Topic 4: Ballet Flashcards
What is the timeline of Ballet?
- The Renaissance Period (France and Italy) [1300 to 1500]
- The Baroque Period [1600 to 1700]
- The Romantic Period [1800 to 1900]
This was taken from the Italian word ballare, meaning, “to dance”, and ballo, referring to dances performed in a ballroom.
Ballet
What is ballet?
This was taken from the Italian word ballare, meaning, “to dance”, and ballo, referring to dances performed in a ballroom.
In the timeline of Ballet, what happened during the 1300s?
1300s [The Renaissance Period (France and Italy)]
- The upper classes took part in ballet in the elaborate courts of royal palaces to celebrate the birth or marriage of powerful people.
- Ballet was performed on the ballroom floor in lines and circles by lots of people.
- The technique at that time involved moving from elegant pose to elegant pose using a flat foot.
- The dancing became more intricate as time went on. Male “Ballet Masters” were trained as teachers, choreographers, and performers.
In the timeline of Ballet, what happened during the 1400s?
1400s [The Renaissance Period (France and Italy)]
- Influential people tried to learn these intricate court dances as well as they could; it was an elegance that was integral to their social grooming.
- Court dances had a mysterious air about them with performers wearing masks and costumes.
In the timeline of Ballet, what happened during the 1500s?
1500s [The Renaissance Period (France and Italy)]
- Women wore heavy wigs and tight corsets, while the met donned tights and lighter clothing to allow them more freedom of movement.
In the timeline of Ballet, what happened during the 1600s?
1600s [The Baroque Period]
- King Louis XIV of France loved to perform ballet.
- The pinnacle of his dancing was playing Apollo, the Sun King from La Ballet de la Nuit.
- In 1661 King Louis XIV began the first ballet school, Academie Royal de Dense, or The Royal Academy of Dance. Its’ intention was to improve and codify ballet and certify ballet teachers.
- Ballet began to move from palace ballrooms to the stages where it became more of a performance than a pastime.
In the timeline of Ballet, what happened during the 1700s?
1700s [The Baroque Period]
- Female stars of ballet became more prominent as society cast aside its disapproval of females performing.
- Ballet began to take flight, with jumps and hops and airborne twists. Women began to rebel against the restrictions in ballet. Marie Salle let her hair down and wore lighter clothing and many others followed.
- In 1789 the French Revolution swept through France, overthrowing the monarchy and many royal institutions, including the Royal Academy of Dance.
- The academy lived on underground and reformed in 1929 as the Paris Opera Ballet.
In the timeline of Ballet, what happened during the 1800s?
1800s [The Romantic Period]
- Female performers shocked in skirts cut to just above the ankle.
- Dancers became more softer in their line and more fluid and graceful in their movement.
- Ballet performances were becoming longer as technical ability improved.
- Marie Taglioni was the first dancer to dance en pointe.
- In 1832 Marie Taglioni performed La Sylphide en pointe.
- By the late 1860’s most female performers had adopted pointe work. Subsequently, the beauty of their movement meant that the women has started to steal the spotlight from men.
- In 1892 The Nutcracker has its first showing in St. Petersburg’s Imperial Mariinsky Theatre.
- Swan Lake was to follow in 1895.
- By the late 1800’s ballet was being choreographed and performed in St. Petersburg.
In the timeline of Ballet, what happened during the 1900s?
1900s [The Romantic Period]
- In 1926 the Royal Ballet opened in England with choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton and ballerina Dame Margot Forteyn.
- In 1937 the American Ballet Theater was founded, followed by the New York City Ballet in 1948. Ballet was taking off in North America.
- In 1929, the Paris Opera Ballet was reformed by Serge Lifar.
- In 1959, Spandex was invented. This proved to be a turning point in ballet costumes, and many ballerinas started to wear Lyera Spandex costumes to allowed them more freedom of movement than ever before.
What are the four segments that compose a ballet class?
Warm-up, Barre exercises, Center work exercises, Corner drills (grand allegro).
Limbering and stretching exercises that warm and gently stretch the muscles before trying the difficult moves. What segment of a ballet class is this?
Warm-up
The learners hold on to a barre to help maintain balance and correct placement of the body. Exercises include variations of bending and stretching, small movements of the legs which gradually increase in range of motion and tempo as the leg is lifted from the floor.
What segment of a ballet class is this?
Barre exercises.
The students move to the center of the room to do more stretching and relaxing exercises to loosen the back and the muscles in the other parts of the body which have worked hard in the previous exercises.
What segment of a ballet class is this?
Center work exercises
This consists of sequence of steps combining big jumps, leaps, and turns which cover large areas and put the demands on the body’s strength, endurance, and control. These exercises are done moving across the dance floor or rehearsal area.
What segment of a ballet class is this?
Corner drills (grand allegro)
What are the eight principles of ballet?
Alignment, Turnout, Weight distribution, Stance, Transfer of weight, Squareness, Pull-up or lift, Balance
Proper alignment is the foundation for all ballet techniques. Body alignment integrates the head, torso, arms, and legs into a cohesive whole while moving through space or holding a pose.
What principle of ballet is this?
Alignment
This is the most distinctive characteristic of classical ballet.
What principle of ballet is this?
Turnout
Distribution of weight is vital in performing the movements efficiently as well as in maintaining balance.
What principle of ballet is this?
Weight distribution
To assume proper stance, the body weight should be centered equally over the arches.
What principle of ballet is this?
Stance
