Contents:1. Introduction 2.Main part2.1 The History of Ballet2.2 When did Dance Start?2.3 The Greeks and Romans2.4 The middle Ages2.5 The Renaissance2.6 Louis XIV and the French Influence2.7 1740 to Pre-Romantic2.8 Pre-Romantic Era2.9Romantic Era210 Petipa and the Russian Ballet2.11 Ballet in Britain2.12The Russian Revolution and Nureyev2.13 America3. Conclusion4. Tables and pictures5. BibliographyIntroductionBallet is a form of dancing performed for theatre audiences. Like other dance forms, ballet may tell a story, express a mood, or simply reflect the music. But a ballet dancer's technique (way of performing) and special skills differ greatly from those of other dancers. Ballet danc ...view middle of the document...
For example, works of modern dance, musical comedy, and dance on television programmes may or may not include this technique, but many of them are called ballets. Classical ballet technique originally developed in France during the 1600's. Today, French words are used in all parts of the world for the various steps and positions of classical ballet.Ballets are staged and performed by ballet companies. The artistic director of a company is in charge of staging a ballet. In some companies, he or she is also the choreographer, who arranges a ballet's dance movements and teaches them to the dancers. After a company decides to perform a ballet, the artistic director tries to produce a harmonious work of art by blending all the parts of the ballet. These parts include the dancing, music, scenery, and costumes--all based on the ballet's story or mood. A ballet can be performed without music, scenery, or costumes. But most ballets use all three parts.The choreographer, composer, and scenery and costume designer work together as a team. But the dancing is the most important part of a ballet. The designer must plan scenery and costumes that allow the dancers space and freedom of movement.Different ballet styles have developed in various countries. For example, the style that developed in the United States tends to be energetic and fast. Ballet in Russia is often forceful and showy, and French ballet is generally pretty and decorative. Ballet dancers travel throughout the world and adopt different features of foreign styles. As a result of these international influences, all ballet is continually being broadened and enriched.2.1 The History of BalletIt is customary to look upon the 1581 performance of the Ballet Comique de la Royne at the Palais du Petit Bourbon in Paris as the birth of ballet itself, making ballet the youngest of the major performing arts. However, since we are also interested in where ballet came from, we will look at pre-ballet dance and its development into the discipline of ballet as well as the development of ballet after 1581, including the French influence, then the Russian influence, and finally the beginning of the Twentieth Century and North America. By looking at the development of ballet in in these different areas we hope to unravel some of the mysteries of ballet history and make the short, yet sometimes confusing history of ballet easy to understand.2.2When did Dance Start?The point in time where people started to dance is very hazy, in fact it is more like a cloud than a point. Indeed, there are people who believe that man has danced since before sapiens was a species. This is true in the fact that before he had the power of speech ancient man conveyed thoughts, wishes, and emotions through actions, just as we do in modern day ballets. However, for our purposes we will consider man to have started dancing when he danced for entertainment or spiritual reasons. The first recorded dancing, by our definition, is among ...
