Ballet Essay

Ballet is a popular dance form that originated in the 1500s around the time of the renaissance. It consists of many different forms that have evolved over the years. Some examples of these forms include French Ballet, Vaganova (Russian Ballet), Cecchetti (Italian Ballet), and Balanchine. Ballet forms and variations originated mainly from Italy, Russia, and France. However, today, many different forms of Ballet exist. Despite the many different variations, all Ballet has certain things in common. It is an effective form of exercise, requires special equipment, contains many set principles, and can result in specific injuries.

Primarily, all variations of Ballet help dancers to stay fit. Ballet is a very effective form of exercise because

Some of this equipment includes soft ballet shoes and pointe shoes. A pointe shoe, which is one key element of ballet, is a shoe used by dancers to dance on the tips of their toes. However, intense training is necessary to learn and maintain the skills for this kind of dance. The first pointe dancers used a regular soft shoe to go en pointe, thus the technique was used sparsely due to its difficulty. Later on, the first pointe shoes were made, but they only came in one size. The pointe shoe, which has been perfected over the years, now provides a sturdy base for the dancer’s feet. Despite this, almost all dancers require padding for their toes, medical tape to minimize blisters, and/or other products used to lessen the stress on the feet while dancing. Additionally, each pointe shoe is handmade. When a dancer gets a new pair of pointe shoes, they must sew the elastic and ribbon onto the shoe themselves and “break in” the shoe. Breaking in a pointe shoe prepares it for dancing by making it more pliable and comfortable. After sewing the ribbon and breaking in a shoe, the pointe shoe is ready to be used

Some of these principles include the positioning of feet, arms, head, and the direction that the body faces. Ballet is meant to emphasize gracefulness, and this is reflected in body positioning. Additionally, turnout of the foot and ankle is (and has been for a very long time) an essential concept of Ballet. There are six basic foot positions in classical Ballet. First position consists of the feet located close together with the heels touching and the toes pointing away from each other. Second position is similar because the toes point away from each other, but the heels do not touch. Third position is rarely used in professional Ballet, but it is used in routines beginning dancers. In this position, one foot is placed in front of the other with the heel of the front foot and the toe of the back foot touching to make a sideways “V” shape. Additionally, the toes point away from each other. This position is similar to fifth position, but there is more space between the heel of the back foot and the toes of the front foot. Fourth position requires the feet to be in a similar orientation to third position, simply farther apart. Fifth position, as explained previously, is almost identical to Third, except for the fact that there is less space between the heel of the back foot and the toes of the front foot. Finally, in parallel position (sometimes called Sixth position) the feet are parallel to each other,