Ballet Dance: Understanding the History and Origins of Ballet

Ballet dance is a traditional art form that originated over 500 years ago in Italy. Though ballet dancers are trained to appear gentle and graceful in their movements, ballet technique requires a tremendous amount of strength, balance, technical skill, and flexibility. Dance moves like arabesques, pliés, and pirouettes are part of the basic movement vocabulary of ballet. Traditionally, female ballet dancers perform en pointe—meaning on the points of their tiptoes. Some of the most famous ballets include Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Romeo and Juliet.

Ballet was first performed and practiced by nobility in rarified spaces, and is now one of the most well-known and widely-taught forms of the performing arts. Here is a brief history of ballet:

• Origins in Renaissance Italy: Ballet was originally taught to Italian noblemen and women at extravagant, celebratory events in the fifteenth century. After Italian noblewoman Catherine de Medici married King Henry II of France, she funded ballet for the French Court, eventually establishing a ballet program.
• Seventeenth-century France: King Louis XIV founded the Académie Royale de Danse (Royal Academy of Dance) ballet school in 1661, which helped popularize the art form. In 1672, Louis XIV appointed Jean-Baptiste Lully as the director of the Paris Opera, leading to the establishment of the Paris Opera Ballet, where French choreographer Pierre Beauchamp became ballet master. By 1681, the first ballerinas took the stage.
• Nineteenth-century in Europe: The mid-nineteenth century saw a decline in the popularity of ballet in France, but it would soon spread to other areas of Europe like Russia and Denmark. As ballet continued to grow, its style crystalized into a more romantic dance, emphasizing the grace of the ballerina with soft and fluid movements. Famous narrative ballets like The Nutcracker and Swan Lake premiered at Russian theaters, showing ballerinas in tulle skirts—known as tutus—who would dance en pointe, in pointe shoes on the points of their toes.
• Twentieth-century: Ballet became a mainstream dance form by the twentieth century. Dance companies like the Royal Ballet in England and the American Ballet Theatre in New York opened at this time, which helped spread spectatorship of the art form and made it more accessible to the masses. Numerous schools and companies training young people from all backgrounds into some of the world’s most accomplished professional dancers.

There are four different ballet dance styles that have shaped the trajectory and evolution of the art form:

1. 1. Romantic ballet: Starting in the nineteenth century, Romantic ballet was heavily influenced by the Romantic era and is where some of the many recognizable aspects of ballet emerged, like pointe work and tutus. Romantic ballet emphasized emotion, lyricism, and drama in its narratives, and led to a rise in lead female dancers—whereas previously, male dancers had dominated the scene.
2. 2. Classical ballet: Classical ballet is a traditional form of ballet, usually accompanied by a full orchestra and consisting of a story-driven narrative that is often anchored by a female ballerina. The movements of classical ballet often emphasize the weightlessness and extension lines of the ballerina, focusing on fluidity and outward leg rotation. Sets are constructed to complement the show’s narrative, and the dancers wear intricate costumes.
3. 3. Contemporary ballet: This form of contemporary dance incorporates certain classical ballet elements, including elements of acting and some pointe techniques, but it is considered less strict in its execution. Contemporary ballet dance techniques allow for a wider range of upper body movement than classical ballet, and can also be performed barefoot.
4. 4. Neoclassical ballet: Emerging in the 1920s, neoclassical ballet is less structured and more abstract than the other forms of ballet. Neoclassical ballet was formed as a response to the prevalent, dramatic elements of romantic ballet, and does not make use of traditional ballet elements like costumes, sets, or involved narratives.

There have been a number of famous ballets over the years that have lent themselves to legendary performances. Some popular ballets include:

1. 1. Swan Lake: Swan Lake is one of the most famous classical ballets of all time, and features music by Tchaikovsky. It has been performed by countless ballet companies around the world, though the first production at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia in 1877 was considered a flop. The ballet tells the story of a prince who goes out hunting one night and discovers a swan who turns into a beautiful young woman.
2. 2. The Nutcracker: This Tchaikovsky-scored classical ballet debuted in 1892 at the Mariinsky theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. Set on Christmas Eve, The Nutcracker follows a young girl who shrinks down to the size of a mouse and becomes embroiled in a battle between her toy nutcracker and an army of mice. The original ballet was choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, but American choreographer and founder of the New York City Ballet George Balanchine made his own version in 1954, bringing the ballet into the American consciousness. Since then, The Nutcracker has been staged in New York every year.
3. 3. The Sleeping Beauty: First performed in 1890 at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, The Sleeping Beauty is based on the Charles Perreault tale of a cursed princess who falls into an unbroken slumber after pricking her finger on her sixteenth birthday. This romantic ballet also features Tchaikovsky’s music.
4. 4. Don Quixote: Don Quixote premiered in 1869 at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, with music composed by Ludwig Minkus. Based on the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes, this ballet features select episodes from the book and turns the narrative into a performative, fantastical romantic comedy.
5. 5. Romeo and Juliet: Romeo and Juliet first debuted at the Mahen Theater in Czechoslovakia in 1938, with initial choreography by Ivo Váña-Psota. This ballet tells the famously tragic Shakespearean romance of two star-crossed young lovers from rival families. Romeo and Juliet is one of the most choreographed performances of the last half-century, second only to The Nutcracker.

Practice ballet with Misty Copeland, the principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. Get the MasterClass Annual Membership and learn how to put individual barre techniques together to create powerful performances and introduce artistry to your choreography.