Ballet is a formalized type of performative dance, the origins of which date lay in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century French courts, and which was further developed in England, Italy, and Russia as a concert dance form.
The early performances preceded the intervention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with the most of the audience seated on tiers or galleries on three sides of the dancing floor, says Wikipedia.
The early ballet dancers were not as highly skilled as they are now [1] It has since become a highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary. It is primarily performed with the accompaniment of classical music. It has been influential as a form of dance globally and is taught in ballet schools around the world, which use their own cultures and societies to inform the art. Ballet dance works (ballets) are choreographed, and also include mime, acting, and are set to music (usually orchestral but occasionally vocal).
It is best known in the form of Late Romantic Ballet Blanc, which preoccupies itself with the female dancer to the exclusion of almost all else, focusing on pointe work, flowing, precise acrobatic movements, and often presenting the dancers in the conventional short white French tutu. Later developments include Expressionist ballet, Neoclassical ballet, and elements of Modern dance.
The etymology of the word "ballet" is related to the art form's history. The word ballet comes from the French and was borrowed into English around the 17th century. The French word in turn has its origins in Italian balletto, a diminutive of ballo (dance). Ballet ultimately traces back to Latin ballare, meaning to dance.
Most of the terminology of ballet is French.
Monday, April 6, 2009
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