Don’t know where to start with ballet?

We have put together a quick introduction to one of the most elegant and graceful dance forms.

Where does ballet come from?
Ballet started life in the royal courts of the Italian Renaissance. By the 17th century, it had spread to the court of Louis XIV of France who helped to popularise and standardise the dance form. He founded the first dance academy in Paris in 1661 and this explains why ballet terms today are still in French.

This video takes you through the history of ballet…

What’s the barre used for?
The barre is central to a ballet class – this wooden rail in the dance studio is used for support and to aid balance while dancers perfect their technique and stretch and warm up.

Here you can see the Royal Ballet Company using the barre in their daily ballet class…

Why do ballet dancers dance on their toes and how do they do it?
Italian ballerina, Maria Taglioni, was the first dancer to dance on her toes or ‘en pointe’ in the early 1830s. Pointework was introduced to create an illusion of lightness and weightlessness – as if the dancers were flying or floating on air.

It’s usually only female dancers who dance en pointe. Pointe shoes include a ‘box’ at the end made of densely packed layers of fabric and paper and hardened with glue.

In this video, Olivia Boisson of the New York City Ballet describes how dancers customise their pointe shoes to make them just right…

What is turn out?
In ballet, the legs are normally ‘turned out’ from the hips so that the toes and knees face outwards rather than forwards. This dates from the time of Louis XIV when male dancers wanted to show off their calf muscles and glamorous heeled shoes. Turn out also allow dancers to lift their legs much higher than would otherwise be possible.

Here, the Royal Ballet’s former Ballet Mistress Ursula Hageli sheds a little more light on the origins of turn out…

What are the main positions of the feet and arms?
The five standardised positions of the feet were established by the Paris dance academy in the 17th century and remain the same to this day. There are also five set positions of the arms, but these are a little different depending on where in the world you learn.

This short video shows both feet and arm positions…

What does ‘pas de deux’ mean?
A pas de deux is a dance for two people, traditionally a male and female dancer. One of the most famous pas de deuxs in ballet is the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet.

Here, dancers from Birmingham Royal Ballet showcase this exquisite piece…

What’s a ‘pirouette’?
A pirouette is a complete turn of the body on one foot. There are lots of different types, but all involve a dancer learning to ‘spot’ their head so they don’t get too dizzy. A dancer spots a particular point on a wall and then whips their head in advance of their body to aid balance.

This scene from Swan Lake includes countless pirouettes from both the Prince and the Black Swan…

What’s an ‘arabesque’?
An arabesque is a balance on one leg with the other stretched behind. The arms can be in a variety of positions.

This video shows some of the different types of arabesque…

What’s a tutu?
A tutu is a fitted bodice with a skirt attached made of layers of tulle. The earlier romantic tutu goes to the calf, but the shorter and stiffer, classical tutu came in later to show off the difficulty of dancers’ footwork.

Here, dancers from The Australian Ballet discuss this iconic tool of the trade…

What are the different styles of ballet?

Romantic ballet emerged in the early 19th century and was inspired by the supernatural and folklore. Watch Birmingham Royal Ballet’s trailer for Giselle to get a flavour of romantic ballet’s ethereal, magical qualities…

Classical ballet is associated with late 19th-century Russia. These are grand story ballets with elaborate sets and costumes. The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty are typical examples…

Neoclassical ballet appeared in the mid-20th century and is focused on speed, energy and technique, with little narrative and simple sets and costumes. Frederick Ashton’s Concerto exemplifies this style…

Contemporary ballet is less formal in style and may include floorwork, bare feet and parallel, turned-in legs. Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room is a good example – it even includes dancers in trainers!

Birmingham Royal Ballet: In The Upper Room

Twyla Tharp's iconic ballet In The Upper Room, with a specially comissioned score by Philip Glass, comes to our stage this week performed by Birmingham Royal Ballet as part of their mixed programme, Polarity & Proximity. https://bit.ly/2jYvQh0

Posted by Sadler's Wells on Monday, June 11, 2018