Hello everyone, today I wanted to talk about what has been my passion since I was three years old : Ballet dance. I am going to present you ballet dance’s History, its stars and how they train each week.
Firstly as an introduction, here are my first pointe shoes ! Until today… :)
So where does Ballet dance come from?
Usually we used to think that the King of France Louis XIV was the one who invented ballet dance. But he is not the first. Actually, ballet dance finds its roots in Italy’s court during the Renaissance period. In a short time ballet dance will be exported from Italy to the European monarchies. It will find great success in France and Russia.
The word “ ballet” comes from italy “balleto” a short for “ballo” which means dancing.
At this time it was crucial for the nobles to know how to dance because they had to be able to move with grace and smoothness.
Catherine de Medici, an Italian noblewoman, wife of King Henry II of France and a great patron of the arts, began to fund ballet in the French court. Her elaborate festivals encouraged the growth of ballet de cour, a program that included dance, decor, costume, song, music and poetry. A century later, King Louis XIV helped to popularize and standardize the art form. A passionate dancer, he performed many roles himself, including that of the Sun King in Ballet de la nuit.
Early classical ballet in the 19th century was promoted by romanticism and led to famous ballet such as Giselle and La Sylphide. We call them romantic ballet. This is also the period of time when dancing on the tips of the toes, known as pointe work, became the norm for the ballerina.
When ballet dance reached Russia many famous choreographers create huge ballets requiring a lot of technique, method and harmony between each dancer. Marius Petipa’s The Nutcracker, The sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, by Petipa and Lev Ivanov, represent classical ballet in its grandest form. It is also the end of romantic and long tutus and the beginning of shorter tutus drawing the famous dancer figure we know today.
It really looks like statues doesn’t it? This is what we call the “corps de ballet”. Here is the Paris National opera ballet company.
The “corps de ballet” is one of the ballet dance bases. It is one of the most complicated things. Its organisation is very geometrical, everybody must follow its partners, have the same gesture, the same look and the same attitude. The ascension within a ballet company to the famous title of star dancer is very hard and unique. It is an atmosphere of competition where each person have the same dream.
Dancers have to train every hour to maintain their strength: Hugo Marchand a star dancer witnesses
"At 9:15 am, stretching to wake the body; at 10 am, Pilates class; at 11 am, dance class; from noon to 4 pm, rehearsal of the show or sometimes from 1:30 pm to 4 pm, to take care".
It is repetitive and exhausting but it’s led by passion and nothing is stronger than that. The three main qualities which are required are the “ coup de pied”, flexibility and grace. The aim is not to be able to twist every part of our body. It has to be controlled and shown as if it was really easy and natural to do. Pretty complicated to keep smiling constantly when you're dancing Don Quichotte ballet during 3 or 4 hours on the top of your feet :)
Therefore , a dancer’s grace helps to appear as light as a swan;)
First picture is Margot Fonteyn an English dancer coming from London Ballet company then just below her faithful dance partner : Rudolph Noureev.
Second picture is Maurice Béjart, a very famous choreographer and third one is the star dancer Sylvie Guillem who had the most incredible "coup de pied" ever.
POLINA, DANSER SA VIE (Juliette Binoche)
Polina has a successful career right in front of her thanks to the Bolshoi. However she wants more than ballet dance, she wants passion, madness, she want to let it go and dance freely.
BLACK SWAN
A psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet, BLACK SWAN stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a featured dancer who finds herself locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival at the company (Mila Kunis). It shows how pression and seriousness can become insanity.
And obviously a classic: BILLY ELIOTT
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