Ballet

A performance of The Nutcracker ballet

Ballet is the name given to a specfic dance form and technique. Dance works choreographed using this techique are called ballets and may include; dance, mime, acting and music (orchestral and sung). Ballets can be performed alone or as part of an opera. Ballet is best known for its virtuoso techniques such as pointe work, grand pas de deux and high leg extensions. Many Ballet techniques bear a striking similarity to fencing positions and footwork, perhaps due to their development during the same periods of history.

Domenico da Piacenza is credited with the first use ot the term ballo (in De Arte Saltandi ed Choreas Ducendi) instead of danza (dance) for his baletti or balli which later came to be known as Ballets. The first Ballet per se is considered to be Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx's Ballet Comique de la Royne (1581) and was a ballet comique (ballet drama). 1581 also saw the publication of Fabritio Caroso's Il Ballarino, a technical manual on ballet dancing that helped to establish Italy as a major centre of ballet development.

History of ballet

16th century: Baletti, ballet comique.
17th century: Court ballet, Ballet d’Action, opera ballet
18th century:
19th century: pre romantic ballet, Romantic ballet, Russian ballet / Classical ballet
20th century: Modern ballet, Neoclassical ballet, Post-structuralist ballet

See also: History of ballet, Ballet timeline

Ballet technique

Methods

Since its beginnings in the Italian court dances of the late 14th century ballet technique has been developed throughout Europe, Russia and the United States. Consequently there are several methods of ballet technique which differ slightly in the presentation and execution of the standard ballet vocabulary. These methods inculde the:

American Ballet
- Balanchine method
Danish Ballet
- Bournonville School
French Ballet
Italian Ballet
- Cecchetti method
Russian Ballet
- Vaganova method
English Ballet
- Royal Academy of Dance

main article: ballet technique

En pointe

Dancing en pointe is the action of rising to 'tips of the toes' while performing steps from ballet technique. Also known as pointe work, it is mostly performed using hard toed pointe shoes but can be performed using soft toed ballet shoes. A development of the Romantic ballet period, pointe work was developed by Marie Taglioni who danced the full length of the La Sylphide en pointe in 1832. Pointe work has now become a fundamental ballet technique for female ballet dancers (ballerinas). While pointe work is usually practiced and performed by female dancers some roles (usually comic, as that of Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream) in ballets call for the male dancers to perform en pointe.

main article: en pointe

Pas de deux

Ballet pas de deux (step / dance for two) is a duet in which ballet steps are performed together. Grand pas de deux refers to a duet in which a male and female dancer perform together and features supported leaps, lifts, and pirouettes. pas de trois are trios and pas de quatre quartets.

Pas de deux, trois and quatre can be indiviual works or part of a larger ballet (but are often performed out of context) and are usually danced by the principal, solo and/or guest artist of a ballet company.

main article: pas de deux

Ballet production

Ballets

Seminal (important) ballets include:

Ballet companies

A Ballet company is group of dancers who perform ballets. Famous ballet companies include;

Ballets Russes
The Royal Ballet
New York City Ballet
American Ballet Theatre
Paris Opera Ballet
Mariinsky Ballet (also know as the Kirov Ballet)
Bolshoi Ballet

main article: Ballet company

Artists

Seminal artists involved with ballets include:

teachers

Agrippina Vaganova, Enrico Cecchetti, Pierre Beauchamp, Thoinot Arbeau, Carlo Blasis, August Bournonville, Raoul-Auger Feuillet, Nicolai Legat, Domenico da Piacenza, Pierre Rameau

composers

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Jacques Offenbach, Igor Stravinsky

designers and scenographers

L�on Bakst, Christian B�rard, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, John Craxton, Salvador Dal�, Andr� Derain, Barbara Karinska, Barry Kay, Pablo Picasso, Pavel Tchelitchev, Maurice Utrillo

See also: Dance personalia

Ballet education

Canada

Royal Winnipeg Ballet School (http://www.rwbschool.com/) Official school of Canada's acclaimed Royal Winnipeg Ballet

Switzerland

Dance Art Studio Ballettschule Luzern / Lucerne Ballet School (http://www.ballettluzern.ch/) Professional ballet school in Switzerland for aspiring dancers and teachers

United Kingdom

Royal Ballet School (http://www.royal-ballet-school.org.uk/) Founded in England in 1926 by Dame Ninette de Valois

USA

School of American Ballet (http://www.sab.org/) Official ballet school of the New York City Ballet, founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein