The costumes most ballet dancers wear today are made with light and stretchy fabrics for obvious reasons but that hasn’t always been the case.
The first ballet costumes ever made were heavy and didn’t allow for the same movement range that modern-day costumes do. The change is credited to Marie Camargo, a 1720s ballerina who shortened her ballet dress so her ankles were visible. That paved the way for other changes in the future.
Growing Popularity
One of the nations to embrace ballet wholeheartedly is Russia. This explains why so many famous ballets were written by Russians.
Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote pieces like "The Nutcracker", "Swan Lake", and "Sleeping Beauty". Other countries where ballet is very popular are England, the US, and Cuba.
The Swan Lake Story
Known to many as one of the most successful ballets in history, Swan Lake is actually a ballet interpretation of a German/Russian folk tale about a princess who was turned into a swan by an evil witch's curse.
Other than the ballet, the story has been adapted into various art forms, such as anime, film (both live-action and animated), video games, and more.
Thank You, Pierre Beauchamps
The French King Louis XIV was a ballet fan and even performed it himself. His ballet master was a man named Pierre Beauchamps, who has greatly shaped ballet as we know it today.
In the 1700s, Monsieur Beauchamp established the five footwork positions every little ballet dancer learns during their first class.
The Five Positions
The five footwork positions, when performed correctly, ensure the dancer's weight is distributed evenly.
While the five positions' visible differences are the placement of the feet, they also differ in subtle changes in the hips, shoulders, and even in the head!