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May 8, 1500
Ballet originates
Ballet originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century.Ballet originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century. Noblemen and women were treated to lavish events, especially wedding celebrations, where dancing and music created an elaborate spectacle. -
Period: May 8, 1500 to
History of Ballet
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Ballet in Paris
By 1661, a dance academy had opened in Paris and in 1681 ballet moved from the courts to the stage. -
Ballet music
Ballet as a music form progressed from simply a complement to dance, to a concrete compositional form that often had as much value as the dance that went along with it. The dance form, originating in France during the 17th century, began as a theatrical dance. -
Russian Ballet
The renaissance in romantic ballet began in Russia after 1875. The Russian Imperial School of Ballet had been founded in 1738. -
Ballet becomes French
When ballet becomes french:For centuries before the 1789 revolution, ballet was a source of great cultural pride for France, but by the twentieth century the art form had deteriorated along with France's international standing. -
Romantic Ballet
The ballet La Sylphide, first performed in Paris in 1832, introduced the period of the romantic ballet. -
Ballet shoe invented
The first women's ballet shoe had heels. Mid 18th century dancer Marie Camargo of the Paris Opéra Ballet was the first to wear a non-heeled shoe. After the French Revolution, heels were completely eliminated from standard ballet shoes, as they still are. -
Pointe shoe danced on
1837 is when when Marie Taglioni first danced the entire La Sylphide en pointe, her shoes were nothing more than modified satin slippers; the soles were made of leather and the sides and toes were darned to help the shoes hold their shapes. -
Contemporary Ballet
George Balanchine is often considered to have been the first pioneer of contemporary ballet. The style of dance he developed, which lies between classical ballet and today's contemporary ballet, is known as neoclassical ballet. -
20th Century Ballet
In the 20th century, ballet had a strong influence on broader concert dance. For example, in the United States, choreographer George Balanchine developed what is now known as neoclassical ballet.
