Ballet
Kelli R. Peed
4/17/12
Final Draft Development of Ballet and Pointe Beginning its development in the 1500's-1600's, the concept of dance emerged into a beautiful art, known as ballet. Ballet now proves itself the basic structure to all dance genres, and new styles of dance continue to surface as history continues to write itself. Ballet also represents a new age for women, tired of being in the background and wanting to make a name for women in the arts. Having great success, women now end up as the majority in ballet and even have a skill for them to call their own. The women embrace their nymph-like characters by defying gravity, dancing on the very tips of their toes on Pointe. Ballet's development played a significant role in history, allowing more arts to form and more women to rise up. Ballet, in its distinctive form, emerged in Italy in the late 1500's. The Italian School of Ballet became a significant influence on ballet movement and structure. ("The Development Of Ballet in Western Europe") The movement became less horizontal and more elevated, creating the illusion of dancers floating as they move across the stage. Influenced by the gravity defying dance, extraterrestrial characters, such as fairies, gradually started developing amongst the ballets. ("History of Pointe Shoes and Technique") Ballet's structure intensified through Pierre Beauchamps' development of the five classic feet and arm positions commonly used in the present day. These positions keeps structure to the dance because practically every properly executed ballet movement begins and ends with one of these five positions. "First position: Keep heals together, turn feet outward in a straight line. Second position: Turn feet outward in a straight line, separated by distance of one foot. Third Position: Turn feet outward, place heels together one foot in front of each other. Fourth position: Turn feet outward, place one foot in front of the other on parallel line, separated by
4/17/12
Final Draft Development of Ballet and Pointe Beginning its development in the 1500's-1600's, the concept of dance emerged into a beautiful art, known as ballet. Ballet now proves itself the basic structure to all dance genres, and new styles of dance continue to surface as history continues to write itself. Ballet also represents a new age for women, tired of being in the background and wanting to make a name for women in the arts. Having great success, women now end up as the majority in ballet and even have a skill for them to call their own. The women embrace their nymph-like characters by defying gravity, dancing on the very tips of their toes on Pointe. Ballet's development played a significant role in history, allowing more arts to form and more women to rise up. Ballet, in its distinctive form, emerged in Italy in the late 1500's. The Italian School of Ballet became a significant influence on ballet movement and structure. ("The Development Of Ballet in Western Europe") The movement became less horizontal and more elevated, creating the illusion of dancers floating as they move across the stage. Influenced by the gravity defying dance, extraterrestrial characters, such as fairies, gradually started developing amongst the ballets. ("History of Pointe Shoes and Technique") Ballet's structure intensified through Pierre Beauchamps' development of the five classic feet and arm positions commonly used in the present day. These positions keeps structure to the dance because practically every properly executed ballet movement begins and ends with one of these five positions. "First position: Keep heals together, turn feet outward in a straight line. Second position: Turn feet outward in a straight line, separated by distance of one foot. Third Position: Turn feet outward, place heels together one foot in front of each other. Fourth position: Turn feet outward, place one foot in front of the other on parallel line, separated by