Early Ballet-Romantic Ballet

  • Period: 1400 to 1400

    14th Century

    Ballet began in France and Italy in the 14th century. 
  • Period: 1400 to 1400

    1400s

    Ballet had evolved into a social event by the 1400s. Many powerful people attempted to master the dance 
  • Period: to

    1661

    King Louis XIV of France was known for his passion of dance, and in 1661 he founded the Academie Royale de Danse, the first ballet school in the world.
  • Period: to

    1700

    Ballet was becoming a more female-oriented dance by the 1700s
  • Period: to

    1789

    During the French Revolution in 1789, the monarchy was deposed, and many royal institutions, including the Royal Academy of Dance, were shuttered. Ballet, on the other hand, survived in the hearts and minds of the dancers and became increasingly subterranean.
  • Period: to

    1832

    Marie Taglioni, who performed La Sylphide en pointe in 1832, is largely regarded as the first ballet dancer to do so.
  • Period: to

    1860

    Women and their elegant pointe style had begun to steal the spotlight away from male dancers.
  • 1892

    The Nutcracker was first performed
  • 1895

    Swan Lake was first performed
  • 1926

    The Royal Ballet opened in England
  • 1937

    The American Ballet Theatre opened in New York City.
  • 1959

    Spandex was first created. Many ballerinas began to wear Lycra Spandex garments, which gave them more flexibility of movement than ever before.