The History of Ballet in Europe

Bennett 1

Dancing Through History:

The History of Ballet in Europe

The first emergence of ballet occurred during the Renaissance in sixteenth century France. Several key political figures of the time, including Catherine de Medici and King Henry II, contributedto the growth of ballet in Europe. Later, under the reign of Louis XIV in the seventeenth century, ballet further developed in its birthplace of France. Subsequently, during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the technical standards of ballet began to increase. Finally, ballet spread to many other countries in Europe including Italy and Russia, as various training techniques were adopted and shared.

Catherine de Medici was an Italian aristocrat with a strong passion for the arts. When shemarried Henry II of Francein 1533, she took advantage of her new roleto spread her passion for dance and to provide financial support for its growth (Louis XIV and the French Influence). As a result of Catherine’s ability to fund this new and vulnerable art form, ballet flourished. In the early sixteenth century,the ballet du cour, or the court ballet emerged, funded entirely by the French monarchy for the sole purpose of showing its own greatness (A History of the Art). Ballets were held as part of the magnificences, or huge court celebrations lasting several days and including various types of entertainment.

Beginning in 1661 with the reign of Louis XIV, ballet became a separate performance-based art form. The new king was passionate about dance himself, taking daily dance lessons and surrounding himself with the most talented artists to create his court ballets (The Social Etiquette and Politics of Dance). Casting in Louis XIV’s court ballets was determined by talent, not by social status. As a result, noblemen were required to develop their dancing technique in order to maintain their social standing in the court. Because roles were awarded based primarily on proper technique, lower-class nobles or even members of entirely different social classes, were able to participate in the court ballets. Louis de Rouvrey, a member of the French court, described the etiquette, behavior, and everyday life of courtiers under Louis XIV (The Social Etiquette and Politics of Dance). In one of his entries, Rouvrey discussed the importance of dance for maintaining social standing. Rouvrey emphasized the idea that seventeenth century European ballet was not just considered an activity but that it also contributed to one’s place in society.

At the beginning of his reign, King Louis XIV established the Académie Royale de la Danse(A History of the Art). Hefounded the academy to "re-establish the art in its perfection" (Letters Patent for L'Académie Royale de Dance). As part of this emphasis on proper technique, Pierre Beauchamp, a court dancer and choreographer to Louis XIV, developed the five basic positions of ballet. Another key figure in the history of ballet was Jean-Baptist Lully, an Italian composer who played a significant role in helping to establish the path that ballet would follow. King Louis XIV supported Lully and in return, Lully cast the king in many of his ballets. In fact, Louis XIV’s title, the Sun King, originated from his role in Lully's Ballet de la Nuit(Louis XIV and the French Influence). The specific costume which Louis XIV wore in the Ballet de la Nuitwas seen in a drawing from a collection of the costumes worn in the ballet (Louis XIV as Apollo). Louis XIV’s headpiece had sun rays framing the face, glorifying his role in the ballet as well as his importance as a ruler.

The eighteenthand nineteenth centuries were a period of advance in the technical standards of ballet and the period in which ballet became a serious, dramatic art form. Ballet began to shift from a social obligation to a legitimate art form. The mid-eighteenth century began what is known as the Romantic period in ballet, corresponding to similar movements in literature and art. Romanticism was a reaction against formal constraints and placed an emphasis on change. Reflecting this perspective, choreographers began to compose romantic ballets that appeared light and airy. In his dance instruction manual The Dancing Master, Pierre Rameau statedthat "dancing adds graces to the gifts which nature has bestowed upon us, by regulating the movements of the body and setting it in its proper positions". As a pioneer in ballet, Rameau was convinced that the art form was natural and that the body was meant to move in such ways, when in fact, the movements of ballet and the pointe work which came along with it were, and remain, completely unnatural.

Edgar Degas, a French artistclosely associated with the Impressionist movement of the nineteenth century, was especially identified with the subject of dance (Edgar Degas). Over half of his works depicted dancers and the hard work that they put into the ultimate goal of ballet: making it all seem effortless. In Degas’ 1874 “Ballet Rehearsal on the Set,” he was able to capture this hard work in the rehearsal atmosphere rather than in a performance setting. He shows one dancer rehearsing a solo in front of the prominent directors, while the others either admire or stretch around the perimeter of the rehearsal.

While France was instrumental as the birthplace of early classical ballet, other countries and cultures contributed to the art form, includingItaly and Russia. In fact, Italian ballerina, Marie Taglioni, was credited with developing modern pointe technique (Marie Taglioni). Taglioni was the first ballerina to dance the full length of the romantic balletLa Sylphideen pointe in 1832. One painting shows Marie Taglioni as Flore in Charles Didelot's ballet Zephire et Flore, circa 1831. She is shown delicately balancing en pointe on one foot while looking completely natural and graceful, as if she was born to stand on her toes. Creating this illusion would have been the goal of the painting, as ballet was an artform meant to appear effortless. Also, her bell-shaped skirt in this painting became the platform on which the Romantic tutu was built fifty years later. In Russia, men advanced alongside women, unlike in other countries, because the ballet was still supported by the court of the royalty (The Russian Revolution and Nureyev). The Russians made themselves known in the ballet world during the Romantic era. However, they were only first able to achieve this by importing dancers from the already well-known French.

The expansion of ballet in Europe was a reflection of society and social movements from the 15th to 19th centuries. Over these periods, the varying styles of ballet and the technique of dancers evolved from an amusement of the royal court to the form which we recognize today as classical ballet.

Works Cited

“Dance.” Cyprus Classical. 23 May 2008.

Degas, Edgar. Ballet Rehearsal on the Set. 1874. Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

“Edgar Degas.” MSN: Encarta. 24 May 2008.

encyclopedia_761563116/Degas_Edgar.html

“A History of the Art.” The KennedyCenter ArtsEdge. 24 May 2008.

Lane, Richard James. Marie Taglioni as Flore in Charles Didelot’s Ballet Zephire et

Flore. Lithograph based on drawing by Richard James Lane. Circa 1831. VictoriaAlbertMuseum, London.

guided_tours/dance_tour/ballet/romantic_taglioni.php

Louis XIV as Apollo. Costumes for the Ballet royal de la nuit (Royal Ballet of the Night.

Circa 1650. Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris.

bnf/bnf0004.html

“Louis XIV and the French Influence.” The Ballet. 25 May 2008.

“Marie Taglioni.” MSN: Encarta. 24 May 2008.

encyclopedia_761562781/marie_taglioni.htm

Rameau, Pierre. The Dancing Master. Trans: Cyril W. Beaumont. New York: Dance

Horizons Republications,1970.

“The Social Etiquette and Politics of Dance.” Blakeney Manor. 23 May 2008.

Appendix A

Louis XIV as Apollo

Paris.

Appendix B

Ballet Rehearsal on the Set

Edgar Degas

Appendix C

Marie Taglioni as Flore in Charles Didelot’s Ballet

Zephire etFlore.

Lithograph by Richard James Lane based on drawing by Richard James Lane.