Ballet History

Ballet originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century as an entertainment, formalized in France under Louis XIV (himself an accomplished dancer who founded the Royal Academy of Dance in 1661). The French established the vocabulary (plié, arabesque, jeté, pirouette) still used worldwide. Romantic ballet (1830s) introduced pointe work and the tutu; Russian Imperial Ballet under Petipa and later Diaghilev's Ballets Russes (1909–1929) produced ballet's greatest masterpieces. The Ballets Russes collaborated with Stravinsky (Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring), Picasso, Matisse, and Coco Chanel — making ballet the most adventurous art form of its time. The premiere of The Rite of Spring (1913) caused a riot in the audience — the dissonant music and primitivist choreography were too radical for contemporary taste.