American Ballet Theatre

soloist with the professional American Ballet Theatre company, once said that ballet is “one of few arts that has maintained its history…and stayed true to what it is”. Ballet is a form of dance and art that dates back to the 15th century. Though it has been modified and tweaked throughout the years, the overall technique has stayed. Ballet has had many influences since it first began. Each time period brought new and improved dancers with brighter and bolder influences to the art. One very famous ballerina, whose fame is still carried through the ballet world today, greatly influenced ballet. At 18 years old, Marie Taglioni was the first dancer to perform on pointe, creating the technique of pointe, and changing the art of…

I’m not built for ballet. My frame is well suited for soccer and other sports that involve strong legs. But I love ballet. At young age, I excelled at swimming and was even offered a spot on the local team but it wasn’t for me. I joined soccer but the schedule was grueling. I still wanted ballet. One day my mom was walking by the store Fat Albert and turned into the wrong door. That wrong turn changed my life. My mom had accidentally walked into the dance studio that became my second home…

Choreography Mathew Bourne depicts a classic ballet type of dancing that was merely represented among the male type of dances in Britain. The theoretical dance moves represent an artistic technique of dancing elements that includes costume, music and stage scenery (Johnson, 2006). However, the moves are an expression of a typically female type of dancing but performed by completely male dancers. The idea of using totally male dancers represent a certain symbol of masculinity and the gay culture.…

age of ten and a half or older, have at least two years of ballet training, and consistent in attending ballet classes for at least four and half hours a week. This is the stage when dancers use a special shoe to be able to stand on their toes. Even though watching a ballerina dance on their toes may look divine, this is very painful for them. Some of the most common injuries caused by going on pointe are blisters, ingrowned and dead toenails, or even broken ankles. Nevertheless, even if the…

Ballet has a rich history of origin that begins in France with King Henry II, in the 16th century. The kings wife, Catherine de Medici of Italy brought dance to the French courts. The first ever ballet performed was the Ballet Comique de la Reine. Ballet came about because of the rencaissaance. This time period was huge for arts, including ballet. in 17th and 18th century,but became prominent with its first school of dance being established by Louis XIV on June 28, 1669 ( Met). The idea of…

The Legacy of George Balanchine Many dancers would thoroughly enjoy the opportunity of learning and experiencing the work of George Balanchine. He was an important contributor to the dance community. He also had a chance to work with well-known choreographers and producers. He created some of the most recognized ballets seen today. George Balanchine became an inspiration to the modern ballet culture by being an influential dancer, a world renowned choreographer, and a contributor to the ballet…

Question 1: Christopher Bruce - Ghost Dances Christopher Bruce, being an avid dancer for the majority of his life, also emerged as a choreographer and an artistic director. When Christopher Bruce was a young boy, his legs were damaged by polio. His father encouraged him to dance at the Benson Stage Academy, where he learnt various dance styles, including ballet, tap and acrobatic dance. At the age of 18 years old, Bruce was accepted into the Rambert School Academy of dance where he…

Balanchine is recognized worldwide for his virtuosic, neoclassical ballets. Balanchine has been claimed as the father of American ballet, due to his prominent contributions to the twentieth century ballet culture. From the almost hundred ballets he created throughout his career, I believe “Jewels”, which premiered in 1967 at the New York City Ballet, New York State Theatre, to be one of his most stunning works. Jewels is a full evening length performance, consisting of three acts. Each act,…

California (later to relocate to New York). She was the youngest out of four children. Her father Joseph Duncan married her mother, a woman named Dora Gray, who was thirty years younger than him in 1869. Joseph was then a part of a banking scandal, leaving the family shortly after Isadora was born, and he was arrested a year later. This caused Dora and himself to divorce. Dora ended up supporting the family in this time by taking on a job as a piano instructor. This heavily influenced Isadora's…

Misty Danielle Copeland was born on September 10, 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri. Even though she was born in Kansas City, she was raised in San Pedro, California. Misty was very late in starting ballet studies, but it didn’t stop her. Usually, ballerinas start studying when they are three or four, but Misty was thirteen when she took her first ballet class. When she unlocked the magical world of ballet, Misty was coping with the fact she was living in a shabby motel room with her five siblings…