The Evolution of Ballet Chapter 5 from Learning About Dance textbook by Nora Ambrosio This PowerPoint will take you through approximately 700 years of history of the beautiful dance style BALLET!

Ballet’s Beginnings Domenico da Piacenza (1400-1470) from Italy, wrote a book called De Arte Saltandi ed Choreas Ducendi (On the Art of Dancing and Conducting Dances). In it he used the word “ballo” for dance instead of the common word danza. He also choreographed and wrote out many of the earliest known ballets, known as “balleti.” He is credited with naming ballet. 1400s – Italy - Domenico da Piacenza – dancer, choreographer, author – GAVE BALLET ITS NAME

Catherine de’Medici, an Italian aristocrat, married the French prince, Henry II. When she moved to France, she brought with her dancing masters and her love of dance. She put on huge dancing spectacles for the French Court. This is the first record of early ballet being performed in the French Court. The dancers did not wear costumes. They wore their court clothes: Long dresses that covered the ankle and high heels for women. Tights, Balloon shorts, shirts, vests, cloaks, and high heels for men. Their steps were not like traditional ballet steps that we see today. They were made up of court dance steps. 1500s – Italy to France - Catherine de Medici – brought dance masters with her to France, put on big choreographed dances

The Beginning of Ballet King Louis XIV (King of France) used dance as a form of power and control. He expected the nobility to know how to dance extremely well. If they could not perform up to his standard, they would lose their rank in the kingdom. King Louis created a vocabulary for dance so that he could ensure that it was taught consistently through out his kingdom. This became the first vocabulary of BALLET. He established the Royale Academie of Danse. This was the first school of dance/ballet. It later became the Paris Opera. 1600s to 1700s – France – King Louis XIV – created first dance vocab, created first dance school

Court Dance (Early Ballet) Clips The Majesty of Renaissance Dance Pierre Beauchamp – recreated solo The Sun King - Man in the Iron Mask clip Men were the stars of dance at this time (mostly because of the King’s power!)

The Ever Changing Style of Ballet In the late 1700’s/early 1800’s ballet separated from the Opera and became it’s own art form. Women became the focus of ballets instead of the men. Themes of ballets shifted away from the aristocracy. The world was changing and monarchies were being over thrown in favor of democracies. Pointe shoes (satin slippers with a leather sole) and pointe work was developed. Carlo Blasis codified the basic ballet technique that we still use today. Ballets began to tell stories. Late 1700s-early1800s – Women become the stars – early pointe shoes and steps “en pointe” developed – more vocab – added stories to ballets

Romantic Ballet People wanted to escape the stresses of their daily lives. Music, poetry, dance, and art transported their audiences into worlds of fantasy. Most Romantic-era ballets had a “light act” that took place is the real world (villages, cities, farms, etc.) and a “dark act” that took place in a fantasy world (haunted woods, places with fairies, enchanted kingdoms, etc.) Pointe-work was invented because of that! The ballerina would play ghosts, fairies, etc. and seemed to float on air while on her toes. Tutus and costumes were now being used. The tutus were long, stopping just above the ankle. One of the most famous Romantic ballets is Giselle. Ballet also began to spread from France to all of Europe. Russia’s ballet program took off, and was the ballet capital of the world by the end of the 1800s! Early-Mid 1800s – France, Italy, and Russia - ROMANTIC ERA OF BALLET – pointe shoes and steps further developed- long tutus introduced – ballets had LIGHT act (real world) and DARK act (fantasy world)

Romantic Ballet Clips Giselle (Act I) (The Mad Scene) Giselle (Act II) (The Wilis Enter) Giselle is most famous ballet from the Romantic Era

The Russian Powerhouse France’s artistocracy had fallen and ballet began to decline there. Russia, Italy, and Denmark stepped up thanks to their dancing masters: Marius Petipa, Enrico Cecchetti, and August Bournonville. Bournonville and Cecchetti created teaching methods that are still studied and used today. Marius Petipa choreographed many of the most famous Classical ballets – Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, etc. He collaborated with the composer Tchaikovsky to create the ballets. The most famous ballet dancers and choreographers of this era were Russian born and trained. Ballet spreads to other countries – Russia, Denmark, and Italy (Russia most important during this time period) – choreographers in each made their own styles of ballet – Marius Petipa, choreographer is most important Classical ballet figure

Classical Ballet Classical ballet includes: A Ranking system for dancers: Corps de ballet (Body of the Ballet) – large group of dancers that dance together in unison Soloists – dancers that are given larger roles with solo dance parts. Principal Dancers – dancers that are given the lead roles; the most accomplished and talented dancers. Mid-late 1800s – CLASSICAL ERA OF BALLET – Introduced the dancer ranking system-

Classical Ballet Classical ballet includes: All females are on pointe. The tutus are short. Usually tells a fairy tale (not to be confused with fantasy worlds of Romantic ballet!) Uses pantomime to help tell the story. Pas de deux – a combination of dances that share a common theme, often symbolic of a love. It is most often performed by a male and a female (a danseur and a ballerina) Entrée (Entrance) - the dancers first appear on the stage and acknowledge each other and position themselves near each other in preparation for the next section Adagio (slowly)- features graceful partnering. The danseur may support the ballerina in a variety of common ways, including lifting her, holding and steadying her during turns, and offering a steady arm or hand for her to use. Variations – each takes center stage and performs a variation (a solo dance), usually the man first and then the ballerina. In general, the variations are intended to showcase spectacular, acrobatic leaps and turns, as well as the skills and athleticism of the individual dancers. Coda (The tail) – the ending segment, a grand finale with a big finish. (Continued) – Shorter tutus to show off advanced pointe steps – Stories were fairy tales – Introduction of the Pas de Deux sequence

Classical Ballet Clips Snowflakes - Nutcracker Little Swans - Swan Lake Don Quixote – Pas de Deux Sleeping Beauty – mini-documentary Some of the most famous ballets of ALL TIME come from the Classical Era

Neo-Classical Ballet As with all art forms, the 20th Century was one of rebelling against the rules. Choreographers were tired of being constrained by the rules of Classical Ballet. Choreographers began to play with movement outside of the traditional ballet vocabulary. They were tired of only creating ballets about fairy tales. Many began to use other stories for their ballet plots. George Balanchine used the works of Shakespeare. One of his most famous Neo-classical ballets is Romeo and Juliet. Others used folk tales. Vaslav Nijinsky created Rite of Spring based upon a Native tradition of human sacrifice. Sergei Diaghilev worked with the composer Stravinsky to create Firebird and Petrushka based upon Russian folklore. Early 1900s – NEO-CLASSICAL BALLET ERA – Neo means New- Tired of constraints of Classical era, choreographers branched out more in storylines and type of movements/sequences

Neo-Classical Ballet Clips Romeo and Juliet Firebird Petrouchka The Dying Swan – Anna Pavlova (original dancer – most famous ballerina of this era) The Dying Swan – Nina Ananiashvili (modern-day ballerina) The Rite of Spring Riot at the Rite – movie clip Notice how DIFFERENT some of the ballets can look from other stuff we’ve seen (mainly…Rite of Spring!!)

Contemporary Ballet The rebellion continued against the strict rules of Classical Ballet and now even against Neo-Classical Ballet. The choreographers ditched the idea of having a plot. The movement became more horizontal and included more twisting and curving. It even included floor work. Russia’s monarchy fell and the Communist party took over. Ballet continued to flourish, but many choreographers and dancers defected and came to the U.S.A. While ballet dancers would tour the US, we didn’t have many classes or any ballet companies here yet. George Balanchine cofounded the New York City Ballet and continued to create Neo-Classical and Contemporary ballets. American Ballet Theater and The Joffrey Ballet were also established in NYC. NYC and Moscow, Russia became headquarters for ballet in the 20th Century. Mid-1900s to Present – CONTEMPORARY BALLET – Rebellion against the strict rules of ballet continues – some ballets have no storylines – movements can include horizontal/twisting/curving shapes and floor work – American Ballet began with NYCB, ABT, and JB – George Balanchine creates a distinct American ballet style

Contemporary Ballet Clips Serenade – mini-documentary Agon – Diana Adams & Arthur Mitchell, NYCB Jewels – mini-documentary Push Comes to Shove –Mikhail Baryshnikov (most famous ballet dancer of the current era) Dance Theatre of Harlem and Sesame Street Everywhere We Go More DIFFERENT things to see!

Similarities and Differences Between Classical and Contemporary Ballet Both use a vocabulary of movement that employs the French language Classical ballet always has a storyline; most contemporary ballets focus on the movement Both utilize dancers who are highly trained in their technique and performance abilities Classical ballet appears very symmetrical, with both sides of the stage equally “balanced” by having the same number of dancers on each side executing the same movements. Contemporary ballet does not focus on symmetry, and having a stage that is “unbalanced” is a characteristic of the style Both emphasize a strong relationship to music There is always a pas de deux in a classical ballet; there may or may not be one in contemporary ballet Classical ballet choreography may incorporate pantomime and literal gestures; contemporary ballet never does Female dancers always wear pointe shoes in a classical ballet; they may or may not wear them in contemporary ballet For the most part, dancers in a classical ballet keep their spines erect; dancers in a contemporary ballet curve, twist and bend their upper bodies.