers include Alonzo King and LINES Ballet, Matthew Bourne and New Adventures, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Nacho Duato and his Compañia Nacional de Danza, William Forsythe and The Forsythe Company, and Jiří Kylián of the Nederlands Dans Theater. Classical companies such as the Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet also perform contemporary works. Dancers today are expected to perform neoclassical, modern and contemporary work, and some modern styles, such as Hiplet, combine classical ballet with contemporary dance.

Technical methods of ballet instruction

There are six widely used methods for teaching or studying ballet that are recognized around the world. These are the French School, the Vaganova Method, the Cecchetti Method, the Bournonville method, the Royal Academy of Dance method (English style), and the Balanchine method (American style). Many other schools of technique exist in different countries.

Young children are generally not ready for ballet lessons. At first, students learn to stand still and focus on their posture rather than dancing. For this reason, many ballet programs have not accepted students until about age 8. Creative movement and simple pre-ballet classes are suggested for younger children.

French method

The French method is the basis of all ballet training. When Louis XIV created the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661, he helped create the set of steps and rules that dancers still use today, no matter which method they learn. The French school was revived in the 1980s by Rudolf Nureyev, whose influence renewed interest in this style and shaped ballet as a whole. This style is known for precise technique, smooth and graceful movements, and clean lines. Quick footwork is often used to make dancers look like they are drifting lightly across the stage.

Vaganova method

The Vaganova method is a style of ballet training that grew out of Russian ballet and was created by Agrippina Vaganova. After she retired from dancing in 1916, Vaganova began teaching at the Leningrad Choreographic School in 1921. Her training method is now recognized around the world, and her book, The Fundamentals of Classical Dance (1934), is a well-known reference. This method combines the classic French style, especially elements from the Romantic era, with the athleticism of the Italian method and the expressive feeling of Russian ballet. It emphasizes building strength, flexibility, and endurance. Vaganova believed that the arms and legs should be given equal importance, because this brings balance and greater expression to the whole body.

Cecchetti method

Developed by Enrico Cecchetti (1850–1928), this method is known around the world for its strong focus on how the body works in classical ballet. Its goal is to build important skills in students so they do not have to copy their teachers. It stresses balance, jumps, ballon, poise, and strength. This method teaches that all parts of the body move together to create graceful lines, rather than thinking of the arms, legs, neck, and torso as separate parts. It is well known for its eight port de bras.

Bournonville method

The Bournonville method is a Danish method first created by August Bournonville. He was strongly influenced by early French ballet through his training with his father, Antoine Bournonville, and other important French ballet masters. This method has many style differences that set it apart from other ballet methods taught today. A key feature is the use of diagonal épaulements, where the upper body usually turns toward the working foot. The method also uses fairly simple arm movements and turns from a low développé position. It produces dancers with beautiful ballon, which means "the illusion of lightness that seems to defy gravity."

The Royal Academy of Dance method (RAD)

The Royal Academy of Dance method, also called the English style of ballet, was started in 1920 by Genee, Karsavina, Bedells, E Espinosa, and Richardson. Its goal is to promote serious training in classical ballet throughout Great Britain. This style also spread to the United States, where it is still widely used today. Students move through specific grade levels to complete training. The main idea is that basic ballet technique must be taught slowly, with harder steps introduced much more gradually than in other methods. The thinking is that when students work hard to perfect basic steps, they can learn harder ones more easily.

Balanchine method

Developed by George Balanchine at the New York City Ballet. His method draws heavily on his own training as a dancer in Russia. It is known for very fast routines, a focus on lines, and deep pliés. One of its most noticeable features is its unusual body positions. Dancers using this style often have flexed hands and feet and are placed in off-balance positions. Important ballet studios that teach this method include the Miami City Ballet, Ballet Chicago Studio company, and the School of American Ballet in New York.

Costumes

Ballet costumes are very important to the ballet community. They are often the only part of a production that survives, and they give a living picture of the scene. Ballet costumes have been around since the early 1400s, when court clothing in France and Italy was the start of ballet costumes. Cotton and silk mixed with flax were woven into a thin, see-through cloth called gauze to make beautiful costumes. In the 1600s, costumes became more spectacular, with silks, satins, and fabrics decorated with real gold and precious stones. Women's costumes were heavy and had knee-long skirts, which made it hard to move. In the 1700s, the French dancer and ballet-master Jean-Georges Noverre proposed ways to modernize ballet. His book shifted the focus of a show away from costumes and toward the dancers' movements and emotions. European ballet was centered in the Paris Opera, where skirts were raised a few inches off the ground and soft pastel colors, such as pistachio, were popular.

In the early 1800s, costumes were close-fitting and included floral crowns, corsages, and jewels. Ideas from Romanticism were shown through the way women moved. Costumes then became tighter as corsets came into use to show off the curves of a ballerina, and jewels and sparkly decorations became more popular. In the 1900s, ballet costumes moved back toward the style of Russian ballet. Skirts became knee-length tutus, which showed off the precise pointe work of the dancers. Stage costumes also became much more colorful, with designers using bright reds, oranges, and yellows to create visual expression on stage.

Ballet as a career

Professional dancers are generally not paid well and earn less than a typical worker. In 2020, American dancers, including ballet dancers, earned an average of US$19 per hour, and teachers were paid somewhat better than performers.

Getting a job is very hard, because many more people apply than there are jobs. Most ballet jobs involve teaching at private dance schools. Choreographers are paid better than dancers. Musicians and singers earn more per hour than dancers or choreographers, about US$30 per hour, but full-time work is unusual for them.

Health effects

Teenage girls who dance ballet are prone to stress fractures in the first rib. Posterior ankle impingement syndrome (PAIS) most often affects people who do repetitive plantar flexion, such as ballet dancers.

Eating disorders are thought to be common. A 2014 study that looked at many earlier studies suggests that ballet dancers are at higher risk than the general population for several kinds of eating disorders. Some researchers have also noted that intensive ballet training results in lower bone mineral density in the arms.

Criticism

Most ballet dances are created so that only fairly young dancers can perform them. Ballet is often set up so that a choreographer or director, usually a man, uses mostly women's bodies to show his artistic vision. Some people have criticized this as harmful to women.