Ballet Essay

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Individuals can experience release, whether from worldly cares or from physical tension, through the marvelous art form of ballet. Hence ballet, in its many aspects, has much to offer individuals and can be seen reflecting to many Western ideals through this art. Most people often find ballet just appealing to the eye and are just seen watching it be performed. Have you ever wondered what influenced ballet and where it came from? Ballet is reflective of Western ideals in many ways whether it is culturally, politically and aesthetically. Not only is ballet used to appeal to the eye and experience release from worldly cares, but also to demonstrate some sort of history and reflect Western ideology. The Western culture is brought forth in most modern ballet by showing some sort of establishment of power. There are different traits that stand out in ballet that are reflective of western ideals. One of the main ideals presented in ballet is an individual trying to gain or establish power. Not only were we able to see this through the Western culture, but also many others including France, Ghana, Java, and Japan. As discussed in class each one of the countries displayed dance has having power whether it was socially or politically. The West established power through the art of modern ballet. Both dance and court dance revealed Louis XIV’s belief to be able to control the world thru dance. He believed there should be a King and Queen sitting at the front of every dance, and everyone should perform on a stage directly in front of the elite. This represents the hierarchy that was displayed when the art of ballet was performed. Not only did you present in front of the King and Queen, but you were also ranked in order from most superio... ... middle of paper ... ...to take a nap and when he does he dreams about western ballet and going back to the western costumes, which consisted of tight beautiful outfits along with tiaras. Also, the good guy in the play happens to be more western while the bad guy is always getting killed. This also reflects the western ideal of the guy always saving the girl. As one can see by looking more in depth to a play and modern ballet you are able to see not only is it appealing to one’s eyes, but also can be reflective of the West. In conclusion, one must look more into ballet and not just see it as a form of art. Not only in our culture today is it seen as an art, but also reflective of Western ideology. Many ideals the West based their culture off of shows up in modern and classical ballet. One must learn to read and analyze such an art and not just see it as entertainment pleasing to the eye.

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