Ballet or classical dance is a specific form of dance, one of the seven traditional fine arts .
Ballet is an art form with an elitist connotation , as it is associated with large theaters, prestigious companies and a different audience. We must also not forget that French is the official language used in the world of ballet, since it was France that started this artistic expression in the 17th century, although its origin was Italian.
Regarding the word ballet, it comes from the French and, in turn, was adapted from the Italian term ballet
As a discipline, it requires great technical mastery on the part of its practitioners. Proof of this is the fact that their learning usually starts very early (since childhood).
From the technical point of view of ballet, there are five basic movements of feet and arms, four positions of the dancer’s body in relation to the audience (face, croisé, effacé and écarté). Likewise, the previous preparation of the ballet class adopts two fundamental and opposite postures: the plié (which means to join) and relevé (which means to stand up).
Ballet is a very demanding discipline, as dancers must be physically fit and have a special talent, especially in the professional area.
Regarding the dancer’s profile, its body morphology, being thin and behaving in a delicate way is important. The coordination , control and elasticity of the body are essential. The dancer or dancer must train regularly and during long sessions. As ballet is associated with music, the dancer must have sensitivity or tendency to it. Furthermore, psychologically, the ballet professional must be prepared to take on the physical effort and sacrifice of his discipline.
There is no single ballet performance format
It can be an independent play , the accompaniment of an opera or a play, as well as an element of performance. Like other expressions of art, ballet has two trends, one more classical and the other more modern.
Although ballet was born in the Italian Renaissance and was later consolidated in France, the current cradle of this art is in Russia, where there is a tradition of great dancers, choreographers and important companies. The Russian ballet companies that emerged during the imperial era of the tsars had to change their name in the communist era of the Soviet Union (the term imperial was eliminated), but when the Soviet regime disappeared, ballet became imperial again.
