The origin and expansion of ballet

By Amal Hewavissenti

Whether oriental or western in origin or style, dancing is an exciting art that has kept in perfect symbiosis with man. Dancing, in the mould of music, is a universal language that reflects music, expresses a mood or narrates a story.

In every corner of the world, dancing has undergone dramatic transmutations in keeping with the needs of people who have created it within their cultural framework. Even tomorrow, it will shed its previous shape, blend with another culture and appear as a completely new thing to the tune of time.

Above all, dance was born with man, lived with man and still continues to entertain him.

Rhythmic movements

Ballet, contrasts visibly from other dance forms which include naturally rhythmic movements of the body. In a nutshell, it is a type of very skilled and artistic dancing with carefully planned movements.

Ballet includes artificial or unnatural body movements which should be practised with continual training and effort. A ballet dancer (or ballerina) expresses happiness, jealousy, sadness, fear, anger through his dance. This dance form has music as its soul and it turns the rhythm of music into a different expression.

So, music plays a key role in this form of dance and it specifically employs concerts and symphony music. Thus, ballet is an aesthetic expression made of the combined effect of music, rhythm, dance and body movements. A ballet dancer's movements are rapid.

Defying the gravity

Their slow jumping on the dance floor and "floating" in the air gives the viewer the sure, but false idea that they simply defy the gravity. In fact, their movements are so light that they seem to fly, swim and run in the air.

Ballet practice takes a long time. Generally, a four year training in the dance will enable a student to master the art and a few more years study will bring him to a professional level. Usually, a ballet student commences his training and study at the early age of eight or nine.

The ballet which was chiefly developed in France had its origin in Italy. The world's first recorded ballet performance (Jason and the Golden Fleece) was staged in the city of Torontona in Italy.

The dancers of this Greek story were all royalties and their dance was performed at a royal marriage in an Italian Palace. The first ballet performance in France (the Ballet Comic de la Raine) was staged under the patronage of Queen Catherine de Medics who was keen on ballet dancing.

Homer's Odyssey

The ballet Commic de la Raine which was based on tales in Homer's Odyssey was greeted with an avalanche of applause partly because of the popularity of the adventures of Ulysses, Homer's hero.

The ballet lasted for almost five and a half hours. This was the major breakthrough in the development of ballet as a recognised dance style in France.

King Louise the XIV of France was a highly enthusiastic dancer in the palace and he played the main role in the ballets performed. Later, he established the Royal Academy of Dance to promote classical dance education and he himself was a student at the academy. About the same time Russia established the Russian Imperial Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg.

By the 18th century, ballet as an art had reached the peak of its popularity because the professional ballet dancers in France were doing their best in dancing.

The pre-eminent ballet dancer during this period was Jean Georges Noverre who had mastered the art of ballet and set out desired criteria for ballet dancing. He sometimes criticised that dancers of his period were over using technology and dancing theory rather than being creative.

Facial expression

Noverre argued that wigs, masks or traditional costumes were not necessary for a successful ballet, but the dancer's facial expressions and body movements would be adequate for good character portrayal. His ballets were dramatic dances that narrated a story completely through movements of the body.

His works and views on ballet had a tremendous impact on the development of French ballet. He used complex movements in his ballets.

By the turn of the 19th century, ballet fans had become tired with the performances based on traditional Greek mythology and demanded something more artistic. The ballet viewers insisted that a ballet masterpiece should reflect the dramatic realities of life - a trend which made the themes and technology of ballet dancing take in a fresher and different form. The prominent feature of ballet at this stage was the role of women dancers (ballerinas) who danced impressively on tiptoe and in the roles that depicted romantic themes.

Fanny Elsseler, an Australian ballerina in Paris, adopted her own dancing style by which she could express feelings and strengths far better in ballet. Her ballet La Gypsy displayed the best of her dancing capabilities and she co-starred in Grissile with Carlotta Grisi, an Italian ballerina. These ballets were immensely popular and were trend-setters for ballet styles in other countries.

Best artistes

Russian Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg produced the world's best artistes in ballet. The celebrated ballet composer Marious Petipa carried out extensive research on how to bring out new horizons in modern ballet and composed movements for famous ballets such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and the Nut Cracker. Apart from that, the Russian Imperial Ballet brought out Anna Pavlova who became a world famous ballerina simply because of her superb performances.

Pavlova's floating in the air, slow jumping, and rhythmic flying earned her the label of the best ballerina of Russia. Apart from that the style of "free dance" pioneered by Isadora Duncan of America brought out a new dimension to American ballet. It was the result of her long research of the dancing movements portrayed in ancient Greek pottery.