Citations For All Information

"The History of Ballet." . The McGee Foundation, n.d. Web. 2 May 2014. <http://www.thecharlestonballet.com/educationOutreach.pdf>.

"Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre." The Point of Pointe Shoes. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2014. <http://www.pbt.org/community-engagement/point-pointe-shoes>.

"The Russian State Ballet comes to Guildford! - Guildford." Guildford. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2014. <http://www.thisisourtownguildford.co.uk/the-russian-state-ballet-comes-to-guildford/>.

"Hit the stage in our discount dancewear!." The History of Ballet. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2014. <http://www.tiptoedancewear.com/ballet-history>.

Minden, Aliza . "History of Pointe Shoes and Technique." . Gaynor Minden, n.d. Web. 6 May 2014. <www.dancer.com/hist.php>.

"Today's Male Ballet Dancer." Pointe magazine – Ballet at its Best.. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2014. <http://www.pointemagazine.com/blogs/milwaukee-ballet/todays-male-ballet-dancer>.

"Ballet." Ballet. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://www.whererussia.com/culture_Ballet.html>.

"History." . The Australian Ballet, n.d. Web. 11 May 2014. <https://www.australianballet.com.au/about_us/history>.

"Ballet 101." Ballet 101. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://www.washingtonballet.org/news-media/ballet-101/>.

"Pointe History." . The Perfect Pointe, n.d. Web. 5 May 2014. <www.the-perfect-pointe.com/hist.php>.

My Reasoning

The reason that I created this blog about ballet was because ballet is something that I am interested in. I am a ballet dancer, as well as a ballet teacher. I teach ages 4-15 and I absolutely love it, but I realized that I didn't know much about the history of ballet. So that brought us to now, me making a blog for history class about ballet. I have learned a lot throughout making this blog, including that ballet began during the Renaissance and Louis XIV was one of the founders. I also discovered how pointe shoes are crafted. Pointe shoes intrigue me a lot because I just got my first pair about 6 months ago and I'm still going through a stage where I'm obsessed with them. So, learning more about their design was interesting. In making this blog I not only learned more about what I do, but also what I do it with, and it was a blast learning and sharing that information through this blog.

Styles of Ballet

The most formal of all the ballet styles is the classical style. Classical ballet differs depending on where it originated from (France, Italy, or Russia). Neoclassical ballet is almost the same as classical, but it usually is put to faster paced tempos and has more featured parts in it. Contemporary ballet is a mix between classical ballet and modern dance. It does not follow a lot of the strict technical aspects of classical ballet and allows a fuller range of movement for the dancer. Contemporary ballet began to boom in the 20th century and included many of the 20th century modern dance techniques incorporated into it. These 3 styles may seem very similar, but in reality they are very diverse and with knowing what each was, anyone could decipher which was which.

Australian Ballet

The Australian Ballet is generally known for their technical excellence and friendliness. They gave their first performance in 1962 which was the beginning of their strong publicity foundation. This ballet flourished and achieved in its early stages because of their director, Peggy Van Praagh. When they first began they had a set of principle dancers that played all of the key rolls in productions. They brought in profound choreographers from across the globe to train their dancers. Maina Gielugd was directing the Australian Ballet when it truly began to become internationally known. She was a very intuitive person and was always setting higher goals for the ballet. This is what trained them to be so professional and optimistic. The Australian Ballet is one of the busiest in the world and tours Australia annually with new and improved material.

The Anatomy of Pointe Shoes

Pointe shoes are carefully hand crafted to fit the needs of a ballerina perfectly. There are many different shapes, sizes, strengths, and styles of pointe shoes, but each have a few things in common. When they are made each is created with a durable shank that lies under the arch of the dancers foot and is the main piece for support in my opinion. The platform is the square piece on the toe of the shoe. This is where the dancer will stand when she is on relive. The box is what is underneath the platform. It is what the dancer's toes touch while dancing. It is the ground for the ballerina's feet while up on her toes. The vamp is the piece of shoe that begins directly behind the toes and runs down and around the box/platform. It is there for toe support and to ensure that your foot is pointing properly. The wing is the side of the pointe shoe. It holds everything together and helps hold your feet in the proper position while you're rising up. All parts of the pointe shoe are essential for the ballerina's health and the durability of the shoe.

Russian Ballet

Russia was not the founder of ballet, however, a lot of the ballet technique that we use today came from Russian decent. Ballet in Russian began during the 1700's. There was only one ballet school in Russia before the St. Petersburg Imperial School of Ballet. When ballet first began in Russia it was mostly dominated by French and Italian dancers, but over time Russia started to incorporate their own ideas into the mix. In 1909 Russia initiated a touring ballet company which expanded the Russian ballet across the world. There are many widely known ballet dancers who have come from Russia including, Anna Pavlova, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and so many more! The Russian ballet is known throughout the world to this day, and their techniques are used worldwide for training uprising dancers. Russia has many attractions surrounded around ballet, and most cities specially build theaters for ballet productions to be held in.

Men and Ballet

For most of ballet's history, men were only there to make the women look pretty. They were the ones who would help the ballerina jump or fly into the air. They were basically the women's foundation. Without the men, the productions wouldn't have had partnering or lifts. Back then, most men only needed strength and slight coordination to become a male dancer, but now, men need strong ballet technical skills as well as the strength and endurance for partnering. Males are sometimes the supporting lead in ballet dances now. Their bodies are structured differently than that of a female and the males are more embodied to do high jumps and leaps and incredible turns, some more so than the women. Since the beginning, male's responsibility in ballet have increased dramatically and now there are some male's that are the most profound in the business.

Developing the Pointe Shoe

A dancer named Marie Taglioni gets credit for being the first to dance on her toes using pointe shoes. There are many other people that people will argue for being the first, but no matter who did it, Taglioni is definitely the one who pioneered and developed the shoe. Before Taglioni, dancing on pointe was more of a circus act than a way of dancing. When Taglioni stepped in, it became a type of expression and a technical feature in ballet dancing. Pointe shoes were invented because ballerina's had the dream of being graceful and elegant. The picture perfect ballerina was one who looked like she was heavenly and could do anything she dreamed of. Pointe shoes showed their strength, as well as put them higher off the ground, which helped them create the illusion of floating like an angel. The first pointe shoes were only made of leather with darning on the sides. They did not have much support and felt as if the ballerina was dancing barefoot. Now pointe shoes have a bloched tip and a stiff sole with serious arch support. Pointe shoes have developed in ways to benefit the dancer so much since they first had their debut and will surely grow more in the years to come.

Women and Ballet

It wasn't until around 1730 that women had any key rolls in ballet. Men were prominent in all productions and had a higher advantage over the women. Women were forced to wear headdresses, masks, and heavy clothing while they danced, which greatly restricted their movement. Men however, could wear tights and leotards which was the perfect attire for ballet. Men could do all of the big jumps and leaps without any anchors, while women were completely held back and weighed down. In 1730 women began to rebel and force their way into the show. Their costumes transformed from big and heavy to small and light. Women would remove their heavy costumes directly before their show so that the directors or choreographers couldn't do anything about it. During the 18th century women ballet dancers became much more popular. They also expanded the ballet vocabulary and added more jumps and turns for the females. Pointe shoes which allow the dancer to dance on the tips of her toes are only for females. Males dance in flat shoes at all times, but it's hard to find a professional female who is not dancing on pointe. Today, males and females share principal roles in ballet. Some would say that females are more important, but most believe that they are equal beings in the world of ballet.

The Emergence of Ballet

In ballet's early years, Paris became the center for the art. When ballet first began, the performers would wear outrageous costumes, headdresses, and masks. Many choreographers had stated that ballet was supposed to portray a mood or emotion, and with the ridiculous clothing they wore, that could not be done. Jean Georges Noverre established ballet d'action, which is a style of ballet that reflects a story through movement and with this, the crazy costumes started disappearing. Many of the first ballet's were centered around mythology and legends, but as it emerged, more romantic themes began to come out. American ballet was brought here and influenced by a Russian choreographer, George Balanchine. American ballet still has Russian influences even though some dancers have stepped in and applied their own style. Ballet began with courts and dukes performing during dinner parties in grand palaces, but now it has become a traveling attraction. Ballet groups and organizations travel the world to show their talent to others. Dancers train long and hard hours all of their lives to become professional traveling dancers. Ballet has become more technical, emotion-filled, and strenuous through the years as popularity has grown. It is at a high point now and more than likely will stay exactly where it is for future years to come.

The Beginning

Ballet can be traced all the way back to Italy in the 1400's. It had always been a form of performing that can either express a story, portray a mood, or reflect the music. Ballet began to gain popularity during the Reniassance. Dukes started earning more money to promote the arts and this helped the art of Ballet to flourish. The wealthy dukes had competitions to discover who could put on the largest and fanciest shows, and each duke was on a mission to make his opposers envy them. The Beaujoyeulx's entertainment, the Ballet Comique de la Reine is considered by most to be the first ballet production. King Louis XIV loved to dance and participated in the ballet's given in his court until he became fat and old. He then opened a royal dance academy that trained dancers to professionalism. His idea of dance academies spread throughout Europe and it influenced the opening of the Russian Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg, which is considered one of the greatest ballet schools in history. Ballet built a strong foundation for itself, so well that it is still alive and strong today.