ballet

a theatrical representation of a story that is performed to music by trained dancers music written for a ballet

otheruses ---- Ballet is the name given to a specific dance form and ballet techniquetechnique. Works of dance choreographychoreographed using this technique are called ballets, and may include: dance, mime, acting and ballet (music)music (Orchestraorchestral and Singingsung). Ballets can be performed alone or as part of an opera. Ballet is best known for its virtuoso techniques such as pointe work, grand pas de deux and high leg extensions. Many !Glossary_of_ballet_terms ballet techniques bear a striking similarity to fencing positions and footwork, perhaps due to their development during the same periods of history, but more probably, because both arts had similar requirements in terms of balance and movement.Domenico da Piacenza is credited with the first use of the term ''ballo'' (in ''De Arte Saltandi et Choreas Ducendi'') instead of ''danza'' (dance) for his ''baletti'' or ''balli'' which later came to be known as ''Ballets''. The first Ballet ''per se'' is considered to be Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx's Ballet Comique de la Royne (1581) and was a ballet comique (ballet drama). 1581 also saw the publication of Fabritio Caroso's ''Il Ballarino'', a technical manual on ballet dancing that helped to establish Italy as a major centre of ballet development.

History of ballet - Ballet has its roots in Renaissance court spectacle in Italy, but was particularly shaped by the French ''ballet de cour'', which consisted of social dances performed by the nobility in tandem with music, speech, verse, song, pageant, decor and costume. Ballet began to develop as a separate art form in France during the reign of Louis XIV, who was passionate about dance and determined to reverse a decline in dance standards that began in the 17th century. The king established the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661, the same year in which the first comédie-ballet, composed by Jean-Baptist Lully was performed. This early form consisted of a play in which the scenes were separated by dances. Lully soon branched out into opéra-ballet, and a school to train professional dancers was attached to the Académie Royale de Musique, where instruction was based on noble deportment and manners.The 18th Century was a period of great advancement in the technical standards of ballet and the period when ballet became a serious dramatic art form on par with the Opera. Central to this advance was the seminal work of Jean-Georges Noverre, ''Lettres sur la danse et les ballets'' (1760), which focused on developing the ballet d'action, in which the movements of the dancers are designed to express character and assist in the narrative. Reforms were also being made in ballet composition by composers such as Christoph Gluck. Finally, opera was divided into three formal techniques ''sérieux'', ''demi-caractère'' and ''comique''. Ballet also came to be featured in operas as interludes called divertissements.The 19th Century was a period of great social change, which was reflected in ballet by a shift away from the aristocratic sensibilities that had dominated ealier periods through Romantic ballet. Ballerinas such as Marie Taglioni and Fanny Elssler pioneered new techniques such as pointework that rocketed the ballerina into prominence as the ideal stage figure, professional librettists began crafting the stories in ballets, and teachers like Carlo Blasis codified ballet technique in the basic form that is still used today. Ballet began to decline after 1850 in most parts of the western world, but remained vital in Denmark and, most notably, Russia thanks to masters such as August Bournonville, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa. Russian companies, particularly after World War II engaged in multiple tours all over the world that revitalized ballet in the west and made it a form of entertainment embraced to one degree or another by the general public.

Ballet production - Seminal artists involved with ballets include:

Theatre directorDirectors - Jean Dauberval, Sergei Diaghilev, Robert Joffrey, Louis XIV, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Catherine De Medici, Marie Rambert, Ninette de Valois

List of choreographersChoreographers - Frederick AshtonSir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Pierre Beauchamp, Erik Bruhn, Peter Darrell, Michel FokineMikhail Fokine, William Forsythe (dancer) William Forsythe, Yury Grigorovich, Lev Ivanovich Ivanov, Serge Lifar, Kenneth MacMillan, Leonide Massine, Vaslav Nijinsky, Bronislava Nijinska, Jean-Georges Noverre, Rudolf Nureyev, Jules Perrot, Marius Petipa, Jerome Robbins, Filippo Taglioni, Anthony Tudor

Dancers - Alicia Alonso,Briely Movric, Mikhail Baryshnikov,Jeremie Belingard, Jean-Pierre Bonnefous, Erik Bruhn, Darcey Bussell, Jose Manuel Carreno, Fanny Cerito, Vakhtang Chabukiani,Alina Cojocaru, Angel Corella, Anton Dolin, Aurelie Dupont, Fanny Elssler, Suzanne Farrell, Margot Fonteyn, Yekaterina Geltzer,Adeline Genée, Pavel Gerdt,Marcelo Gomes, Lucile Grahn, Carlotta Grisi, Sylvie Guillem, Evelyn Hart,Rex Harrington,Melissa Hayden, Laurent Hilaire, Charles Jude, Karen Kain, Mathilde Kschessinska,Johann Kobborg, Johann Kobborg, Pierina Legnani, Manuel Legris, Nicolas Leriche, Agnes Letestu, Joaquin de Luz, Alicia Markova, Jose Martinez, Elisabeth Maurin, Patricia McBride, Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev, Anna Pavlova, Elisabeth Platel, Maya Plisetskaya,Olga Preobrajenska,Laetitia Pujol, Rolando Sarabia, Yuri Soloviev, Ethan Stiefel, Marie Taglioni, Maria Tallchief, Ludmilla Tchérina,Emmanuel Thibault, Mel Tomlinson, Galina Ulanova,Auguste Vestris, Gaetan Vestris, Svetlana Zakharova,Michael Vester,

Teachers - Agrippina Vaganova, Enrico Cecchetti, Pierre Beauchamp, Thoinot Arbeau, Carlo Blasis, August Bournonville, Raoul-Auger Feuillet, Nicolai Legat, Domenico da Piacenza, Pierre Rameau, Attilio Labis, Cyril Atanassoff, Vera Volkova, Olga Preobrajenska, Elisabeth Gerdt, Sulamith Messerer

Composers - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Jacques Offenbach, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Léo Delibes, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Alexander Glazunov, Reinhold Glière, Pugni

Designers and scenographers - Léon Bakst, Alexandre Benois, Christian Bérard, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, John Craxton, Salvador Dalí, André Derain, Barbara Karinska, Barry Kay, Pablo Picasso, Pavel Tchelitchev, Maurice Utrillo''See also Dance personalia

Ballet education -

Canada -

nationalballetschool.org - The National Ballet School of Canada A boarding school, one of the world's finest places to train dancers for The National Ballet of Canada and other world-class dance companies.

rwbschool.com - Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Official school of Canada's acclaimed Royal Winnipeg Ballet

grandsballets.qc.ca - Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal Classical ballet company based in the francophone province of Québec.

Germany -

muho-mannheim.de - Akademie des Tanzes at the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts in the city of Mannheim, Germany.

ballettschule-lekovic.de - Ballettschule R. Lekovic, Berlin.

ballettschule-berlin.de - Staatliche Ballettschule Berlin und Schule für Artistik Fachrichtung Bühnentanz, Berlin.

hamburgballett.de - Ballettschule des Hamburg Ballett, Hamburg. Director John Neumeier.

theforsythecompany.de - The Forsythe Company, Frankfurt and Dresden.

Switzerland -

ballettluzern.ch - Dance Art Studio Ballettschule Luzern / Lucerne Ballet School Professional ballet school in Switzerland for aspiring dancers and teachers

United Kingdom -

Royal Ballet School !royal-ballet-school.org.uk Founded in England in 1926 by Dame Ninette de Valois

USA -

sab.org - School of American Ballet Official ballet school of the New York City Ballet, founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein

washingtonballet.org - The Washington School of Ballet Located in the nation's capital.

sfballet.org - The San Francisco Ballet School

pnb.org - The Pacific Northwest Ballet School Located in Seattle, Washington.

obt.org - The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre Located in Portland, Oregon.

nutmegballet.org - The Nutmeg Conservatory Located in Torrington, Connecticut

Australia -

Australian Ballet School !australianballetschool.com.au< /a>, 95 % of the Australian Ballet Company are graduates from this school

See also -

Glossary of ballet terms

Ballet company

Dance

Dance basic topics

List of dance style categories

External links -

!balletforfigureskaters.com - Ballet for Figure SkatersVideo Clips

paballet.org - Ballet StepsCategory:Ballet !bg:Балетca:Balletda:Balle tde:Ballettes:Balleteo:Baletof r:Balletfy:Ballethr:Baletit:Ba llettohe:בלטka:ბალე ტიnl:Balletja:バレエno: Ballettpl:Baletpt:Baléru:Ба летsl:Baletsr:Балетfi: Balettisv:Baletttt:Baletzh:芭 蕾舞

R Young Art
Classical figurative, dance and portrait fine art original oil paintings, pastels and gicleé prints by Artist Richard Young – R Young Art
http://www.ryoung-art.co.uk/

The International Dance Council (CID, UNESCO)
- The International Dance Council (CID) is the official umbrella organization for all forms of dance in all countries of the world. - It is a non-profit non-governmental organization founded in 1973 within the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. - It is a worldwide forum bringing together international, national and local organizations as well as select individuals active in dance. - It represents the art of dance in general and advises the UNESCO, national and local government agencies, international organizations and institutions. Headquarters CID, UNESCO, Paris, France
http://www.cid-unesco.org/

Los Angeles School of Gymnastics
Programs available for 18 months-adult in gymnastics, adult classes, rhythmic gymnastics, cheer, ballet, tumbling, special needs, birthday parties, private lessons, movie rentals and talent, consulting.
http://www.lagymnastics.com/

Steps On Main Dance Studio
A dance studio that offers tap, jazz, ballet, modern, lyrical and hip hop to kids age 2 and a half through adult.
http://www.stepsonmaindance.com/

TS CallGirls
Transexual Call Girls
http://www.tscallgirls.com/

InsiderEntertainment.com
InsiderEntertainment.com ~ the premier creative online manual for metropolitan individuals seeking entertainment and enjoyment in their professional, social and cultural endeavours.
http://www.insiderentertainment.com/

Ballet Academy of Warrenton Virginia
A dance school which offers Ballet instruction using the Russian Method, Broadway Jazz, Tap, Modern, Hip Hop, Acrobatics and Creative Movement for the little ones.
http://www.ballet-academy.com

Tablao Flamenco Vista Andalucía
Web del tablao flamenco Vista Andalucía, en Málaga desde 1987
http://www.vistaandalucia.com/

Dance Ballet
Ballett Ballet baile dans danza - all you need for ballet - alles was man braucht zum Ballett
http://www.Dance-Ballet.com

South King County Cultural Coalition
A coalition of arts & heritage organizations in South King County, WA that share ideas, support & marketing. Our website highlights each group & has a calendar for our events.
http://www.sococulture.org/

QuayWake
QuayWake is a contemporary dance ensemble comprising adults trained in contemporary, ballet or modern dance who wish to continue dance training and performance. QuayWake Dance Academy aims to provide students with an education in dance that equips them not only with necessary skills to pursue further or vocational study, but also with an appreciation and respect for the Arts as a future dance audience.
http://www.quaywake.com/

Personal and Business website of Kristy and Scott Nilsson
Personal and business website for Kristy Nilsson and Scott Nilsson, including educational information on choreography, teaching young dancers, basic dance history, etc.
http://www.2nilssons.com/

South Anne Arundel County Dance Conservator, J. Davis Hobdy-School Director
dance conservatory providing training in ballet, Felenkrais, jazzz, modern, pointe,stretch and tap for ages 3-adult, rehearsal home for semi-professional dance company-PIECES
http://www.piecesdance.com/

SASSYBELLA.com
A online fashion and beauty magazine with trends, it items, blog / column, channelling celebrity style and much more
http://www.sassybella.com/

Spandaupages
Information on the band Spandau Ballet and the solo careers of its former members.
http://www.spandaupages.com/

Movin Easy Dancewear
Retail dance store website with information about dance product, events, and where to dance in Austin, TX.
http://www.movineasy.com/

Studioannamora
The best trainers in town. Pilates,Ballet,Gyrokinesis, Feldenkrais, Yoga,and more. Fokke Simonszstr.45 Amsterdam +31 20 320 33 38
http://www.studioannamora.com/

Chatterley Press International
An independent press, founded in the spirit of Virginia Woolf's Hogarth Press.
http://www.chatterleypress.com/

The official site of Stanislav Belyaevsky and Anastasia Dunets
The official site of Stanislav Belyaevsky and Anastasia Dunets, formerly with the Kirov, the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, now with the Finnish National Opera (in Russian and English).
http://www.bd-ballet.com/

Florida Ballet Arts Academy
Southwest Florida's Most Respected Dance Training Ground Since 1962.
http://www.floridaballet.net

New York City Ballet
The official page of America's premiere ballet company.
http://www.nycballet.com

American Ballet Theatre
Information on the upcoming season and Quicktime videos of various ballet positions and steps.
http://www.abt.org/

Ballet.co
Online magazine with news, interviews, features and postings about all things ballet and dance in the UK.
http://www.ballet.co.uk/

San Francisco Ballet
The homepage of the San Francisco Ballet. It includes dancer biographies, the company's repertory, and schedules.
http://www.sfballet.org

CyberDance - Ballet on the Net
A collection of over 3,500 links to classical ballet and modern dance resources on the Internet.
http://www.cyberdance.org/

Cincinnati Ballet
A classically based professional ballet company based in Cincinnati, Ohio
http://www.cincinnatiballet.com