A basic timeline of Ballet:
Oxford Dictionary definition;
Pronunciation ; • bale, -li • Bal-ey
• Mid 17th century: from French, from Italian balletto , diminutive of ballo 'a dance', from late Latin ballare 'to dance'. • An artistic dance form performed to music, using precise and highly formalised set steps and gestures. Classical ballet, which originated in Renaissance Italy and established its present form during the 19th century, is characterised by light , graceful movements and the use of pointe shoes with reinforced toes
15 th & 16 th Century o Renaissance dance o During the Renaissance period, there was a distinction between country dances and court dances. Court dances required the dancers to have been trained and were often for display and entertainment, whereas country dances could be attempted by anyone. At Court, the formal entertainment would often be followed by many hours of country dances which all present could join in. o three Italian dance masters: Piacenza Cornazzano Pesaro o Intermedio - Italian court spectaculars with dance The earliest precursors to ballet were lavish entertainments given in the courts of Italy. These elaborate spectacles, which united painting, poetry, music and dancing, took place in large halls that were used for balls and banquets. o A dance performance given in 1489 actually was performed between courses and the action closely related to the menu; for instance, the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece preceded
Catherine de' Medici (1519 – 1589) was born in Florence, Italy, Both her parents died within weeks of her birth.
o The impact of the Protestant Reformation was felt throughout Europe in the early 16th Century. Its greatest protagonists were the German Martin Luther and the Frenchman Jean Calvin. In France Calvinism penetrated all ranks of society, especially those of the literate craftsmen in the towns and of the nobility. There were eight civil wars in France between 1562 and 1598 - the Wars of Religion. o She came to be blamed for the excessive persecutions carried out under her sons' rule, in particular for the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572, in which thousands of Huguenots (protestants) were killed in Paris and throughout France. Ballet Comique de la Reine - sometimes called the "first ballet"
The ‘Ballet Comique de la Reine’ was a court entertainment, now considered to be the first ballet. It was staged in Paris, France, in 1581 for the court of Catherine de' Medici. This ballet was known for its long length of over five hours and its elaborate and scattered stage design. “The Queens Ballet Comedy” is the first ballet which a complete score exists. It centred on the myth of the Greek goddess ‘Circe’. In Greek mythology, Circe (pronounced Kirk-a) meaning "falcon" is a minor goddess of magic (or sometimes a nymph, witch, enchantress or sorceress) living on the island of Aeaea, famous for her part in the adventures of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey . Circe was the daughter of Helios (the Sun God/God of the Son) and Perse in some accounts Hecate (Hekate) Goddess of witchcraft, moon, dogs, necromancy and sorcery often seen as mother of angels. Circe transformed her enemies, or those who offended her, into animals through the use of magical potions. She was renowned for her knowledge of drugs and herbs Sisters • Aeetes, the keeper of the Golden Fleece • Pasiphaë, the Wife of King Minos and mother of the Minotaur. 17th Century
o EnglishBy the mid Country 1600’s Dance France had adopted the proscenium (arch) stage and professional dancers made their debut
Louis XIV (5/09/1638 – 1/09/1715) ruled as King of France (1643 to 1715) from May 14 th 1643 (aged 4) until his death just before his 77 th Birthday. He did not assume personal control until the death of his first minister (Premier Ministre) Jules Mazarin in 1661, until this point his mother, Anne of Austria, served as regent. o This is the longest reign of any major European monarch. Victoria – 63 years (Longest female Monarch) Elizabeth II – 62 Years – Diamond Jubilee 2012 o Comedy Ballet was devised at this time, which consisted of dances interludes with spoken scenes. o In 1661 Louis XIV established the ‘Academie Royale de Danse’, (Royal Academy of Dance) a professional organisation for dancing masters. o 1681’s ‘Le Triomphe de L’Amour’ (Triumph of love) saw the first professional female dancers. 18th Century o Eighteenth century dancers were encumbered by elaborate costumes including masks, wigs, large head-dresses and heeled shoes . Women wore ‘panniers’, hoop-skirts draped at the sides for fullness with men often wearing the ‘tonnelet’ a knee length hooped skirt. o ‘Choreographie’ The dance technique of this period was captured in the French Dancing Master – Raoul Feuillet’s book ‘Choreographie’. With many of the steps and positions we recognized today. o The majority of surviving choreographies from the period are English country dances, such as those in the many editions of Playford's ‘The Dancing Master’. Playford only gives the floor patterns of the dances, with no indication of the steps.
Marie Camargo and Marie Sall Marie Camargo shortened her skirts and adopted heelless shoes to show off her sparkling beats and jumps. Marie Sall (A contemporary of Marie Camargo) also broke with custom and degraded her corset and wore greek robes for her ballet ‘Pygmalion’ (1734). o opera-ballet o Ballet d'action 19th Century o Romantic ballet The era is typically considered to have begun with the 1827 début in Paris of the ballerina Marie Taglioni in the ballet Le Sicilien . The Romantic ballet had no immediate end, but rather a slow decline. In 1830 Italian choreographer (pupil of Dauberval) recorded the dance technique of the early 19 th Century in his ‘Code of Terpsichore’. He is credited as developing or inventing the ‘attitude’ from the sculpture of the god Mercury (balanced slightly on the toes of his left foot) by Flemish artist Giambologna. Coppélia is considered to be the last work of the Romantic Ballet (1870) . o The era gave way to decline of the male dancer, while ballerina took centre stage. Furthermore, the development of pointe-work, although still at a fairly basic stage, profoundly affected people's perception of the ballerina. o La Sylphide o Giselle 20th Century o Neoclassical ballet (Technique and terminology of classical ballet with- out the restrictions and structure) Neoclassical ballet is the style of 20th century ballet exemplified by the works of George Balanchine. Tim Scholl, author of From “Petipa to Balanchine” , considers George Balanchine's Apollo in 1928 to be the first neoclassical ballet. Apollo represented a return to form in response to Serge Diaghilev's abstract ballets. During this time it was felt by Fokine that the choreography of Petipa had become settled into a formula. Fokine wanted greater expressiveness and more authenticity in the choreography, scenery and costume. It found this outlet through a new company, created and produced by Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev. o Ballet Russes o Post-structuralist ballet o 1920s & 30s Modern Dance had began to be developed all over the world and this shift effect Ballet Companies. The idea of pure dance to music grew in popularity. In the 1930s Massine invented the symphonic ballet, which aimed to express the musical content of great composers. Two major American ballet companies were founded in the 1940s, American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet. NYCB drew many of its dancers from the American Ballet School founded by Balanchine in 1934. In 1956 Russian companies Bolshoi and Kirov performed in the west for the first time.