The Origins and Future Development of Classical Ballet

Most people think that classical ballet originated in France. This is because the terms for all of the movements in classical ballet are in French, but in fact, classical ballet first originated in Italy. Only in the 16th century was classical ballet brought to France by Catherine de Medici.

Dancing used to be only for amateurs and was not meant to be danced by professionals. When classical ballet first originated, people didn’t know what was possible to be achieved in the human body; such as how high you can stretch your leg upwards, or how far you can bend your back or your feet. Because people didn’t know this, they weren’t as good as dancers are today. And since now we have this information, today dancers are much better at what they do than when it first started. These days, the demands and the work it takes to be a successful ballerina are much more aggressive and are much harder.

The ballerina body image has changed drastically too; yes, back in the 1800s ballerinas had to be skinny, but today the body image for ballerinas is unhealthily skinny. Anna Pavlova, a Russian ballerina in the 1890s, was even mocked for being too thin (nicknamed 'the broom'). There is a horrifying story recalled in the early 1970s by the American ballerina Gelsey Kirkland that the choreographer George Balanchine ran his finger down her breastbone and said he 'must see the bones.' This results in eating disorders and disabilities. Back then, performing classical ballet was more about the story and the acting than the technique. People would judge how good you are by how well you portray the story of the ballet in which you are dancing. Today technique, flexibility, strength, and acting are needed to show how good you are.

Technology has drastically affected the dance world in many ways. More people and dancers can hear about various dance companies, auditions, and competitions. They can also watch tutorials on YouTube and ask the internet all sorts of things that will help them become better dancers. Advances in communication allow dancers to communicate with nutritionists, doctors, dance teachers, and so on. Technology advancements also make it easier to make machines that help with the creation of pointe shoes, gives dancers the possibility of buying their necessities online, and gives other people the chance to donate money to dancers through donation sites on the internet. Recording videos also had a big impact on dance. Recording video gives companies the possibility to spread examples of their work to dancers from around the world, as well as recording rehearsals and improvisation sessions (and if they like it, maybe use the videos to help create new repertoire).