dance lecture 1

Ballet originated in Renaissance Italy, blending social dance with choreographed displays at aristocratic gatherings.
It served social control, dictating court etiquette for behavior.
Many court gestures persist in modern ballet techniques.

Catherine Domenich, King Henry II's Italian wife, brought ballet to France in the $16^{ext{th}}$ century, leading to more elaborate dances and story elements.

Ballet shifted from court participation to theatrical performance, incorporating professional sets and stages.

In the $17^{ext{th}}$ century, Louis XIV, trained in ballet since childhood, refined it into a formal art.
His role as the sun god Apollo at age $15$ solidified ballet's importance during his reign and reinforced his divinely ordained image.
Louis XIV founded the Royal Academy of Dance in $1661$ , moving ballet control from guilds to the royal court.
Pierre Bouchon, Louis's ballet master, codified the five main positions still used today, helping establish ballet as a grand spectacle through collaborations.
A separate ballet academy was founded in $1669$ .

The Paris Opera Ballet, founded in France, is the oldest ballet company globally.
Ballet transitioned from royal courts to public theaters, surviving centuries of socio-political changes.

Bouchon's five main positions remain foundational.
Training emphasized weight shifting, turnout, and alignment.
Fencing influenced technical ideas like turnout for stability, and the fourth position (one foot in front of the other) adapted from fencing footwork.
Fencing concepts also informed posture and defensive body analogies.

Louis XIV is known as the "sun king," not the sun god; this title reflects his self-presentation as an exceptional figure through performance.

The Romantic movement introduced fantasy and folklore motifs.
While ballet's French influence waned, Russia became a major center for its development.

Today, ballet is a professional theatrical art, with performers training for years to achieve feats unimaginable in its early court days, rather than a social requirement.

Origins: Renaissance Italy court rituals; social control.
Transmission: To France in the $16^{ext{th}}$ century; evolved from court to theater.
Louis XIV: The sun king; founded Royal Academy of Dance ( $1661$ ); formalized training and performance.
Institutions: Paris Opera Ballet is the world's oldest company.
Technique: Five positions (Bouchon); turnout, weight shifting; fencing influences (e.g., fourth position).
Legacy: Romanticism, Russian influence; modern professional theatrical art.