The History of Ballet
The first experience of watching a ballet, for me or any little girl, can be fascinating and exhilarating. Wondering how a dancer can be so steady on her toes as she spins in circles and leaps through the air. Watching a ballet, there is a feeling of wanting to be graceful, as well as the warm sensation felt by a little girl as she slips into dream land. My mom had taken me to my first ballet when I was 11 years old. When we returned home home, she signed me up for classes at the local dance center. The expectations to become a prima ballerina would involve much hard work and concentration. I knew when I started it would take years of steady practice and commitment. Learning the history of ballet and the famous dancers made me intrigued. I wanted to be like them. So I had set the goal, then I set the pace. To my misfortune I was unable to reach my goal. Gymnastics was another activity I enjoyed. I was unaware of the damage I was doing to my body until I found myself in a hospital bed being told by the doctors, no more dancing. I could no longer practice ballet, I could only watch. I have no regrets. Watching a ballet is just as much fun.
At my first dance lesson I was so excited and scared at the same time. We practiced as a group going in circles doing pirouette and ballon. A pirouette is done on demi-pointe by the male, on pointe by the female dancer and ballons are the spring of a dancer in leaping and jumping movements. Adagios, are slow and sustained movements; also, the section of pas de deux in which the ballerina, partnered by the dancer, displays her mastery of lyrical movement. The steps seam hard at first, but with practice they are actually fun to perform. A rond de jambe is perhaps the move that holds the most enjoyment for the smallest ballerinas to perform. To be really good at ballet is to understand the history and enjoy classical music. My first dance studio, the instructor taught the history of ballet as well as the meaning behind all the moves and steps.
My all time favorite ballet to watch is the Nutcracker, music wrote by non other than Tchaikovsky. In the 19th century, the ballet was regarded as the lowest kind of music. Famous composers did not write scores especially for ballets. A new phase in the development of the musical and choreographic culture of Russia and the world was started by Peter Tchaikovsky'...
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... that everyone had a chance to be the best, that is why he always taught us the history of ballet.
I don not remember everything I am taught, but when it comes to the ballet and the classics like Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Notre Dame de Paris, I enjoy watching every minute of the performance. Truly To enjoy the ballet or even an opera, there has to be an enjoyment of classical music. The two go hand in hand. I can close my eyes, listen to the music, and see myself dancing. It's a feeling of floating above and watching the performance as if I am the best dancer. To understand and appreciate the ballet, there has to be some sense of the history behind it all. To have a perfect ballet there needs to be; a good choreographer, a story line, the perfect music that flows with the story line and last of all the dancer who can interpret the theme. There is so much more than can be learned by reading the history of the ballet and the dancers who make it all come alive, even in a dream. Ballet can give a sense of peace, even if it's for only a few hours.
special note:
This essay is based on what I learned as a little girl, from my dance teacher, growing up.
Ballet has been an art form since the late fifteenth century, but society did not truly see the impact of ballet until the nineteenth century. Modern day thinkers possess the idea that ballet began with tutus and pointe shoes, but it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that this opinion was observed. Ballet has come a long way. It has survived the turmoil of many wars and has changed itself by accepting new ideas and impressing the audience with its unique stylistic views.
Ballet is an athletic art form that utilizes muscle control, flexibility, and physical strength. It requires extreme discipline from the dancers and takes an extreme amount of mental concentration. This discipline causes dancers to have success throughout life and specifically in academic studies. There are many ways that dance can affect the success of a person’s life; however, there are two in specific that make dancers generally more successful. To begin, ballet causes dancers to be self-motivated workers; dancers cannot rely on others to push them to be better, but must have the drive within themselves.
Ballet is one of the oldest types of dancing. Originating in France, ballet was entertainment for the king, and has now further developed into the ballet we know today. A key component of ballet is the shoe. Pointe shoes are made to make it appear as if the dancers are floating across the stage. By the time a dancer is professional she is en pointe, meaning she is using pointe shoes. Only a few dancers out of the many that enter the competitive world of ballet, rise to fame. Those that do normally do not become famous until they reach soloist or principal status in their respective companies. Principal and soloist dancers almost always dance the leads in ballets, such as The Firebird and The Nutcracker. The Firebird and The Nutcracker are
For the dancer, music and choreography are paramount. The music guides the dancer, and the moves express the music. However, the dance has to start from somewhere.
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. However, in the shadow of the spotlight lurks an abusive world of eating disorders and malnourished dancers.
Ballet is a sport where you express yourself using dance. You can dance on flat or on your tippy toes on pointe shoes. Ballet is one of many different types of dance, such as Lyrical, Jazz, Modern, Tap, and Hip Hop. Ballet can be danced to show feeling, emotion, and just for pure amusement! You can start as young as you’d like to be a dancer. In ballet, there are 5 main positions. There is first, second, third, fourth, and fifth position. First position is where you put your heels together in parallel which is when you stand in a straight line with your knees together, and open your feet to turn out. Second position is where you start in first, and then you open your legs, still turned out. Third is where you cross your legs and the leg in
Ballet, a form of dance has been around for many years and did not start in America. Ballet has made its mark around the globe and many have and still are enjoying the art and entertainment that the ballet brings. Ballet is known as being the “core” of the other forms of dance as in modern, contemporary and even hip hop. People enjoy the form of dance on an everyday basis at family functions, parties and even just being home alone and many do not know that the dances they particularly like all originated from ballet. The history of ballet has been put into nine well defined sections the Renaissance Period, the Baroque Period, the Classical Period, the Pre-Romantic Period, Romantic Era, the Russian Classics, the Ballet Ruses, Ballet in Europe
in order to succeed. Ballet should be recognized as a sport due to the fitness, dedication, and
Pyotr Illyick Tchaikovsky, a Russian composer of the Romantic Era, is considered one of the greatest composers of all time and was an interesting person. He was born in Russia in 1840 and was considered a national treasure during his lifetime. Tchaikovsky is considered the first full-time professional Russian composer and was famous worldwide. His music is very popular today. He wrote the scores for three of the most famous ballets of all time: Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty. The Nutcracker is performed every Christmas in cities all over the world. Tchaikovsky published 74 pieces of music while alive and six pieces were published after his death. He was a very sensitive person who had depression, but as a result his music was strong and emotional and people reacted to it.
Not only did Tchaikovsky create exceptional pieces of music but, he also created famous ballets such as the Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, and
By the 18th century, ballet companies had been established in many countries across Europe, but it was in Paris during the Romantic period that classical ballet found its celebrated form of ethereal
Many young girls grow up taking ballet class, but there is a lot more to ballet than just little girls running around in tutus. Many people think that ballet is boring or isn’t their thing but there are many roles that go into putting on a ballet. A lot of work goes into doing a ballet. There are many famous ballets that without the story, the ballet wouldn’t be as interesting. There were many influential dancers and choreographers in ballet. There are many basic steps that frame the technique of ballet. Ballet is very physically and mentally demanding. Ballet is an art that many people misunderstand, but there is so much more to ballet.
Primarily, all variations of Ballet help dancers to stay fit. Ballet is a very effective form of exercise because it utilizes many different aspects of fitness.
Tchaikovsky is one of the most popular of all composers. The reasons are several and understandable. His music is extremely tuneful, opulently and colourfully scored, and filled with emotional passion. Undoubtedly the emotional temperature of the music reflected the composer's nature. He was afflicted by both repressed homosexuality and by the tendency to extreme fluctuations between ecstasy and depression. Tchaikovsky was neurotic and deeply sensitive, and his life was often painful, but through the agony shone a genius that created some of the most beautiful of all romantic melodies. With his rich gifts for melody and special flair for writing memorable dance tunes, with his ready response to the atmosphere of a theatrical situation and his masterly orchestration, Tchaikovsky was ideally equipped as a ballet composer. His delightful fairy-tale ballets, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker are performed more than any other ballets. Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky's first ballet, was commissioned by the Imperial Theatres in Moscow in 1875. He used some music from a little domestic ballet of the same title, composed for his sister Alexandra's children in 1871.
Ballet is one of the most popular types of dance. It is known for its grace and elegance. Ballet is a very disciplined style of dance and may take many years to develop the proper technique. Ballet is the foundation for many other types of dance.