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The Romantic History of Ballet

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The art of ballet dance is actually very old. It takes a disciplined and athletic body to perform the beautiful movements that tell us a story. Performances usually take place in a theater. Many young girls fantasize about becoming stars in the ballet world. In actuality it takes a lot of hard work and many years if they make it at all.

Contrary to belief, ballet as a dance form originated in Italy during the Renaissance period of the 1400s. Most people associate ballet with France owing to the fact that ballet steps have predominantly French names, such as the plie. France is where ballet as a dance form was developed and the first ballet company 'The Queen's Ballet Company' came up in France.

By the mid 1600s ballets consisted of not only beautiful dances, but extravagant costumes, sets, and props as well. Professional ballet continued to grow, and it was very popular with royalty. For the next few hundred years the ballet's costumes continued to become more intricate, and toe dancing was introduced. The block toe shoes were not yet invented and so the dancers could only hold their positions for a second or two.

La Sylphide is credited with introducing the romantic style of ballet in the 1800s. This style used the toe dancing technique extensively and brought about many changes to ballet. However, to answer the question posed by many, the traditional tutu came from the ballet Giselle where the tutu was worn by all the ghostly spirits.

Romantic ballet featured many women dancers. Some ballerinas came from the United States. Ballet was also embraced in Russia and Denmark, but was actually declining in France. During these years ballet was considered ghostly and mythical, unrelated to natural human movement.

As the 20th century advanced, ballet definitely became more representative of how humans actually move. This was due in part to the popularity of other dance forms. These changes continue today, as ballet often includes other dance styles when it's performed.

These days ballets have evolved as a combination with another style of dance to produce a new symphony in the art of dance. This process began in 1944, when a ballet called Fancy Free was introduced. This ballet used jazz dance with the ballet steps to create a revolutionary dance form.

Today many more modern ballets are being performed, while at the same time audiences still love the classical and romantic forms. All of these styles are still taught and performed as ballet is immensely popular. People are constantly impressed at the variety and complexity of movements that humans are capable of. Even though most of us will never be able to perform these moves, we can marvel and dream when we see ballet on stage.

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About the author: Nadya Petronas is the your host at Ballet @, the web's premier location when you are searching for the latest knowledge, accurate up to date advice and commentary about Ballet. For questions or comments about this article visit: www.balletat.com/articles
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