AnnieH By AnnieH on Oct 6, 2015 Close your eyes and recall a ballet performance you have seen before. Are you left in awe at the beauty and majestic elegance of the dancer’s work? Many other people enjoy both watching and performing this classic style of dance. The art of ballet has been practiced over many centuries, changing slightly every so often, but still retaining its majestic and graceful beauty every time.
Ballet originated in the 15th century. The main purpose of its creation was originally to be taught to court people to entertain only the highest noblemen and women in the Italian Renaissance courts at luxurious celebrations. Ballet became such an enjoyed art that in 100 years later, Catherine …show more content…
As of before, ballet had been performed only by men, but the introduction of opera-ballet brought women into the business. However, a French ballet master called Jean Georges Noverre rebelled against the use of ballet in operas, saying that ballet had the ability to create a performance by itself. He built the theme of ballet- to reveal characters, relationships, and stories through dramatic, expressive movement- called ballet …show more content…
In this period of time, the Romantic Movement affected the art, music and culture in Europe and created the next step in ballet, called romantic ballet. Performances of romantic ballet were often set in a supernatural world with spirits and magic, and they displayed women characters as docile, fragile beings. To further enhance this theme, romantic ballet performers wore romantic tutus, which were full, calf-length skirts made of light, fluttery tulle that were meant to enhance the perspective of lightness and grace in the dancer. In the Romantic Movement, pointe work, the technique of standing on one’s toes with special shoes, was created by Filippo Taglioni to “emphasize his daughter’s [Marie Taglioni] otherworldly lightness and insubstantiality” (ccs.neu.edu). Pointe work grew popular throughout Europe, and soon became the classic “norm” for any ballerina’s practice. Unfortunately, over time, the entertainment use of ballet in Paris began to decline, and poetry & literary arts took its place. Because of this, Denmark soon became the area with the highest ballet use. They introduced romantic ballet to Russia, and Russia slowly began to adapt it into classical