The great warrior King Louis XIV brought to life the French tradition of court ballet. His love for dance performances was one of the ways a person was able to win him over. King Louis XIV built the palace of Versailles so he had a place to hold ballets. If he invited you to this lavish palace, you were required to dance and dance well. If you were not exceptional at dancing you didn't matter to him. King Louis XIV was given the nickname "The Sun King" from his role as Apollo in Ballet de la Nuit. It wasn't until he retired from dancing that his most important contribution was made. This is when he established a training facility to professionalize ballet, called Academie Royale de la Danse. King Louis XIV thought of ballet as more than…
Why do blondes wear their hair up? To catch everything that goes over their head. A typical blonde joke is an example of a stereotype that all blondes are dumb. Webster defines a stereotype as “an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic.” The stereotype of “dumb blonde” dates back to the 18th century from a French ballet dancer named Rosalie Duth. Today she would be compare as a blonde Kim Kardashian. For centuries,…
The word “Ballet” itself is French in origin, ballet is a classical dance form with flowing patterns to create expression through movement. It’s a form of art just like how artists express themselves through paintings, ballet dancers show passion through dancing. Over the years ballet has changed in every way. In the early 1400’s an Italian man named Domenico described theatrical dances called Balletto. Luxurious pageants of music and dance would be done, women and men both would attend these…
When you think of ballet the many things that comes to mind is tutus and pointe shoes. Although many people don't know the true history and origin of ballet it's safe to say that ballet has become a style dance that is well know around the world from all walks of life. Ballet is an art form which is evolving and changing with the years to come. Ballet began in the 15th century Italian Renaissance courts. The term “Ballet” comes from the italian word ‘ballare” which translates to “to dance”.…
a strong connection to ballet. When I was in elementary school my mom put me in ballet classes because she saw my connection to ballet. I loved ballet and I enjoyed learning the movements. Unfortunately, as I grew older I suffered from severe stage fright, so I stopped dancing. Although I did not stop admiring ballet, I decorated my room in a ballerina theme, I went and watched many performances as well. From my admiration of ballet, I have learned a lot about the history, types of ballets,…
Blog #1- The Budding Creation of Ballet 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.…
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…
culture views surrounding the body and movement. Court Dance is related to politics; it is used to reinforce the power of a ruling people. Ballet Ballet is a direct descendant of European court dance traditions. It was borrowed from the Italians and developed by the French. It provides a living bridge between court dances of history and court dances of the present. Classical ballet is the oldest and most formal of ballet styles. It represents mostly French, Russian, and Italian techniques.…
French painter and sculptor Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, more commonly known as Edgar Degas (1834-1917) is considered to be one of the main founders of Impressionism and is widely known for his paintings of females and the overall life of Parisians. Degas is especially associated with the subject of dance, actually Degas has produced approximately 1,500 works on the subject (Schenkel 2004). The ballerinas Degas created remain as some of the most famous works of 19th-century art. Degas' talent…
formal dresses which can look comical. Both males and females dance wearing certain dresses. For example: Females had to wear hoop skirts at those times because it helpesd them to do a lot of jumping and skipping. Court Dance had easy steps like spinning around, moving around with their partners. Gradually, the steps became more sophisticated. Its most spectacular bought in together the elements of dance, music, love, juggling and recitation. Often Court Dances during the Renaissance period was…