The Origins of Ballet

Ballet was first established in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15^th Century. Each performance was an exciting and luxurious event and the Italian court enjoyed them immensely. The masters of the dance taught the steps and skills to Italian nobility and when they put on a show the court would often join in.

In 1533, Catherine de Medici married who would later become King Henry II of France. Along with starting the French Wars of Religion she also introduced the dance to the French Court. Her thrilling festivals of dance led to the growth of ballet de cour, which included dance, ornamentation, costume, song, music and poetry. However it did not grow hugely in popularity until a century later when Louis XIV came to the throne.

He was a big fan of the dance and performed many roles personally. His most famous role was as Apollo, giving him the name "The Sun King." Because of the emphasis that Louis placed on ballet, many people credit him with founding the dance we now know and love. Indeed steps and phrases are all 'en français' and many of the roots of modern steps are traced back to this period. King Louis XIV also made it possible for amateur performers to study ballet professionally by opening the Paris Opera Ballet in 1661. This was a mix of ballet and opera and ballet that was performed on stage. However ballet was not seen as a separate art form until the mid - 1770's when ballet master Jean Georges Noverre started showcasing ballet separately.

Bibliography

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Louis_XIV_of_France.jpg/800px-Louis_XIV_of_France.jpg

http://www.pbt.org/community-engagement/brief-history-ballet

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/france-in-the-sixteenth-century/french-wars-of-religion/catherine-de-medici/

http://www.biography.com/people/louis-xiv-9386885

https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/lopera-de-paris/history

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIV_of_France#cite_note-42