Ballet is a classical and artistic form of dance, which originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. The French word for ballet is “ballet”, derived from the Italian “ballare”, meaning “to dance”.
History of Ballet
The origins of ballet can be traced back to the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century. The first known ballet was performed in 1581 at a celebration for the marriage of Catherine de’ Medici to Henry III of France, who had recently been crowned King of France.
The performance was choreographed by the court’s master dancer and choreographer Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx and featured a complex series of steps and movements, including leaps, spins, turns, jumps and more. This style soon became popular throughout Europe and eventually spread to other countries.
Development
In the 17th century ballet began to develop further as a concert dance form in France. This development was largely due to Louis XIV’s involvement with the Académie Royale de Danse (Royal Academy of Dance) which he founded in 1661.
The purpose of this academy was to promote French culture through formalized instruction in various forms of dance, including ballet. In addition to codifying many existing steps, Louis XIV also developed some new ones that were then incorporated into ballets created for his court.
Influence
The influence of French ballet spread beyond Europe during the 19th century when it became popular in Russia due to its appeal as an art form that combined music, drama and movement. Marius Petipa is considered one of the most influential figures in Russian ballet as he created or revised many classic ballets such as The Nutcracker and Swan Lake during his tenure as Director-Choreographer at the Imperial Ballet School from 1871-1903.
His influence extended beyond Russia with his ballets being performed internationally.
Conclusion:
Ballet is a classical and artistic form of dance which originated in Italy during the 15th century before developing further as a concert dance form in France and Russia during the 17th century onwards. It has since become popular around the world due its combination of music, drama and movement with some classic ballets like The Nutcracker being performed internationally over centuries later.