Ballet Project Timeline
16th - 17th Century
18th Century
19th Century
Works Cited
Catherine de' Medici
Born: April 13, 1519
Florence, Italy
Died: January 5, 1589
Blois, France
Italian-born politician
She was the queen of France, Cathrine de' Medici, was a patron of the arts. Her support for exploration and expansion in the arts of the French renaissance culture lasted for three decades. Her influence is not only seen by the style and practices of ballet at the time, but in all branches of the arts. These branches included painting, drawing, fashion, pottery, and more. Theatrical court dances were originally intended to entertain the ruling class, this developed in to the Renaissance era of ballet.
Ballet Comique de la Reine
This was a ballet that was performed in 1581 for the court of Catherine de Medici. It was created to celebrate Queen Louise’s sister’s wedding. It was the first ballet that included poetry, music, design, and dance to tell a story. The dancers in the ballet entered and exited from both sides of the stage, which was not a common thing in ballets previously.
Marie Salle:
1707-1756
Marie Salle was among the only people in her time to use expressive facial expressions and acting while dancing. Her expressive style of dance was very different from how traditionally ballet was performed during this time. Marie Salle was one of the first to dance without a mask and use her facial expressions to convey the message of the dance. She brought reform to the dance scene by discarding the regular, more restrictive type of dress and hair. She wore her hair down without any ornaments decorating it and an easy to move in muslin costume.
Louis XIV
1638-1715
Louis XIV was the King of France from 1638-1715. He was very enthusiastic about ballet and it was a large part of his life. He performed in many famous ballets including “The Ballet of the Night,” where he became known as the “Sun God.” He influenced the creation of many ballet schools in France where his focus on strong technique was taught. He had a lasting influence on ballet in France creating a focus on precision, choreography, and costumes that appropriately presented the work.
Ballet d’action
Ballet d'action is a ballet movement that was started by the French choreographer Jean Georges Noverre in 1760. The dancer creates emotions with their face and body while performing, rather than wearing big, elaborate costumes to tell the story. This is what most dancers use today.
French Revolution
• 1789 and ended in the late 1790s
• Developed and redesigned their country’s political landscape, uprooting centuries-old institutions such as the absolute monarchy and the feudal system.
• It was influenced by Enlightenment ideals, particularly the concepts of popular sovereignty and inalienable rights.
The French Revolution began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s. It resulted in ballets telling the story of ordinary people instead of mythical heroes because of the focus on popular sovereignty and inalienable rights that came with the French Revolution. Women and men were then able to dance together due to the ease of movement in the new costumes. Women wore Grecian style dresses rather than corsets along with flat slippers that allowed for a greater range of foot flexibility and men now wore a jacket and fitted breeches rather than tonnelets.
Paris Opera:
Originally opened in 1669 with a grant provided by King Louis XIV. It quickly became one of the foremost ballet schools and theatres in Europe. The Paris Opera had a lot of influence in the opening of the Paris Opera Ballet School in 1713, which raised the standards for the ballet dancers and became a hotbed of innovation and talented ballet dancers.
Marie Ann Camargo
(Born April 15, 1710 in Belgium died 1770 in Paris France)
-Ballerina of the Paris Opera and remembered for many of her technical innovations
-Her big debut was in Les Caractères de la danse. Her teacher was jealous of her so put her in the ensemble but when a dancer missed her cue she improvised a solo.
-She set fashion trends in shoes and coiffures, and also was first to shorten ballet skirt to the calf.
-Removed heals from ballet slipper, and wore close fitting drawers.
-Danced in 78 operas and ballets
-Established the ballet’s basic leg position as turned-out 90° from the hip
-She paid atttention to the perfection of the entrechat and cabriole, jumping steps, really fast moving feet
Marie Taglioni
(23 April 1804 – 22 April 1884) Marie Taglioni was a famous ballet dancer of the Romantic Ballet Era. She is one of the most celebrated ballerinas in the Romantic Ballet time period. She is credited with being the first ballerina to dance on pointe.
Giselle
Giselle is a romantic ballet with two acts. It was first performed by the Ballet du Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique in 1841. It was once a very popular ballet that was performed in Europe, Russia, and the United States. The traditional choreography that was used in the ballet is still used today.
The Nutcracker:
1892
Adapted from a book called “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by Ivan Vsevolozhsky and Marius Petipa in Russia in 1892. At the beginnings of its production in Russia, the Nutcracker was not a very large success. It was criticized for not featuring the prima ballerina until near the end of the ballet, with “the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”. It was also criticized for predominately featuring children, something not done before. The music composed by Tchaikovsky however was mostly regarded as a success. Modern day Nutcracker is very widely known and is the introduction to ballet for a lot of people in North America
Bolshoi Theatre
Russian theatre originally built in 1824 and re-constructed in 1856 as imperial property of the country. It is a historic theatre that holds ballet and opera performances. The Bolshoi ballet company is the largest in the world having around 200 dancers. Not only is the theatre a landmark of Russia, it has had a great influence on ballet dance in the 19th century, as many of the best ballet dancers were trained in its company.
Fanny Elssler
Born July 23, 1810, died 1884
Introduced theatricalized folk dance into ballet.
Famous for` spirited dancing, technique and point work.
Danced in shows since she was 7.
Made famous by her performance of the Cracovienne, a Polish folk dance, and in La Tarentule (1839), she revealed extraordinary pantomimic ability.
Le Diable boiteux (1836), in which she introduced the Spanish cachucha
Did tours in America and cut ties with Paris Opera
Immediate success from La Tempête
Called "Spaniard from the North"
18 Century Sources
16 - !7 Century Sources
19th Century Sources
Marie Salle. (2016). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marie-Salle
Marie Camargo. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2016, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marie-Camargo
History.com Staff. "French Revolution." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
Ballet d'action. (2016, February 17). Retrieved October 31, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballet_d'action
Paris Opera. (2016). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Paris-Opera
Marie Taglioni. (2016, October 20). Retrieved October 31, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Taglioni
Fanny Elßler. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Elßler
Bolshoi Theatre. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolshoi_Theatre
Giselle. (2016, July 6). Retrieved October 31, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giselle
The Nutcracker. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nutcracker
Catherine de' Medici Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2016, from http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ma-Mo/Medici-Catherine-de.html
French ballet. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ballet
Ballet Comique de la Reine. (2016, October 14). Retrieved October 31, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballet_Comique_de_la_Reine