The History of Ballet and Beginner's Techniques

History of Ballet and Beginner’s Techniques

How did ballet come about and what are some of the beginner’s steps? To understand the roots of ballet, one must first look at the roots of dance in general. Dance has roots in early civilizations. People once used moves and gestures to communicate before the spoken language was invented. Many dance terms and aspects of ballet theaters originated in Greece. Ballet has a long history that leads up to the current style and techniques taught today.

Ballet began during Italian balls held in the king’s court. Specifically during Bal des Ardents (Burner’s Ball). A king dressed the dancers in flammable costumes, and they caught fire. All but one died because of their burns. Dances started being performed by a specific group of people dressed identically or in costume. This would lead to opera ballets which would give rise to modern ballet.

In the 1400s, Ballet Masters, also known as choreographers, became known. They can be traced by the documents of their works. Domenico da Piacenza, Master Domenico, always had his works written down. Domenico began referring to dance as “ballo” rather than “danza.” He did this because ballo meant “dancing of varied rhythm,” and danza meant “dancing to music of unvarying rhythm” (Greskovic 6). To the English-speaker, ballo translated as ballet.

The dancers that performed during these dances were amateurs that were taught by the masters. The masters created instructions for the dancers that focused on the positions and figures of the body (Greskovic 1-6). Since that time, many different styles of ballet have come about.

Today, ballet is typically taught in studios. These studios have plenty of space and have floors made of smooth wood or vinyl. Ther...

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...pot again. This process is known as spotting and is very important when performing turns (“Chaines Turns”).

Ballet has roots in ancient Greek theaters and Italian court balls. Over time, ballet has progressed. Today’s ballet begins by learning the five basic positions. Beginning dancers will learn several moves and steps, most of which are listed above, that they will eventually build upon. The moves mentioned help dancers to prepare for more advanced ballet.

Bibliography

"Ballet Terms." Ballet Terms. N.p., n.d. Web.

Bussell, Darcey, and Patricia Linton. The Young Dancer. London: Dorling Kindersley, 1994. Print.

"Chaines Turns." Practice WCS. N.p., n.d. Web.

Friedman, Lise. First Lessons in Ballet. New York: Workman Pub., 1999. Print.

Greskovic, Robert. Ballet 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving the Ballet. New York: Hyperion, 1998. Print.