History of Ballet
Before researching ballet history for
this website I knew very little about it. However the more I researched the more interested I became. Dance seems
to have always been around and served many different purposes. Whether in performance, celebration or in
war dance was a part of history. I feel that there is just too much information about dance history to put on
my site. In fact I feel every page is a summary of each era. I encourage you to do your own research on the
subject. There are so many more interesting facts and people that I had to leave out.
Early
dance can be traced back to India, Egypt and Greece. When we look at ballet, it seems the Greeks can be
credited for the theatrics of dance. Greece was also very influential as far as the arts go in the western culture.
Even after it was conquered by the Romans their cultured was still passed on.
Some scholars believe that the history
of ballet in particular had its beginnings in
Italy with the Italian Royalty. It was then brought to France and became more popular with the
lavish parties for King Louis the
XIV. Ballet today came about from these parties and we owe much to kings and queens of the 1400 and 1500
hundreds for keeping it alive and constantly evolving. People such as Catherine de Medici of Italy and King Louis
the XIV of France were huge influences in their times. From dance in parties that the court took part in came
dances that were completely performed by professionals.
In the 1700s ballet was becoming more defined, written down and taught. Ballet also became
less about spectacle and more about dance expression and technical skill. The 1800s brought the Romantic
Ballet where women started to become more prominent and toe dancing began. Towards the end of the
period ballets such as Swan Lake and Sleeping
Beauty were being created.
Moving into Modern
Times The Ballet Russes began and more expressiveness and technique were being demanded from dancers. Reputable
companies were not only in Europe and Russia but were
popping up all over the United States as well.
Ballet today is still
growing and changing. Companies are constantly raising the bar and perfecting and preserving old works
as well as developing new ones. The skills of the dancers are incredible as you watch them perform endless
leaps and brilliant turns!
If you would like to do more reading on the subject of
dance history I encourage you to read the books that helped me with my research. Here are a few:
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Ballet 101: A Complete Guide to
Learning and Loving the Ballet
Robert Greskovic
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Amazon.com Review
Robert Greskovic's enthusiasm for ballet is infectious. The combination of ideal bodies moving
into wondrous shapes, beautiful music, and often fantastic sets and costumes makes it, in his
opinion, a near perfect art form. Still, many art lovers who regularly visit museums and
galleries and think nothing of an evening at the opera or theater practically panic at the
thought of sitting through a ballet. Ballet 101 should ease those people's fears.
Greskovic starts off with a lively but solid history of ballet, then covers the training of a
dancer. These two elements alone offer an excellent foundation for understanding what's going
on on-stage. The book also includes clear information about the logistics of a
performance--from the conductor's arrival in the orchestra pit to the final curtain call, no
pique, glissade, or arabesque is left unexplained. After covering these basics, Greskovic
examines 14 ballets in great detail--most are classics like Les Sylphides, but a number
of modern treasures like Balanchine's Apollo are also covered. For readers yearning to
take in more dance than their local ballet company offers in a season, the book includes an
extensive videography as well as excellent suggestions for further reading. The tone of
Ballet 101 is serious without being dry and informative without being condescending--a
great find for anyone anxious to learn more about this often under-appreciated art form.
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Ballet and Modern Dance: A Concise
History
Jack Anderson
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Product Description
Now expanded and updated, this second edition of the original bestseller is an engaging
interpretation of dance history—from the Ancient Greeks and European royal courts to
the rise of the “American“ ballet and the explosion of modern dance. Short profiles, an
extensive bibliography, a helpful index, and selections from primary sources
are also included.
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Ballet in Western Culture: A
History of Its Origins and Evolution
Carol Lee
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Product Description
Ballet in Western Culture is a history of the development of ballet designed for dance history
courses. After a brief discussion of the origins of dance through the middle ages, the author
then traces the beginnings of ballet to Renaissance spectacle in Italy and the beginnings of
ballet in France. In the second part of the book, the maturation of ballet as a style is
studied, from the 1600s through the 1800s, in France, Russia, and other major European
countries. Finally, the last part of the book focuses on the changes in ballet through the 20th
century, including major movements in the U.S. and Europe. Nicely illustrated with historic
prints and photos, the book is easy to read and ideally suited to the dance history student,
addressing both historical issues and the evolution of ballet technique.
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Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet
Jennifer Homans
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Product Description
For more than four hundred
years, the art of ballet has stood at the center of Western civilization. Its traditions serve as a
record of our past. A ballerina dancing "The Sleeping Beauty" today is a link in a long chain of
dancers stretching back to sixteenth-century Italy and France: Her graceful movements recall a lost
world of courts, kings, and aristocracy, but her steps and gestures are also marked by the dramatic
changes in dance and culture that followed. Ballet has been shaped by the Renaissance and
Classicism, the Enlightenment and Romanticism, Bolshevism, Modernism, and the Cold War. "Apollo's
Angels" is a groundbreaking work--the first cultural history of ballet ever written, lavishly
illustrated and beautifully told.
Ballet is unique: It has no written texts or standardized notation. It is a storytelling art passed
on from teacher to student. The steps are never just the steps--they are a living, breathing
document of a culture and a tradition. And while ballet's language is shared by dancers everywhere,
its artists have developed distinct national styles. French, Italian, Danish, Russian, English, and
American traditions each have their own expression, often formed in response to political and
societal upheavals.
From ballet's origins in the Renaissance and the codification of its basic steps and positions
under France's Louis XIV (himself an avid dancer), the art form wound its way through the courts of
Europe, from Paris and Milan to Vienna and St. Petersburg. It was in Russia that dance developed
into the form most familiar to American audiences: "The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, " and "The
Nutcracker "originated at the Imperial court. In the twentieth century, emigre dancers taught their
art to a generation in the United States and in Western Europe, setting off a new and radical
transformation of dance.
Jennifer Homans is a historian and critic who was also a professional dancer: She brings to
"Apollo's Angels" a knowledge of dance born of dedicated practice. She traces the evolution of
technique, choreography, and performance in clean, clear prose, drawing readers into the
intricacies of the art with vivid descriptions of dances and the artists who made them. Her
admiration and love for the ballet shines through on every page. "Apollo's Angels" is an
authoritative work, written with a grace and elegance befitting its subject.
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Here is each period in more
detail:
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Upon a Ballet Home Page
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