Ballet

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This article is about the dance form. For other uses, see Ballet (disambiguation).

Classical bell tutus in The Dance Class by Degas, 1874

Ballet is a type of performance dance that originated in the Italian
Renaissancecourts of the 15th century and later developed into a concert
dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread, highly
technical form of dance with its own vocabulary based on French terminology. It
has been globally influential and has defined the foundational techniques used in
many other dance genres. Ballet requires years of training to learn and master,
and much practice to retain proficiency. It has been taught in ballet schools
around the world, which have historically used their own cultures to evolve the
art.
Ballet may also refer to a ballet dance work, which consists of
the choreographyand music for a ballet production. A well-known example of this
is The Nutcracker, a two-act ballet that was originally choreographed by Marius
Petipa and Lev Ivanovwith a music score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Ballet dance
works are choreographed and performed by trained artists. Many classical ballet
works are performed with classical music accompaniment and are theatrical and
use elaborate costumes and staging, though there are exceptions to this, such as
works byGeorge Balanchine.
Contents
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1 Etymology

2 History

3 Styles

3.1 Classical ballet

3.2 Neoclassical ballet

3.3 Contemporary ballet

4 See also

5 References

6 Further reading

7 External links

Etymology[edit]
The word ballet comes from the French and was borrowed into English around
1630. The French word in turn has its origin in Italian balletto,
a diminutive of ballo (dance) which comes from Latin ballo, ballare, meaning "to
dance",[1][2] which in turn comes from the Greek "" (ballizo), "to dance, to
jump about".[2][3]
History[edit]
Main articles: History of ballet and Timeline of ballet

Anna Pavlova in Giselle, wearing a Romantic tutu

The history of ballet began in the Italian Renaissance courts of the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries[citation needed]. It quickly spread to the French court of Catherine
de' Medici where it was further developed. The creation of classical ballet as it is
known today occurred underLouis XIV, who in his youth was an avid dancer and
performed in ballets by Pierre Beauchamp and Jean-Baptiste Lully. In 1661 Louis
founded the Acadmie Royale de Danse(Royal Dance Academy) which was
charged with establishing standards for the art of dance and the certification of
dance instructors. In 1672, following his retirement from the stage, Louis XIV
made Lully the director of the Acadmie Royale de Musique (Paris Opera) in
which the first professional ballet company, the Paris Opera Ballet, arose.[4] This
origin is reflected in the predominance of French in the vocabulary of ballet. Early
ballets preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were performed in
large chambers with the audience seated on tiers or galleries on three sides of
the dance floor.

Despite the great reforms of Jean-Georges Noverre in the eighteenth century,

ballet went into decline in France after 1830, though it was continued
in Denmark, Italy, and Russia. It was reintroduced to western Europe on the eve
of the First World War by a Russian company, the Ballets Russes of Sergei
Diaghilev, who ultimately influenced ballet around the world. Diaghilev's
company became a destination for many of the Russian-trained dancers fleeing
the famine and unrest that followed the Bolshevik revolution. These dancers
brought back to their place of origin many of the choreographic and stylistic
innovations that had been flourishing under the czars.
In the 20th century, ballet had a strong influence on broader concert dance. For
example, in the United States, choreographer George Balanchine developed
what is now known as neoclassical ballet. Subsequent developments
includecontemporary ballet and post-structural ballet, seen in the work
of William Forsythe in Germany. Also in the twentieth century, ballet took a turn
dividing it[clarification needed] from classical ballet to the introduction of modern dance,
leading to modernist movements[clarification needed] in both the United States and
Germany.[5]
Styles[edit]
Stylistic variations have emerged and evolved since the Italian Renaissance.
Early, classical variations are primarily associated with geographic origin.
Examples of this are Russian ballet, French ballet, and Italian ballet. Later
variations, such as contemporary ballet and neoclassical ballet, incorporate both
classical ballet and non-traditional technique and movement. Perhaps the most
widely known and performed ballet style is late Romantic ballet (or Ballet blanc),
a classical style that focuses on female dancers and features pointe work,
flowing and precise movements, and often presents the female dancers in
traditional, short white tutus.
Classical ballet[edit]
Main article: Classical ballet

Scene from act 4 of Swan Lake,Vienna State Opera, 2004

Harlequin and Columbinafrom the mime theater at Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen,

Denmark
Classical ballet is based on traditional ballet technique and vocabulary. There are
different styles of classical ballet that are related to their areas of origin, such
asFrench ballet, Italian ballet and Russian ballet. Several of the classical ballet
styles are associated with specific training methods, which are typically named
after their creators. For example, the Cecchetti method is named after its
creator, Italian dancer Enrico Cecchetti.
Neoclassical ballet[edit]
Main article: Neoclassical ballet
Neoclassical ballet is a style that conforms to classical ballet technique and
vocabulary, but deviates from classical ballet through such differences as
unusually fast dance tempos and its addition of non-traditional technical feats.
Spacing in neoclassical ballet is usually more modern or complex[clarify] than in
classical ballet. Although organization[further explanation needed] in neoclassical ballet is
more varied, the emphasis on technique is a defining characteristic of
neoclassical ballet.
Tim Scholl, author of From Petipa to Balanchine, considers George
Balanchine's Apollo in 1928 to be the first neoclassical ballet. Apollo represented
a return to form in response toSergei Diaghilev's abstract ballets.[clarification
needed]
Balanchine worked with modern dance choreographer Martha Graham,
expanding his exposure to modern techniques and ideas, and he brought modern
dancers into his company (New York City Ballet) such as Paul Taylor, who in 1959
performed in Balanchine's Episodes. During this time period[when?],Glen
Tetley began to experimentally combine ballet and modern techniques.
Contemporary ballet[edit]
Main article: Contemporary ballet

A contemporary ballet leap performed with modern, non-classical form

Contemporary ballet is a form of dance that combines elements of both classical
ballet and modern dance. It employs the fundamental technique and body
control (using abdominal strength) principles of classical ballet but permits a
greater range of movement than classical ballet and may not adhere to the strict
body lines orturnout that permeate classical ballet technique. Many of its
concepts come from the ideas and innovations of 20th century modern dance,
including floor work and turn-in of the legs. This ballet style is often performed
barefoot. Contemporary ballets may include mime and acting, and are usually
set to music (typicallyorchestral but occasionally vocal).
George Balanchine, the founding director of the New York City Ballet, is
considered to have been a pioneer of contemporary ballet because of his
pioneering development of neoclassical ballet. Another early contemporary ballet
choreographer, Twyla Tharp, choreographed Push Comes To Shove for
the American Ballet Theatre in 1976, and in 1986 created In The Upper Room for
her own company. Both of these pieces were considered innovative for their
melding of distinctly modern movements with the use of pointe shoes and
classically trained dancers. Tharp choreographed Deuce Coupe for the Joffrey
Ballet company in 1973, using pop music and a blend of modern and ballet
techniques. The Joffrey Ballet continued to perform contemporary pieces, many
choreographed by co-founder Gerald Arpino.
Today there are many contemporary ballet companies and choreographers.
These include Alonzo King and his companyLINES Ballet; Matthew Bourne and his
company New Adventures; Complexions Contemporary Ballet; Nacho Duato and
hisCompaia Nacional de Danza; William Forsythe and The Forsythe Company;
and Ji Kylin of the Nederlands Dans Theater. Traditionally "classical"
companies, such as the Kirov Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet, also regularly
perform contemporary works.