Ballet as we know it is the product of many countries. The French organized the technique and gave it liveliness. The Russians added strength and passion. The English gave it delicacy and tenderness. The American gave it speed and variety.
Ballet And Its History
A ballet theatrical entertainment combining dance with other art forms, usually stage design and music. It may tell a story or merely depict an idea or mood. Ballet is a French word that comes from the Italian ballo, "a dance." The exercises, or techniques, of ballet are designed to display the human body in the most elegant and harmonious way possible. Ballet technique is strict, and the training is strenuous. But the result on stage is natural and beautiful.
Ballet is nearly 500 years old. Yet is is very young compared with dance itself, which began with primitive people. Ballet began with in Italy about the time of Columbus' voyages to America. It was quite different then from what it is today. At that time ballet was a court entertainment for the amusement of the nobility at lavish balls banquets. Dancing, music, pantomime (acting without words), poetry and drama were combined. The first ballet dancers were the royalty and nobles of the court, since there were no professional dancers. The steps were modeled on the elegant but rather simple social dances of the day.
Ballet as we know it is the product of many countries. The French organized the technique and gave it liveliness. The Russians added strength and passion. The English gave it delicacy and tenderness. The American gave it speed and variety.
Ballet as we know it is the product of many countries. The French organized the technique and gave it liveliness. The Russians added strength and passion. The English gave it delicacy and tenderness. The American gave it speed and variety.
