Ballet History and Vocabulary

GOAL: 1. 1. TO BE ABLE TO WRITE OUT

THE STEPS OF BALLET AND THE MEANING.

2. 2. TO UNDERSTAND THE ALIGNEMNT RULES IN RELATION TO BASIC ANATOMY.

3. 3. TO DEEPEN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF BALLET HISTORY AND GEORGE BALANCHINE.

WHERE DID BALLET COME FROM?

• 15th Century Court Dance of Italy• Henry II of France marries Catherine de Medicis

of Italy. • Documentation began in 1444 in France • Louis XIII makes first appearance as public

dancer in 1651• Louis XIII founds Academie Royale de la

musique and ballet performances move from palace to theatre.

Early Ballet

How did Ballet get to America?

1837 First Appearances of ballet come to America from Russia and France.

• George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein• Begin first major school of ballet in

America in 1934, the future American Ballet Theatre

• 1935 Premier of “Serenade”

George Balanchine1904-1983 St. Petersburg, Russia

Balanchine created over 400 works including dances for Broadway, Hollywood movies, operas, the circus and the ballet. His range of choreography spanned the neoclassical (Agon, The Four Temperments, Symphony in Three Movements) to the story ballet (The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Coppelia) to the romantic (Vienna Waltzes, Jewels, Symphony in C). In 1933 at the invitation of Lincoln Kirstein, he came to America and co-founded The School of American Ballet in 1934 and the New York City Ballet in 1948.

George Balanchine Rehearsing

Ballet VocabularyDemi Plie: small bendCambre: archedGrande Plie: big bendTendue: to touchDegage: clear pathRond de jambe: round with legFondu: to meltFrappe: to strikeGrand Battement: banging, slamming

Passe: to pass through

Retire: isolatedDeveloppe: developedPas de Bourreé: to cram or stuffBalancé: to swingSautteé: to jumpChangement: changeéchappe: slip out; escapeéchappé sautteé: jumping /escapesissone: to spring

Ballet VocabularyGlissade: slideChassé: chasePiqué: prick/sting (will be using with passé)Jeté: to throwArabesque: ornament1st arabesque2nd arabesque 3rd arabesque

Ballet in Action

12 Body Placement Rules for Ballet

Technique1. Head erect straight on top of spine, ears over

shoulders chin up2. Diaphragm lifted (breathing muscles in rib cage3. Spine held straight up and lengthened4. Shoulders squarely over hip5. Eyes forward and focused6. Pelvis centered with the hips placed directly

over the feet

7. Abdomen (lower abdominal muscles)

tightened and lifted

8.Gluteal muscles contracted to pull down

tailbone

9. Thighs (quadriceps and hamstrings) pulled

up with knees straight

10. Feet must bear weight primarily over the

metatarsals (long thin bones in the foot).

11. Turn out from hip joints (ball and socket

joint)

12. SMILE

FIVE POSITIONS

LOOK AT PAGE 24 IN THE BALLET DICTIONARY

BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THESE FOR THE TEST

LET’S TRY IT OUT!

Activity• Using Ballet Dictionaries• Split in to groups of three• I read the description of the step from

the dictionary and the group has to write out the name of the step, spelled correctly on a piece of paper and hold it up. The first one to get it wins.

5 Positions of the Feet

• Refer to page 139 in your ballet dictionary.

• Do you recognize these positions? • Where do you know them from.• What major joint of the body do we use

to create these positions?