A History of Ballet & Dance

The toe shoe is often associated with ballet.

Dance has likely been around as long as music. Dr. Marcel Zentner and Dr. Tuomas Eerola show through their research that babies are born with the ability to follow rhythm and dance. This instinctual action is used to show that people have been dancing from the very beginning. Over the generations, dancing has gone from instinctual play to practiced art, with ballet being one of the most recognized forms of dance.

Religious Dancing

Dance started as movement associated with religious importance. There are tomb paintings found in ancient Egypt that show people dancing before various gods and goddess. These dances were a part of the religious festivals and celebrations. History World states that women in ancient Egypt danced to express their mourning of a person's passing and their hope for that person's happy afterlife. Ancient Greeks also participated in dance as a religious ritual with the best known dances occurring at the ancient Olympic Games by the temple virgins. These dances were well before ballet was formed as an art form.

Entertainment Dancing

Dancing eventually began to move away from religious importance to entertainment. This shift was due to the enjoyment of the act of dancing. While there were still ritualized dancing in the ancient societies, according to History World, there were also dance clubs that focused on scantily clad women. Dancing was also a common practice in courts where musicians would be able to ply their instruments. This transition allowed for the development of ballet as an art and entertainment dance.

Ballet is Born

Ballet as it is now known began in 1581 as a gift to Catherine de Médicis for her wedding by Baltazar de Beaujoyeulx. Beaujoyeulx designed a comedic play that was done in dance on a rolling stage. This was called the Balet Comique de la Reine. This was the first dramatic ballet. From this point, ballet began to be practiced by the courtiers as a pastime primarily focused on the extravagant costumes that were worn.

Formal Dance Troupe

The first formal ballet dance troupe was formed under King Louis XIV in 1661. This ballet troupe consisted of the finest ballet dancers in France. These dancers formed the first dance school, the Academie Royale de Danse. In 1669, the second dance school was opened, the Academie Royale de Musique. Together these schools formed the Paris Opera Ballet.

Dancing Today

Ballet today is considered more of an art rather than an entertainment for the dancers. Today most dances performed by the general public are more relaxed and less formal. The days of composed dances for the general public have gone by the wayside, and improvisation during dance has taken control. Ballet still is in practice, and several grand schools are located in the United States, France, Great Britain and Russia.

References

• Science Friday: Tiny Dancers Show Rhythm's Roots
• History World: History of Dance
• Northeastern University: History of Dance