Cultural Timeline: Ballet

Modern Ballet

2017 BCE

Modern ballet is what we see today. Ballet has spread globally, but we largely see Russian ballet as the style more often taught, or Russian ballet with nuances of Italian ballet's intricate footwork. Ballet is now incredibly prevalent in Russia, where many girls begin dancing as soon as they can walk; Russia has a moderate concentration of sleep-away schools that offer a focus in Ballet

Russian Ballet vs Italian Ballet

1805 BCE

In these two close, but separate points of the world, ballet is instructed differently. Russia focuses on exaggerated extensions of the body and complex turns, whereas Italian ballet has a focus on floor work, and precise and quick footwork.

Classical Ballet

1800 BCE

Ballet has finally reached Russia, and most, if not all choreography is focused on the aesthetic of the dance, rather then the expressions. Three schools of dance are created: Russian Ballet, British Ballet and Italian Ballet.

Action Ballet

1760 BCE

Action ballet is created by Jean Georges Noverre, a French choreographer. He has decided to stop using props as a form of expression, but instead uses his dances. They dance a ballet that is very intense, strenuous on the body, and utilizes a of facial expressions. We are approaching what we now see as modern dance.

Opera Ballet

1675 BCE

Ballet performed to Jean-Baptiste Lully's (a very close friend to Louis XIV) compositions become popularized, and serve as entertainment for non-royals.

Established French Gentlemen Dancing

1654 BCE

During his time as a teenaged king, Louis XIV took ballet lessons each day to perfect his craft. Word of this had drifted down to commonfolk, and it became the goal each established French man to learn to dance ballet

Louis XIV

1639 BCE

In 1639, Louis XIV is born. His birth is celebrated with a ballet written especially for him, Ballet de la Felicite. Louis goes on to be not only king, but a renowned ballet dancer himself, and was offered referred to as "The Sun King", for the part he played as the Sun God in the classic ballet "La Ballet de la Nuit".

La Ballet Comique de la Reine

1581 BCE

The "First Ballet", or Le Ballet Comique de la Reine, is created by Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx under the eye of the queen, Catherine de' Medici, as a wedding gift tothe Duke de Joyeuse and Marguerite de Vaudemont, in Paris. The choreography is incredibly intricate, with many jumps, steps and turns on and leading off stage, and has become the basis what we know as classical ballet today.

Court vs Country dances

1500 BCE

Europe introduces court and country dancing. Court ballet dancing is performed for royalty, and one must have gone through rigorous training in order to learn how to court ballet dance. Court ballet dance is not what we know today as modern ballet, but a still a series of intricate steps. Country dancing could have been done by anyone of any class, and required no training.

Entertainment

1500 BCE

It has been requested the court ballet is used as a form of comical entertainment for royalty, so the choreography of court ballet has become less serious, and more upbeat.

Dancing in the church

1300 BCE

Maidens are found in an English church, chain dancing and singing hymns, this is when chain dancing has officially reached the church, and the word "carol" (in reference to their hymns) was coined.

Mullaly

1300 BCE

Mullaly writes a book detailing his experiences of chain dancing in France, and denotes that there seems to be a certain choreography, wherein men and women hold hands, walk clock wise and counter clock wise to a sung rhythm.

Dante

1275 BCE

Dante starts using (chain) dance in his works sporadically, this spreads the word of chain dancing to the greater European and Italian public.

Chain Dances

1265 BCE

Before ballet, came its inspiration: chain dances, where distinguished townspeople (middle ages Europe) would join hands and dance in a circle as means of celebration.

Chain Dances for Royalty

1265 BCE

Soon after word of chain dancing had reached the castle, the queen of England requested that her hand maidens chain dance for her as a means of entertainment.