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Ballet first started in 14th century France and Italy. The dance would typically take place in beautiful royal palaces as a celebration of the birth or marriage of powerful people, like princes or princesses. The technique of ballet dancing was different during this time. The dance moves were performed using a flat foot, and the dance itself was performed in lines on the ballroom floor.
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By the 1400s, ballet had become a social event. Many influential people tried to learn the dance moves to remind others of their social status, and the elegance of ballet dancing was celebrated throughout Europe.
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By now, the dances that took place in the courts had an air of mystery to them, and performers usually wore masks, costumes and accessories. Women wore huge wigs and tight corsets to heighten their femininity, while male ballet dancers donned tights and lighter clothing to give them more freedom of movement.
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King Louis XIV of France famously loved to perform ballet, and in 1661 he opened the first ballet school, the Academie Royale de Danse. Around this time, ballet was becoming more of a performance than a pastime, and was moving from ballrooms to stages.
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By the 1700s, ballet was becoming a more female orientated dance with the disapproval of women performers becoming less of an issue. Ballet dancing itself became more impressive during this period, with hops, jumps and airborne twists increasing in popularity. Famous ballet dancers like Marie Salle even let her hair down and wore lighter clothing, sparking a feminist revolution within the dancing community.
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Ballet became most popular for being Choreographed and performed in St Petersburg
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In 1832, Marie Taglioni performed La Sylphide en pointe, and is widely recognised to be the first dancer to perform ballet this way. However, many believe that female performers have been dancing en pointe prior to this
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By the late 1860s, women and their beautiful en pointe style had begun to steal the limelight away from male dancers.
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The Nutcracker was first performed
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Swan lake was first performed in Imperial Mariinsky Theater
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Paris Opera Ballet was reformed by Serge Lifar
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The American Ballet Theater was founded
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The New York City Ballet was opened in 1948
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Ballets are still performed world wide
