1. Ballet

2. What is Ballet
an artistic dance form performed to music using precise and highly formalized set steps and gestures.
Ballet Can:
tell a story or
express a thought or emotion.
magical, exciting, provoking or disturbing.

3. History of Ballet
Italian Courts in the Renasissance, 15th & 16TH Century
Noblemen and women were treated to lavish events (weddings)
Early ballet was participatory
Attire was fashion from the time period
Formal Gowns that covered legs and ankles
In the 16th century, Catherine de Medici,
an Italian noblewoman/interest in Arts
wife of King Henry II of France
began to fund ballet in the French court
Her elaborate festivals = growth of ballet de cour, a program that included dance, decor, costume, song, music and poetry

4. History of Ballet
17th Century ballet developed as performance-focused art under King Louis XIV
French Ballet Terminology
Pierre Beauchamp,
codified the 5 positions of feet and arms,
Kings personal dance teacher
director of the Dance company
Jean-baptiste Lully, violinist, dancer, Choreographer, and composer…….would cast the king
1661, Louis XIV founded Academie Royale de Danse, First Ballet Company

5. History of Ballet Popularity throughout Europe
Professional Ballet Troupes toured Europe
18th Century advanced in technical standards and it became a serious art form on par with opera
Express character & assist in the narrative
Jean-Georges Noverre
Wanted masks removed and costumes to show off dancers figures, bring life to the images
Composition was reformed
Venice was center of dance in Europe
Italian Ballet Techniques remained dominant until Russia techniques supplanted them in early 20th Century

6. Marie Taglioni: 1831 In Zephire et Flore
19th Century
Ballerina most popular dancer in Europe
Ballet hero's often played by a woman
Shift in social change, new techniques such as pointe work that gave the ballerina prominence on the stage
Ballet Boxed toe shoe invented to support pointe work
Genevieve Gosselin, Marie Taglioni, and Fanny Elssler…….pointework
Marie Taglioni: 1831 In Zephire et Flore

7. Early 19th Century Romantic Movement
Classical Ballet during this movement which influenced the art, music, and ballet were known as Romantic Ballets
Supernatural world of spirits and magic
Shows women as fragile and passive
choreographers composed romantic ballets that appeared light, airy and free
Pointe work, became the norm for the ballerina.
The romantic tutu, a calf-length, full skirt made of tulle, was introduced.
Early classical ballets such as Giselle and La Sylphide Created during the romantic movement

8. Later 19th Century Russia & Ballet
Recognized tradition of ballet
The female dancers' classical tutu as it is recognized today began
It consisted of a much shorter, stiff skirt supported by layers of crinoline or tulle
revealed legwork and difficulty in her movements
Russian choreographers and composers took it to new heights.
Marius Petipa’s The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, by Petipa and Lev Ivanov, represent classical ballet in its grandest form.
The main purpose was to display classical technique
(pointe work, high extensions, precision of movement and turn-out)
Complicated sequences that show off demanding steps, leaps and turns were choreographed into the story.

9. 20th Century Ballet Ballet Russes brought Ballet back to Paris
George Balanchine,
a Russian who emigrated to America, would change ballet
neo-classical ballet, a form that expands the classical form.
greatest innovator of the contemporary “plotless” ballet.
Today Ballet is:
multi-faceted
Classical forms
traditional stories and
contemporary choreographic innovations
Ballet Russes brought Ballet back to Paris
Russian choreographers experimented with movement and costume, moving beyond the confines of classical ballet form and story.
the ballet The Rite of Spring, a work so different (dissonant music, its story of human sacrifice and its unfamiliar movements) it used the audience to riot.

10. Types of Ballet Story ballets tell a story.
they contain narrative action, characters, and a beginning and end.
Examples:
The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty are famous story ballets from the 19th century

11. Types of Ballet Plotless ballets no storyline
PBT company dancers perform in Twyla Tharp’s plotless ballet,
In the Upper Room, 2010
Plotless ballets
no storyline
utilize the movement of the body and theatrical elements to interpret music, create an image or to express or provoke emotion.
Choreographer George Balanchine was a prolific creator of plotless ballets.

12. Styles of Ballet Classical Ballets Coppélia, The Sleeping Beauty,
The Nutcracker
Swan Lake.
Classical ballet
Oldest and most formal/traditional style
originated in Renaissance Italy and established its present form during the 19th century
Focuses aesthetics and technique
Pointe work, turn-out of the legs, and high extensions
Graceful and flowing movements
Balance & symmetry
Emphasis on story ballets
Elaborate sets and costumes

13. Types of Ballet Neoclassical Ballet introduced in the 20th century
Uses ballet terminology but less rigid than classical ballet
increased speed, energy and attack
manipulation of the classical form
asymmetry; an off-balance feel
non-narrative; often one-act ballets
paired down aesthetic—simple sets and costumes
Neoclassical Ballets
Apollo
Serenade
Cinderella
Carmen
Romeo and Juliet
Choreographers:
George Balanchine
Frederick Ashton

14. Types of Ballet Contemporary Ballet
influenced first by classical ballet then by modern dance
you may see:
floor work
turn-IN of the legs
greater range of movement and body line
pointe shoes, barefoot, socks, or anything else the choreographer wants
Breaks the rules of classical and neoclassical ballet
(no strict body line)
Mikhail Baryshnikov ( worked with modern dance choreographers)
Renowned contemporary ballet choreographers include Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor and Dwight Rhoden. In contemporary ballet