Ballet History

A Short History of Ballet Ballet is an elegant form of dance with many intricacies. The dancers gracefully float around on stage, intertwining emotion and movement in a way that draws the audience in. The unfortunate thing is that many people do not know the history behind the art form. Ballet has an extensive history that includes an evolving culture, the creation of ballet companies, and the choreographing of world class ballets. The culture of ballet has changed drastically over time. It wasn’t always the theatrical art it is today. In an interview with NPR, Jennifer Homans explains, “Ballet's origins. . .grew out of the Renaissance court cultures of Italy and France. Dancers would perform at the royal courts — and then invite the audience

The company originally started out as the Académie royale de Danse, founded in 1661 by Louis XIV “with the purpose of training dancers and formalising choreographic art” (History). This set up a base for people to come in and train to be a professional dancer. Additionally, the founding of the Académie royale de Musique brought together musicians and dancers alike to promote the Opera, and provided a way for the company to build repertoire until it became independent in the 19th century (History). This is when the company really took off and began to look like the modern day company. The Paris Opera Ballet has become a world renowned company, putting on many amazing shows with excellent dancers. One of these famous ballets that they put on is Swan

The ballet score was written by Pytor Tchaikovsky after being persuaded by Vladimir Begichev, the director of the Moscow Imperial Theater, who wanted to “utilise the skills of Russia’s greatest composer”. Begichev created the storyline for the ballet based on German and Russian folklore, and then enlisted the help of choreographer Julius Reisinger to create the movement for his piece (Swan Lake First Performed). Although these three men are now considered geniuses for their work in ballet, they struggled to get “Swan Lake” off the ground. According to an article on the History Channel’s website, “Audiences at the Bolshoi Theatre were left unimpressed by the choreography and the set design, and Tchaikovsky’s score, considered heavy and oppressive, was described by one critic as “Wagnerian.” The role of Odette was given to Pelageya Karpakova, who was not the Bolshoi’s prima ballerina, and her performance evidently left the audience unmoved” (Swan Lake First Performed). This was a large hindrance to the ballet and its creators, but with some minor changes, the ballet became an accepted part of many companies’ repertoire. It is one of the most celebrated ballets around the