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King Louis XVI Dance Contributions

Louis XIV developed the foundations of classical ballet during his reign as King of

France from the late sixteenth century to the early seventeenth century. When he was not at war,

he was likely to dance or watch his court members dance. The monarch showed his devotion to

the art of dance by setting up a room in the Louvre. Today the dance company is one of the

oldest continuously managed ballet companies in the world.

Louis promoted numerous important dances and balls, intending to maintain to court and

public the idea that he was the central piece, the main star. This behavior was not only about

dance but also to politics, military issues, and power. The monarch meant to place himself into a

place of total respect and reverence, as the God elegance, grace, and sacred empowerment over

the subjects. His behavior in the promoted balls and dances showed the court that he was the

centerpiece of the monarchy providing the rules that must be accomplished.

Determined to control the aristocracy, he built a palace where he accepted aristocrats

from all over the country, as long as they were as versed in dance as they were in the military

arts (Lysgaard 49). The aristocrats who wanted to move higher on the hierarchy of the Court

were also required to evolve on dancing movements and posture. The king developed a

perfectionist dance style and demanded it to be achieved.

The spectacles, productions that combined astonishing visuals with music, dance, and poetry,

involved the Court as both spectators and performers.

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It was not the first time that dance became a codified discipline. However, King Louis

XIV removed the restrictions that prohibited ordinary people and women to learn the dance

rituals of the aristocrats (BBC). Even his enemies and the rebels from the Fronde became part of

the plays. Ballet de la Nuit is one of the examples of the majestic dances Louis and the Court

members attended.

The play was the first ballet de cour in history, aiming to reference mythological figures.

It ends with the rising of Apollo, the Olympian Deity of the Sun, represented by the King

(Lysgaard 5). Jean Baptiste Lully developed the masterpiece, firstly presented in February 1653,

to demonstrate power and pleasure at the Court. Even though it is a long spectacle, there are a

few adapted versions available and worth watching.

The recent plays are based on the original choreographies of Ballet de La Nuit and are

committed to the original compositions. Belonging to Ballet Academies that honor Louis'

contributions, the dancers and directors prepared spectacles aligned with the demanded

perfection. Le Ballet Royal de la Nuit, for instance, performed on 09 November 2017 a modern

version of the Ballet (France Musique). It is possible to see the approach intending to complete

the original version from 1653.

Outstanding performances include the original music, played by the orchestra, sung by

the opera choir. The modern composition drives the viewers to the Salle de Petit Bourbon, with

acrobatics as shown in the ballrooms promoted by Louis XVI. BBC showed a documentary

about Louis XVI and displayed the same spectacle by the Birmingham Royal Ballet, with an

approach more attached to the original version of the choreographies, equally beautiful and

powerful (BBC 59:04-01:33:43).

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The Sun King, as Louis was known for his performance as Apollo, was responsible for

the foundation of e L’Académie Royale de la Danse in 1661. L’Académie was the first institution

that promoted this type of dance and where many of the ballet steps were named and molded

(Lysgaard 48). More importantly, this event created the style as an international dance genre and

later followed the Paris Opera House, which institutionalized the dance that Louis envisioned

(Lysgaard 76). Other new companies were founded, including the Ballet Royal de la Nuit, the

Bolshoi, and the Royal Ballets de Paris (Palmer). The Russian Imperial Ballet of 1738, now

known as the Kirov Ballet, was founded in 1741 as successor to the Academie de Danse in Paris

(Elevate).

A passionate dancer, Louis played many roles, including the Sun King in the mentioned

masterpiece. He loved dance so much he founded the Academie Royale de Danse to restore and

improve the art of dance to its original perfection. The creation of the Royal Academy of Dance

was the main inspiration behind western dance as known today.

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Works Cited

BBC. The King Who Invented Ballet: Louis XIV And The Noble Art Of Dance. 2019,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTJIlFhg85Q&t=1146s. Accessed 7 Feb 2021.

Elevate. "History Of Ballet – How Did Ballet Start?". Elevate Dance Academie, 2020,

https://elevatedance.com.sg/2020/05/07/history-of-ballet-how-did-ballet-start/.

France Musique. Le Ballet Royal De La Nuit (The Ensemble Correspondances / Sébastien

Daucé). 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgoouzWghFg. Accessed 6 Feb 2021.

Frechter, Serena. "THE KING’S MEN: MOLIÈRE AND LULLY’S COMÉDIES-BALLETS

AND THE POLITICS OF PATRONAGE DURING THE REIGN OF LOUIS XIV,

1661-1673". Johns Hopkins University, 2018.

Lysgaard, Sarah Curtis. "Ballet De La Nuit: Staging The Absolute Monarchy Of Louis XIV".

San Jose State University, 2019.

Palmer, Brian. "Why Is Ballet Such A Big Deal In Russia?". Slate Magazine, 2021,

https://slate.com/culture/2013/03/bolshoi-ballet-acid-attack-why-do-russians-take-ballet-

so-seriously.html.