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Female Stage Presences
A feminine stage presence was now popping up on the dance scene bringing an entire new population of dancers into the field and increasing the momentum towards professional dancing. -
Le Triomphe De L'Amour
Jean Baptiste Lully had the privelege of the choreographing the first ballet to feature female dancers. This marked the start of allowing women to dance on stage with men and an increase in possibilites for the art form. -
Paris Opera Ballet opens
King Louis XIV founded the Paris Opera Ballet and put it under the direction of Pierre Perrin. This assisted in making ballet a more professional pursuit becuase there was now a designated theatre and training environment. -
King Louis XIV Resigns
As King Louis XIV resigned from his dancing career it opened the door for other dancers to pursue the art more fully without fear of outdoing the King. This signifcant shift made a huge impact on the evolution of dance becuase now excellence within the art form was acessible to more people. The King was no longer the only individual who could attain a profesional status as dancer. -
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The Professionalization of Ballet
During this era there was also a shift in focus from Ballet a'entree which emphasized variety and display to Ballet D' entree which looked at unity and drama within an artistic creation. During this era Ballets were great dramas that incorporate technique and stage production as well as miming and emotional expression. -
The rise of educated dancers
During the classical era an emphasis on rigourous discipline in ones practice was becoming a widespread mindset. Following the zeitgeist of the time the Paris Opera Ballet School was opened in 1713 which furthered the creation of highly trained ballet dancers and the teaching of the five ballet positions. The creation of a training programs pushes the development of professional dancers even further becuase ballet was no longer entrusted to royal officials but was now for the dance students. -
A star is born
Camargo makes her debut as a prima ballerina and star. She is the first dancer to wear slippers in order to perform highly technical jumps normally done by men. She also shortens the hem of female ballet skirts in order to reveal her technique even more. Camargo emobdies ballet'd entree and is famous for her brilliant tricks and outgoing personality. -
A double threat
Maria Salle steps onto the stage as a both a marvelous dancer and talednt choreographer. She studied under Provost, the first Prima Ballerina and female choreographer, along with Camargo. Salle is the the first disregard traditional dance attire and spark the shift in costuming dancers. She is known for being an excellent ballet d'action dancer because of her ability to convey emotion and drama with her body and dancing. -
Pygmalion
Salle's first choreographic work is performed. She appears dancing in a simple tunic with her hair down, a shocking contrast to the costumes normally seen on dancers. -
Imperial Ballet School
Jean Baptiste Lande opens the second ballet school and calls it Imperial Ballet school. Located in St. Petersburg this marks the increase in individuals being trained profesionally in dance and teh spread of teh Russion ballet. -
An shift in star dancers
Barbara Campanini arrives on the scene as Salle and Camargo are moving on. She is the mark of a new era of highly trained ballerinas. -
Famous Classical Artists
The writers at this time we and philosophers of this time were Shakespear, Voltaire, Rousseau, Kant, and Diderot. There was a return to the interest in Greek drama and music. An emphasis on tragedy and comedy, realism, and started to arise from this reclaiming of Greek art. This is showcased in the writings of the time and in the great dramatic ballets that were being created. -
Les Fetes Chinoises
Noverre's first publicaly recognized ballet. It was based on Chinese culture which alluring during this time because exotic styles were very popular. -
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The 7 years wars and Ballet
Noverre was impacted by the tension that mounted prior to the 7 years war. After the creation and debut of Les Fetes Chinoises he was invited to England to produce in London. However, this was cut short by riots due to Noverre's french ethincity. The war hindered the sharing of a beautiful piece of work. -
Jean Noverre
Noverre was teh Ballet Master of the Paris Opera ballet from 1776 until 1781. He wrote extensively on ballet technique and contributed greatly to the reform and professionalization of ballet during the 1700's. His choreographic work was also considered a piece of pyschological realism that reflected the general philiosphies of the time. -
Ballet Reform
Noverre summarized the reform of Ballet in the 1700's into seven points. He stated that dancers must be trained in anatomy, that "valid and sincere gesture and expression" are essential, plots must be logical, music appropriately connected with dramatic development, costumes should be minimal, andthe dancers face should be revealed so that the story telling is derived from movement not mask or mime work. (coreofculture.org) His artiistic theories continue to influence current choreographers. -
French Revolution
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Pierre Gardel steps into Power
Gardel becomes the head ballet master of hte Paris Opera in 1787. He continues with the Ballet d' action movement but took care to use movement to convey emotion rather than miming. -
American Ballet Debut
The first American Ballet company performs in Charleston, SC. This marks the moement when professional dancing was not only in Europe but ocurring around the world. -
Flying dancers
Didelot creates a flying machine that assists dancers in being lifted. This creates the lillusion that they are floating across stage on their tippy toes. This also made way for the development of pointe shoes as dancers discovered how to create the same image without the machine. Pointe shows completely changed the focus of ballet and brought it into a new genre for the romantic era. -
Coreodrammi
Influencedby the dramatic writeis of the time like Shakespear ballets began to adopted dramatic and romantic themes. They started to increase in scale and dramatic momentum. The head choreographer in this movement was Vigano. His work can be described as paintings with movement woven into them. He focused on movement rather than music and sought to "engage the heart" not just the eyes. (Anderson, p. 65)
