Ballet! It's the kind of dance that looks easy- where dancers twirl on their toes and do incredible jumps! Learn more about it!
History of Ballet
Early professional ballet was influenced hugely by Louis XIV (also known as the Sun King), who established the Academie Royale de Danse in the late 1600s, which was a professional acadamy for dancers. As dance developed, ballet was offered to the public, not just to monarchs.
In 1738, the Russian rulers founded the St. Petersburg school, which is now one of the most famous dance schools. It is also the world's second oldest acadamy of ballet. Around that same time too, England started becoming more interested in ballet.
Another very important time in dance was the Romantic Age. It was started with the coreography of Giselle. It was also the time when females learned to dance en pointe- or on the tips of their toes. However, unlike today, the shoes they danced in gave them very little support. In short, the Romantic Era of dance was the product mostly of very talented dancers such as Carlotta Grisi, Maria Taglioni, Lucile Grahn, and Fanny Cerrito.
In the modern period, Anna Pavlova was the star. Born in 1881, she was the picture of grace and beauty. People like British Margot Foteyn and Russian Rudolf Nureyev also were stars of the modern era.
Now, ballet has aquired more of a modern twist as modern and jazz become even bigger. However, many companies, like American Ballet Theater and the Joffrey Ballet still perform classical ballets like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.
Dancing is a lot of fun! It's a lot of work though too. Here is a little bit about a traditional ballet class.
Nutrition is very imortant for dancers. A light, healthy snack like a granola bar or pretzels, and some bottled water are perfect. Heavy meals before class are not good for dancers. However, not having anything at all reduces the energy you have to do things.
Next we all go to center- dancing without the help of the barre.
And what would dance be without a teacher? It is always important to respect the dance teacher to thank them for teaching you- because of them, you are learning how to dance. Ways to respect your teacher are not slouching on the barre, not talking when they are talking, not being rude, and accepting their corrections gratefully. This is our fabulous ballet teacher.
Ballet class is so much fun!!!!!
Once you are old enough and have strong enough feet, you will be able to go on pointe. That means you will be able to dance in satin ballet shoes that have stiffened glue on their ends so that the dancer can dance on the tips of her toes. When you dance on pointe, it also is important to cushion your toes with pouches of "gel" or fabric. Once your feet are used to wearing pointe shoes and have built calluses, you only will need something like a paper towel.
Everyone has different feet, so there are many different kinds of pointe shoes for different kind of feet.
When you put on or take off pointe shoes, you should always do it carefully so that you tie them so that they fit your feet perfectly or carefully undo the drawstring and ribbons so that they don't snap or get into tangled knots.
Pointe is hard, but it is really fun!
When you dance, you want to wear clothing that looks nice and doesn't limit your movement. It also allows the teacher to see if you are turning out, using your muscles, etc.
Here are some of the traditional things to wear.
A ballet skirt
A leotard
Ballet shoes - usually made of canvas or leather
Dancers can also wear tights and biker shorts
Dancers should always try to keep their hair out of their faces usually in a bun.
Performances are a lot of fun, but there a lot of work too! Let's see how performances work!
First, you have to learn the dances. This means you have to have a lot of rehearsals- where you learn and practice the dances. In rehearsals, you don't wear costumes.