Stephanie Sorensen, age 15, of Twin Falls, Ids., for her question:
WHEN WAS THE BALLET FIRST PERFORMED?
Ballet is a theatrical form of dance that consists of stylized movements and positions that have been elaborated and codified over the centuries into a well defined though flexible system called academic ballet. It began to evolve in Western Europe during the Renaissance.
The earliest ballets were lavish entertainments given in the courts of Renaissance Italy. These elaborate spectacles, which united painting, poetry, music and dancing, took place in large hails that were used also for banquets and balls.
A ballet given in 1489 actually was performed between the courses of a banquet and the action was closely related to the menu. The dancers were courtiers and the performance was based on the social dances of the day.
The Italian court ballets were imitated in France where the Italian born queen Catherine de Medics and her Italian French dancing master presented "The Queen's Ballet Comedy" in 1581. It was the first ballet for which a complete written account survives.
"The Queen's Ballet Comedy" was danced by aristocratic amateurs in a hall with the royal family on a dais at one end and spectators in galleries on three sides. Since much of the audience saw the ballet from above, the choreography emphasized the elaborate floor patterns created by lines and groups of dancers. Poetry and songs supplemented the dances.
Most French court ballets consisted of dance scenes linked by a minimum of plot. They were designed principally for the entertainment of the aristocracy and emphasized rich costumes, scenery and elaborate stage effects.
Not until 1632 were ballet performances opened to the general public, and then only on certain occasions. The proscenium stage was first adopted in France at this time and professional dancers made their first appearance.
Court ballet reached its peak during the reign of Louis XIV between 1643 and 1715. In 1661 he established the Academia Royale de Dance, a professional organization for dancing masters. By then the court ballet was giving way to professional dancing.
At first all the dancers were men and men in masks danced women's roles. The first professional female dancers appeared in 1681 in a ballet called "The Triumph of Love."
The dance ~technique of the period included many steps and positions recognizable today. And a new theatrical form developed: the opera ballet which placed equal emphasis on singing arid dancing and generally consisted of a series of dances linked by a common theme.
Eighteenth century dancers were encumbered by masks, wigs or large headdresses and heeled shoes. Women wore panniers, hovpskirts draped at the sides for fullness. Man often wore the tonnelet, a knee length hoopskirt.
During the second half of the 18th century the Paris Opera was dominated by male dancers who were famous for their jumps and leaps. But women also gained in technical skill.