Ballet is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It is an art form created by the movement of the human body, performed on a stage to an audience utilizing costumes, scenic design, and lighting. Ballet can tell a story or express a thought, concept, or emotion. It can be magical, exciting, provoking, or disturbing. Ballets are choreographed and performed by trained ballet dancers. Traditional classical ballets are usually performed with classical music accompaniment and use elaborate costumes and staging, whereas modern ballets are often performed in simple costumes and without elaborate sets or scenery.
Some key features of ballet include:
- Story ballets: These ballets tell a story and contain narrative action, characters, a beginning, and an end. Famous story ballets from the 19th century include The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty.
- Plotless ballets: These ballets have no storyline and instead use the movement of the body and theatrical elements to interpret music, create an image, or express or provoke emotion.
- Styles of ballet: Classical ballet is the most well-known style of ballet, but there are many other styles, such as neoclassical ballet and contemporary ballet, that merge classical ballet with various dance methods.
Ballet has become a widespread and highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary. It has defined the foundational techniques that are used in many other dance genres and cultures. Ballet has a rich history and has become famous worldwide in the 20th century, infiltrating cultures from countries all around the world.
