The history of ballet and early professional ballet

The History of Ballet

Ballets were born in Renaissance Italy from lavish entertainments given in the courts of the bourgeoisie. These beautiful and elaborate exhibitions took place in large halls and usually performed during a banquet or ball.

Ballets were then further developed in France. In 1581 the first ballet for which a complete score survived was performed; it was called Le Ballet Comique de la Reine, or The Queen’s Ballet Comedy. This early ballet was choreographed by the dancing master of Queen Catherine de Medici’s court, Balthazar de Beaujoyeux, and danced by aristocratic amateurs.

French court ballets consisted mainly of dance scenes and were moved along by a very loose plot. The primary audience for these performances were the aristocracy, hence the focus on rich costumes, elaborate stage effects and scenery. Professional dancers started appearing in the mid-1600s.

Court ballets reached their peak during the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV, who got is title from a ballet in which he previously had danced. During this peak of court ballets, many were created by the duo of the Italian-French composer Jean Baptiste Lully and the French choreographer Pierre Beauchamp.

Early Professional Ballet

The Academie Royale de Danse (Royal Academy of Dance) was founded in 1661 by Louis XIV. This was a professional organization that specialized in training dancing masters. Louis and his courtiers stopped dancing in 1670 and left the dancing to the professionals. At first ballet dancers were only composed of men, until the first female dancers appeared in a ballet, theatre production in 1681, entitled Le Triomphe de l’Amour (The Triumph of Love).

Many of the dance steps and techniques used during this time can still be recognized in today’s ballets. Also during this time the new theatrical from of ‘opera ballet’ developed. This form placed an equal emphasis on singing and dancing and followed a more evident plot. A famous example of an early opera ballet is Les Indes Galantes, or The Gallant Indies, and was performed in 1735.

Eighteenth century dancers labored with masks, wigs, large headdresses, and heeled shoes. Women were limited by panniers and hoop skirts. Two famous dancers of the time defied convention by shortening their skirts, wearing heelless slippers and discarding the cumbersome corset.

Towards the end of the Eighteenth century ballets outside of Paris were taking the art form to new heights and moved to a more dramatic expression through dance. In England John Weaver eliminated words and conveyed meaning through pantomime and dance. In Vienna Franz Hilverding experimented with dramatic themes and gestures. Around this time was also when toe dancing began to develop.

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