Almost everybody, at least once in their lifetime, gets crazy for dancing. Even babies, after listening to music, get excited and do some of their moves. Dance comes from within the heart and has so many other forms available. In different dance forms, one of them is ballet. Ballet is more of an art form than a dance form and it hones the instinct and prepares the performers of ballet for some incredible and technical moves.
It is a kind of graceful sport. Ballet involves a lot of effort and hard work with some concepts to make a better ballet performer. Let’s know more about this interesting and amazing dance form.
HISTORY OF BALLET
It can be easily noticed that most of the terms used in ballet belong to the French language. However, Ballet begins in Italy during the 15th century but most of its development took place in France after its move from the royal courts to concert halls. Ballet gradually became a piece of performance that so many people wanted to watch from the audience.
Ballet, in France, thrived during the reign of the renowned French king, Louis XIV, who himself was a dancer when was young. However, over time, people gradually started losing their interest in ballet. This encouraged some teachers and choreographers to recreate ballet with some new techniques and innovations to breathe some new life into the art. Still, the French people lost their interest in ballet, but it continued to prosper in other parts of Europe.
Also Read, The Indian Classical Dancers who kept the Legacy Alive
And today, ballet is enjoyed by every single person all over the world. We have some of the greatest ballet dancers, majorly from the countries like China, Russia, and United States. However, France is also a center of this dance form but has lost its prominence when compared to other countries.
POPULAR BALLET STYLES
In the history of Ballets, four major ballet styles rose to prominence and these ballet styles include; Romantic, Classical, Contemporary, and Neoclassical. Let’s know about each of them in a little detail.
Romantic Ballet- This style of Ballet, i.e. Romantic Ballet, was developed during the 19th century. As the nineteenth century was the time when writers were focused on expressing intense emotions. And following the trend as others, Ballet too started practicing this trend. Most of the Romantic Ballets include the spirited woman stealing the hearts of men, and this leads men into a kind of fervor that they have never actually experienced before. Some of the popular romantic ballets include; Coppelia and La Sylphide.
Classical Ballet- Classical ballets mainly focus on the training methods that make it possible for the dancers to perform highly technical moves. It is quite a hard form of ballet to perform such highly technical moves. It is a little difficult for people to learn this dance form, as it requires extraordinary balance, flexibility, and strength.
There are so many subgenres of classical ballet that have got their names after the country that discovered it or after the person who made it popular or discovered it. Some subgenres of classical ballet include; Russian Ballet, French Ballet, and Cecchetti ballet. Some of the famous classical ballets include Swan Lake, Sleeping beauty, and The Nutcracker. Till now these amazing ballets are performed around the world and are loved by many.
Neoclassical Ballet- Much similar to Classical Ballet, Neoclassical Ballet often uses the same methods and techniques as used in classical ballets. The major difference between classical ballet and neoclassical ballet is that the neoclassical ballet takes an abstract approach to storytelling. Neoclassical ballets don’t have a fixed and obvious plot. Instead of this, neoclassical ballets use some challenging movements of the body that help in expressing the emotions.
Some dancers or ballet performers feel that neoclassical ballet is more challenging than classical ballet. The reason behind this can be that neoclassical ballet techniques focus more on athleticism rather than delicate grace. This puts a little emphasis on the ability of a dancer to new areas of art.
Neoclassical Ballet is a recent development that begins in the 20th century. There are some renowned and famous choreographers belonging to this genre, and some of them even consider themselves as modern ballet choreographers. In so many respects and cases, it actually becomes difficult for people to differentiate in between the modern and neoclassical forms, as they have so much in common.
Contemporary Ballet- This style of ballet, i.e. the Contemporary ballet, draws its inspiration from some varied sources. In fact, some purists even to believe that it is not an actual form of ballet, as it involves so many moves from jazz and modern dance. Some of the ethnic ballets include so many ethnic techniques that are not originated from Europe. That is why it does not appear as a ballet to some people. Contemporary ballet form combines techniques and moves from other types and cultures of dance.