Ballet Dance Research Paper

After watching the video lectures and reading through the PowerPoint presentations I found that they really helped me have a better understanding of the ballet dance and how it originated. As we learned the very early beginnings of ballet originated in Rome. However, the very first ballet that we know of today happened during the crusades in 1581 and it was called Ballet Comique De La Reine. The main purpose of the dance was to flatter the French and nearby people and to remind people that the medics of Florence, Italy still controlled Europe and the papacy. One interesting fact though was that this ballet was performed entirely by men, because it was thought that women should keep their proper place. Many years passed before women were allowed to take part in ballet. However, roles slowly began to change when in Circa 1661 three daring women went unnoticed with the masks and danced in a performance. By the end of the 17th century the masks began to come off and women began showing their talent without masquerading. After women started ballet dancing the next big breakthrough …show more content…
In romantic ballets the main purpose of the dance is to search for the unattainable and it very often deals with supernatural themes such as a woman who dies and comes back to life to live with the man of her dreams. Pointe shoes drastically revolutionized romantic ballet dancing, because of the expressive potential that they provided and they made the ballerina seem ethereal. A video demonstration of romantic ballet was Giselle act 2. I found this ballet to be very smooth and the dancers seem to glide on the stage giving the impression of ghosts gliding in the night. The lighting of the stage is very dark and the white dresses that the dancers are wearing really make them stand out. The shoes are also very important in this dance, because makes the dancers seem like they are floating in the