Ballet Dress

Before the establishment of the Academie Nationale de Musique et de Danse in 1661 by King Louis XIV, ballet dancers in royal courts were forced to wear stiff, elaborate clothing and uncomfortable corsets that limited range of movement. Although the dance wear worn at the Academie were slightly more freeing than what was previously worn, dancers often still had trouble dancing in such heavy garments. A ballet dancer named Marie Camargo was the first dancer to dare to wear shorter skirts. Dancer Marie Salle quickly followed suite, challenging her audience's expectations by dancing in only a white muslin dress. In 1826, the Paris Opera dancers swapped long trousers for short breeches or silk tights when performing. The women wore long, multilayer skirts, known as "bouffant skirts", which were made of layers of gauzy material. By the end of the 19th century, however, the tutu took the place of the bouffant skirt. In the 20th century, the leotard was developed, completing the look of today's modern ballerina, who we are all undoubtedly familiar with.

Famous Ballets

When I was a little girl, my mother bought me a book of some of the most famous ballets ever performed. Along with descriptions of said performances, there were also photos and watercolor illustrations in the book. I would spend hour after hour reading each and every little picture caption and footnote, absolutely enthralled with these famous ballets. Sadly, the book has long since vanished, but I can still remember at least bits and pieces of the text. One of the most visually appealing ballets that I can remember was Giselle. Giselle was a young peasant girl who becomes engaged to a nobleman who (unknown to her) already has a fiancee. When she learns this, she dies of a broken heart. The second act of the ballet depicts her as a ghost along with the other women who have been buried in the forest where her body lies, and is known as the "white act", because all the dancers are dressed in white.

Tchaikovsky's first ballet, Swan Lake, is also considered a classic in the world of dance. A young woman named Odette, who has been cursed by an evil sorcerer (she must become a swan during daylight hours and can only transform back into a human at night), becomes distraught when after learning that the prince she loved (who was supposed to help her break the spell) has proposed to another woman. She throws herself into a lake and dies. The prince, realizing his grave error, also throws himself into the lake and drowns. Swan Lake is traditionally performed in four acts. This is perhaps one of the most tragic and beautiful ballets of all time in the world of dance.

Benefits of Dance

We all know (hopefully) that dance of any form is beneficial to our health. But in what ways, exactly? The first, and most widely understood health benefit we can receive from dance is increased flexibility. Studies have shown that individuals with a greater range of flexibility were typically free of lower back pain and had better posture than those who did not. The reason for this is that stretching encourages muscle relaxation, leading to far less tension and tightness in our backs. The second reason that dance is so wonderful for us is that it builds up strength. Dancers must train their muscles to resist the pull of their body weight, especially in jazz and ballet classes,  where leg muscles are heavily relied upon in jumps and leaps. Most dancers have also been found to have greater endurance, meaning that their muscles do not tire extremely easily, and larger lung capacity than the general population. Have high cholesterol or diabetes? Try dancing. It's been proven that even just taking one or two classes a week can cause a significant drop in cholesterol and help balance blood sugar levels in diabetics. Dancing is also good for our social lives and mental well-being. Taking dance classes is an excellent way to make new friends and socialize, but it is also a lesson in social interaction. You must learn to get along with others ad help those in need of assistance, as well as share the dance floor with others. All in all, dancing of any form is beneficial to the health in many ways, and shall hopefully continue in the future to be a notable form of exercise.

Hip Hop

No matter who you are or where you come from, you've probably heard of hip hop. Although it is considered to be a more "modern" form of dance, having first risen to popularity in the 70's, hip hop has proceeded to take the world by storm. Hip hop can trace its origins to the streets of many American cities, such as Los Angeles, Compton, and New York City. It attracted the attention of many young adults, who happily adopted the new moves as a form of dance. From the start, it was common to see, on many city sidewalks, hip hop competitions taking place, their participants popping, locking, and gliding with grace and dexterity. Although the exact origins and ideas behind this type of dance are partially shrouded in mystery, it has become wildly popular worldwide, and will continue to inspire many generations of dancers for years to come.

All That Jazz

Jazz. What does that word bring to mind? Somber saxophone music? New Orleans? Hazy cafes? For me, it's all that and so much more. Although I've never taken a straight on jazz class in my life, I took hip hop and jazz combo classes for several years (despite the fact that the class was labeled under "hip hop"). Consequently, I became interested in the world of jazz. I always assumed that it had some form of deep and mystic roots that could be traced back to the palaces of European emperors, but that was not the case. Jazz as we know it is believed to have been born from the post-World War 1 social revolution, in which young men and women shed their constrictive upbringings and danced the night away in speakeasies and clubs, scandalizing the older generations of Americans. The new types of dances they performed, such as the Charleston, Foxtrot, and Shimmy, required different forms of music to accompany the steps. Thus jazz, a blend of various string instruments and drums, was born. Although New Orleans is able to claim many jazz influences as its own, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Memphis are also credited with the creation of this alluring and unique form of dance.

The History of Ballet

All throughout my middle school years, whenever we would need to do a project on a sport or create an independent assignment (I was in GATE), I would always write an essay about some form of dance. Be it tap, ballet, jazz, or hip hop, it didn't matter-they all fascinated me. In particular, I found ballet to be quite lovely. From its beginnings in the Renaissance courts of the 15th and 16th centuries to present day, this intricate form of dance and expression has been present throughout history. During the time that it graced the Italian Renaissance courts, ballet also caught the eye of Catherine de' Medici, who was married to King Henry the second of France. It spread like wildfire throughout the French courts after the Queen Consort introduced it to them. Ballet became so popular, in fact, that in the 17th century, King Louis XIV founded the Paris Opera Ballet, the first professional dance company in France. The Russians and the Danish quickly followed suit, opening their own ballet companies in the 18th century. Eventually, ballet spread all over Europe and America, captivating the hearts of millions of people. The 20th century saw great strides in the development of ballet, from the creation of neoclassical ballet by George Balanchine to the introduction of contemporary and post-structural ballet by William Forsythe of Germany. In recent years, the world has seen many famous ballerinas enter and exit from the spotlight, and the opening of prestigious ballet academies worldwide. Ballet is a classic and timeless dance, and hopefully shall continue to touch the hearts of countless people for many years to come.

The Greats

Just like the actors and actresses of the big screen, the world of dance has its celebrities as well. Perhaps the most famous of all dancers was Fred Astaire. Even if you are not a dance enthusiast, you've probably heard of him. Born in Omaha Nebraska (I nearly moved there a few years ago!) in 1899, he began dancing at the age of four along with his sister, Adele. They became quite successful and appeared in several Broadway musicals, including "Lady, Be Good" (1924) and "The Band Wagon" (1931). Adele gave up dancing in 1932 after getting married. Fred married in 1933 to Phyllis Livingston Potter, and made his way into the Hollywood business shortly after. After creating several dancing films, he retired from movie-making in 1946 and went on to found several successful dancing schools. He eventually remarried to Robyn Smith, a jockey in her 30's, after Phyllis died of cancer in 1954. He eventually died in 1997.
One of the most famous ballerinas of all time, Anna Pavlova, is not necessarily considered a "household" name, but she is nonetheless celebrated in the world of ballet. She was born in St. Petersburg in 1881, and became mesmerized with the world of dancing at the young age of 10. 2 years later, she was accepted into St. Petersburg's Imperial Ballet school. While there, she was praised not for her beauty, but for her ability to bend and twist with extreme grace and ease. She became incredibly famous and travelled worldwide (in the days before air travel, too). Well known for her performances of "The Swan" and "Giselle", she died in 1931in the Netherlands.
Alicia Alonso, a lesser known but nonetheless talented ballerina, was born in Cuba in 1921. She studied in both Cuba and New York at the American Ballet Theatre, and, in 1948, formed her own company. She continued to dance through the Ballet Theatre despite her failing eyesight.