Glossary

Hello friends ! Am sorry for taking a bit long  to update my further posts . So here i am with the Glossary of ballet .Yes you read it right , Glossary of ballet . Since ballet's vocabulary  is based on french terminology so i would like to share few vocab of ballet with you all .

I am sure  some of you must have heard about few of these words before. But here i would like to brief you more about these words .

1. A la seconde :
      In ballet, to the side. In ballet, to the second position, in which the legs are turned out from the pelvis and the feet are apart.

2. Adagio :
  (especially as a direction) in slow time.

3. Arabesque :
      It is a posture in which one leg is extended backwards at right angles, the torso bent forwards, and the arms outstretched, one forwards and one backwards.

4. Assemble : 
   An assemble is a classical ballet movement in which the dancer's feet or legs are brought together in the air, then lands on both feet.



5. Attitude : 
        A position in which a dancer stands on one leg (the supporting leg) while the other leg (working leg) is raised at hip height  and turned out with knee bent to form an angle of approximately 90° between the thigh and the lower leg.

6. Chasse : 
         A slide forward, backward, or sideways with both legs bent, then springing into the air with legs straight and together.

7. Coupe: 
     Coupé is both a step and action.It may also be done from an extended leg position into fondu or directly through fifth position. 

8. Demi : 
       Applied to plié, pointe, and other movements or positions to indicate a smaller or lesser version.

9. Develope : 
            A movement in which the leg is first lifted to retiré, then fully extended outward, passing through attitude. 

10. Jete : 
     A leap in which one leg appears to be thrown in the direction of the movement (en avant, en arrière, or sideways). 

So friends. here i come to an end. Hoping you all had found it informative :)  As i say , keep reading and stay tuned because a lot more is on its way :). Till then Asta la vista friends ! 

Styles and Types

Hello friends ,  let me take you  on the dance floor and show you the different styles and types of ballet. 
Come, lets know about these styles briefly . 

1. Classical ballet is what people generally think of when we talk about “ballet.” Classical ballet reached its height in 19th century Russia through the work of choreographers like Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. It is characterized by the following elements:

§  graceful, flowing movements

§  classical form: turn-out of the legs and pointe work

§  balance and symmetry

§  ethereal

§  emphasis on story ballets and narrative

§  elaborate sets and costumes

  

                       

2. Neo-classical ballet was introduced in the 20th century by choreographers like George Balanchine. It generally includes:

§  increased speed, energy and attack

§  manipulation of the classical form

§  asymmetry; an off-balance feel

§  non-narrative; often one-act ballets

§  paired down aesthetic—simple sets and costumes

                          

3. Contemporary ballet is influenced by modern dance. Renowned contemporary ballet choreographers include Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor and Dwight Rhoden. In contemporary ballet, you may see:

§  floor work

§  turn-IN of the legs

§  greater range of movement and body line

§  pointe shoes but also bare feet

                 

      Lets now get to know about the styles of ballet . Yes you all read it right 'styles of ballet' .Come, lets know about the 2 styles of ballet. 

1. Story ballets (not surprisingly!) tell a story. They contain narrative action, characters, and a beginning and end. The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty are famous story ballets from the 19th century; classic stories and novels such as The Great Gatsby and The Three Musketeershave also been transformed into ballets.

2. Plotless ballets have no storyline; rather they utilize the movement of the body and theatrical elements to interpret music, create an image or to express or provoke emotion. Choreographer George Balanchine was a prolific creator of plotless ballets.


 So people, i come to an end of this post. Hoping you all  have found it exciting to read about styles and types of ballet . As i say , keep reading and stay tuned because a lot more post are on its way . 
till then asta la vista friends ! 

History of Ballet

Here am back with the history of ballet. Let's go back to the Renaissance courts of the 15th century and know about ballet's history . 

Lets talk about its origin first  -

Ballet originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century. Noblemen and women were treated to lavish events, especially wedding celebrations, where dancing and music created an elaborate spectacle. In fact, the terms "ballet" and "ball" as in masked ball, come from the Italian ballare, to dance. Dancing masters taught the steps to the nobility, and the court participated in the performances. In the 16th century, 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. His love of ballet fostered its elevation from a pasttime for amateurs to an endeavor requiring professional training. 

                                                 

                                                          15th century ballerinas' 

It might be really shocking to know but the attire of the bellers and ballerinas were not same as today.  At first, the dancers wore masks, layers upon layers of brocaded costuming, pantaloons, large headdresses and ornaments. Such restrictive clothing was sumptuous to look at but difficult to move in.

                                                                 

                                                     Louis 16 in the ballet attire

Now, lets move to 17th century -

Originally the court ballets were performed by the aristocracy and royalty in the rooms and gardens of their palaces. Dances were based on the social dances of the royal courts with graceful arm and upper body movements and elaborate floor patterns.

Eventually it became impossible for amateur dancers to reach the standards demanded by the dancing masters and composers. The two separate traditions of ballet and opera began to develop independently and in 1661 the Académie Royale de Danse, was established in France.  Here the first professional theater dancers were trained and dance moved from the court into the public theaters.

                           

                                            Académie Royale de Danse

Moving forward to 18th century -

 Now coming to 18th century's attire :

It will really amaze you all to know that Following the French Revolution of 1789, women abandoned paniers and corsets for floating Grecian style dresses, which emphasised the body. Dancers followed fashion and these dresses meant they could perform a greater range of movement. They now wore flat slippers, which allowed greater flexibility in the foot, and women developed the trick of rising on tiptoe (on demi-pointe). Men’s costumes also reflected fashion and the tonnelet was replaced with a jacket and fitted breeches. Now that costumes had become freer, men and women could dance together. 

                                               

                                                          Attires in 18th century 

 So friends i come to the end of this post , hoping you all loved the piece of information that i shared with you all :)So keep sharing , reading and stay tuned because a lot more posts  are coming soon :)

Till then asta la vista people ;) 

Ballet Dance

 Okay! so Hi people , i am a fashion student and i got to write a  blog on my topic which is 'Ballet'  , one of my project. I hope i'll be able to communicate the exact knowledge about ballet to you all and hoping to get a great response in back . 
I chose the topic ballet  because Ballet is something which connects me from my soul. It calms me and helps me improve my poise, confidence, but with a touch of grace. Ballet is one of my favorite dance style and this is the reason why i chose ballet.  

   So the first question that comes to our mind is,'what is ballet and from where did this word 'ballet' come?.' Here is a short straight forward answer to the above  question .

       Ballet is a universe of the imagination, a place of magic and enchantment, beauty and romance.  They incorporate poetry, painting, music, and dancing to create elegant and lavish entertainments.Ballet is sight, sound, and motion, the theatrical form that can tell a story without words or convey moods and emotions through music and movement. 

The word 'ballet' comes from the Latin word ballare, which simply means to dance . The wordballare did not refer to a specific type of dance, but to the general word which means 'to dance'. Over several centuries, the word 'ballet' was formed in French, from the Latin root, and became an English word as a direct borrowing from French. 

So in another words  Ballet  is a type of performance dance that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread, highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary based on French terminology.

A ballerina with pointe shoes 

Here, i come to an end of my first post . So stay tuned  and keep reading because more post are coming soon :)