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The history of ballet essay
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The history of ballet essay
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From Giselle to The Nutcracker, ballet is a romantic language, told not through the mouth, but the body. It features a rich, history, notable performances, and specific techniques.
Ballet originated in the courts of Italy in the Renaissance period. Rich nobility, royal families, and other well-to-do citizens were generally the only ones who would put on these early ballets. Ballets started out as entertainment for banquets. However, dancing was not the only feature at these luxurious receptions. In fact, dancing was not only entertaining. Both dancers and spectators thought it was interesting and “a profoundly intellectual experience.” (Ballet-Core of Culture.) It also included painting and poetry as well. These banquets were put on in big ballrooms.
In 1489, a banquet came one step closer to the ballet that is used today. The dance was a story. The story of the dance was related to the story. For example, when the dancers performed Jason and the Argonauts, roast lamb was served. However, this was still not ballet known today. This form of dance was just becoming more similar to today’s ballet.
In 1581, the first dance with a score debuted. This was danced by Queen’s Ballet Company. This dance was brought out just like classical ballet, but it didn’t have the same techniques as classical ballet.
Some early ballet companies were Academie Royale de Danse and the Paris Opera. Of course, there were many more notable companies. The Academie Royale de Danse, an organization for professional premier danseurs, was established in 1661. The term “danseur” refers to a male dancer, because women were generally not professional dancers. In the Paris Opera, singing and dancing were combined equally. A series of songs followed by a dance routi...
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...ora is born. She gets cursed. She pricks her finger on the spinning wheel and falls asleep. The prince finds her, wakes her up with a true love’s kiss, and they all live happily ever after.
Ballet is a beautiful dance filled with romance, language, and exercise, among other things. It has a wonderful history, touching performances, and gorgeous techniques.
Works Cited
"A Brief History Of Ballet." Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
"Ballet - Core Of Culture." Core Of Culture. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.
Clarke, Mary, and Crisp, Clement. Understanding Ballet. New York: Harmony, 1976. Print.
"Dancing Online, History of Ballet." Dancing Online, History of Ballet. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Heenan, Andrew. "The Story of the Ballet." The Story of Giselle. Andrew Heenan. Web. 03 Apr.
2014.
Rinaldi, Robin. Ballet. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2004. Print. World Of Dance.
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When one thinks of a ballet they hear soft rhythmic notes and see elegantly dancing ballerinas softly tip-toeing around the stage. This is also what people in early 1900’s expected to see when they planned to attend a ballet. However, a couple of motivated artists in 1913 literally planned to change the design of ballet, music and dance forever. On May 29, 1913 a ballet named The Rite of Spring premiered in Paris, France. The original title as it translates from Russian to French is; Le Sacre du Printemps, meaning the rite of spring, but the literal translation from Russian to English means “Sacred Spring”. The ballet and music were composed by Igor Stravinsky, with the help of Nicholas Roerich, who proposed the general idea behind the ballet to Stravinsky. Roerich wanted to put into motion the ideas behind pagan pre-Christian rituals in Russia. Together the two created the story line behind the ballet; a sacred pagan ritual where a young female dances herself to death and is then offered to the “Gods” of spring to make them happy. The music was composed by Vaslav Nijinsky and the ballet was produced by Sergei Diaghilev for the Russian Ballet. This ballet was so different from what the spectators expected to see that it caused a riot. The Rite of Spring turned the tables of ballet in every sense: the dance, the music and the general idea of ballet was modernized by the group of artists who created and produced it.
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