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The classical dance is an art practised by many enthusiasts throughout the world. It is the fruit of centuries of evolution. But did you know the origins of this discipline? Discover the history of classical dance now!
Did you know? The word ballet "comes from the Italian word balletto which is short for "ballo" ("dance") and a derivative of the word "ballare", which means "to dance". dance ".
According to the Trésor de la langue française, a ballet is a "figurative dance performed by several dancers on a stage".
The term "ballet" is often used in English-speaking countries to express the practice of this art. They will say: "I'm a ballet dancer".
First of all, let's go back several centuries. In ancient times, the dance already existed. But it wasn't yet ballet.
Indeed, the classical dance has its origins in the Italian Renaissancein the 15th century. It was practised in the Court of Italy. Indeed, the nobles began to learn this discipline so that they could dance in public and at weddings.
Shortly afterwards, the classical dance will spread to the European monarchies. France in particular. In the 16th century, Catherine de Mediciwho had lived all his childhood in Italy, married Henry II, King of France. This is how she brought this art form to the Court of France. In 1581, one of the very first ballets was performed: "le ballet comique de la Reine". The same year, in Italy, Fabritio Caroso wrote one of the first works on dance techniques: Il BallarinoThis was to prove a turning point in the history of classical dance.
It was in the 17th century that dance really took off in France, at the court of Louis XIV. In fact, it was he who created theRoyal Academy of Dance (now the Opéra National de Paris) in 1661.
It was during this period that the lexicon used in dance vocabulary was codified by Pierre Beauchampwho was none other than first ballet master to the king. The aim is to facilitate the transmission of this art form. codifies the five foot positions. In 1700, his pupil, Raoul Auger Feuillet, completed his work by publishing a system of dance step notation in his book Chorégraphie ou l'Art de décrire la danse, par caractères, figures et signes démonstratifs.
This explains why the dance lexicon is full of French terms such as "pas de bourré", "tutu", "cabriole"...
It was also during this period that a new kind of show was born, combining dance, comedy and music: the comedy-ballet. This new genre gave rise to Molière's "Malade Imaginaire".
In the 18th century ballet was modernising. At that time, the dancer Jean-Georges Noverre played an essential role in the development of classical dance. Indeed, he was considered to be the creator of the modern ballet.
In his "Lettres sur la danse" (1760), he developed his concept of the ballet pantomime, also known as the "pantomime ballet". action ballet. This is a choreographed dance performance in which the dancer expresses the character's feelings through his or her movements. This helps us to understand the story. He was appointed ballet master of the Paris Opera by Marie-Antoinette in 1775.
The first ballet d'action imagined was Gluck's Don Juan (1761).
The classical ballet is losing its popularity in France. It is therefore continuing to expand abroad, particularly in RussiaThanks to French ballet masters and choreographers such as Marius Petipa.
The Compagnie des Ballets Russes was created in 1907 by Serge Diaghilev. It was made up of dancers from the Russian community exiled in France during the revolution. It was this alliance between France and Russia that gave rise to such great classical ballets as : Swan Lake, The NutcrackerGiselle.
The ballets russes continued to evolve under the Soviet regime. They are still very popular, particularly with the Bolshoi Theatre Ballet Company, dressed and shod by our favourite brand Grishko.
This art form is widely practised in France. Numerous courses are offered at conservatories to help dancers develop from an early age. Today, this discipline, which advocates rigour, is being modernise thanks to choreographers such as Maurice Béjart and Benjamin Millepied.
The classical dance has evolved over the centuries thanks to choreographersand dancers or ballet masters who have enriched this art through their works, their masterpieces... Faithful to tradition, Balletto Dance Shop continues to dress and fit the most beautiful dancers in the world, and supplies the most renowned dance schools and academies.