Ballet is a demanding art. Ballet dancers are trained to move their bodies in unnatural ways and if they are good, they make it look natural. Sometimes it seems as if they are defying gravity with their leaps and they manage to keep a perfect balance as they spin around and around without becoming horribly dizzy and falling down.
The history of ballet goes back about 600 years to the Renaissance in Europe. Originally dancers would entertain audiences in the pauses between opera scenes. In 1581, the Ballet Comique de la Reine was performed in France and is usually considered to be the first ballet. With this beginning of ballet, France became the capital and center of the ballet world. In 1661, King Louis XIV of France founded the Royal Academy of Dancing to train dancers to perform for his court. Soon other companies were founded in other countries; the Russian Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg was founded in 1738. The Italians also became well known for their style of ballet. In the early 1800s, more women began performing in ballets. Dancing en pointe, or on their toes, also began around this time. France was still the capital of the ballet world, but soon dancers graduating from ballet school spread out to other countries, most notably Russia, which soon became large player on the world stage of ballet.
In the beginning, most ballets revolved around classic mythology, usually Greek mythology. Through the years, ballet has evolved and some told stories of their own, some interpreted stories from writers such as Shakespeare and others were just about the beauty of the music and the dancing itself. Early dancers in the 18th century were burdened by corsets, masks, wigs, heeled shoes and hoopskirts. Soon however, dancers began changing their style of dress to something more recognizable as a style worn today. They discarded their heeled shoes, hoopskirts and corsets to allow their bodies to move more freely and to also allow the audience to see the expressive movements as they told the story. Masks and wigs were eventually dropped as well as the dancers became more expressive in their movements.
There have been many dancers and choreographers over the years that have left their indelible mark on the dancing world. Ballet is a demanding profession and many times, when the dancers become older or their bodies begin to rebel on them, they become choreographers who understand intimately the needs of their dancers. Some of the world's most famous choreographers began as dancers.
Ballet has evolved through the years and has changed as the needs and wants of the choreographers and audience have changed. You can still see the roots of the dancing itself when watching a ballet, but those who watched what was considered the first ballet in 1581 probably would not recognize what it has evolved into today. Some of the moves practiced today would be recognizable to those audiences and the spirit and love of ballet still exists much as it did then.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Ballet
