Ballet Dancewear Through The Ages

Ballet's origins now span the course of six hundred years, when Domenico di Piacenza developed theatrical dances called ballettos in the 15th Century as court pieces performed with lavish costumes as a form of entertainment. Since then, several significant innovators have contributed to ballet dancewear and developed the art form as we know it today.

By the late 1500's France had taken over as the country responsible for the further development of ballet by continuing the tradition of lavish performances for royal figures. The strategic marriage of Catherine de Medici to Henry II was a pivotal step in promoting ballet's history.

Renaissance dancers wore elaborate, heavy costumes that limited their movement considerably. The court of Louis XIV, who wore high-heeled shoes to take part in some of the dances himself, promoted the first professional company of dancers by establishing the Academia Royal de Danse. As talented ballerinas like Marie Taglioni and Anna Pavlova began to perform en pointe however, ballet shoes and slippers took on a different form.

By the 1930's, both Salvatore Capezio and Jacob Bloch had opened workshops in New York and Australia to supply dance companies that toured the world with some regularity. Nicolai Grishko is another prominent name in the world of ballet. His wife, a former dancer herself, inspired this successful Russian diplomat to start a company dedicated to supplying the best ballet dancewear for the most prestigious dance companies.

Frederick Freed also contributed to the development of modern ballet dancewear. He began his association with ballet as a young apprentice at his father's cobbler shop, and worked for the prestigious Italian company Gamba before creating his own company with his wife in 1929. Freed of London is today considered the leading distributor for hand-made ballet shoes.

All of these suppliers Grishko, Freed, Capezio, Bloch have built top-quality organisations that supply the world's dancers with a full line of ballet dancewear, including tutus, leotards, tights, footwear, and accessories that attract all levels of ballet performers.

Ballet fans who are used to seeing the sheer, bold costumes of modern dancers have little concept of the forward-thinking dignitaries like Jean-Georges Noverre and Charles Didelot, who broke away from the traditional customs of dance by challenging the barriers of costume, choreography, and theatre, with bold interpretations and daring reforms.

Noverre's influence, in particular, had a lasting impact on the future of ballet. In 1760, he published a landmark text, Les Lettres sur la dance et sure les ballets, describing a ballet d'action that was more dramatic and encouraged an individual performer's freedom of expression. His production of Jason and Medea in 1763 shocked audiences who, for the first time, saw dancers performing without elaborate costumes and masks that had hidden much of their bodies before.

Later, the production of nylon shortly before World War II and spandex by the late 1950's helped leotards and bodysuits emerge as the preferred ballet dancewear for professional-level ballerinas. Their unique qualities introduced a level of flexibility, comfort, and durability not possible in earlier ballet costumes.