Ballet Shoes And The Ballet Russes

By:


Ballet originated from a performance dance interpretation of fencing in the 15th century Italian Renaissance courts and developed further in France, Denmark, England and Russia into a concert dance and has since evolved into the highly technical dance form we associate with modern ballet - flowing with precise acrobatic movement.

Ballet went into decline in France after 1830 and was re-vitalised across Europe and America by a Russian company called, the Ballets Russes under the direction of Sergei Diaghilev (1909 and 1929). This highly acclaimed company attracted many Russian dancers fleeing famine and the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, their contribution to 20th century art, design and fashion is still felt today.

The Ballets Russes combined new dance forms, art and music into their performances to sensational acclaim. The company proved a remarkable platform for ground breaking collaborations between contemporary choreographers, composers, artists and dancers. Diaghilev inspired collaborations with many contemporary artists who designed sets and costumes, treating audiences to a cumulative experience they had never witnessed in previous ballet performances. Collaborations with famous artists like Pablo Picasso, Chanel and Nijinsky was not only common for the Ballets Russes, it was exciting for all involved.

Ballet has many styles including, classical, neoclassical and contemporary. Each places a different emphasis on the dancers, for example classical ballet requires the feet when not on the floor to be pointed, or for the dancers legs when not bent to be completely stretched. Such requirements gave rise to an assortment of dancewear to improve performance and comfort of the dancer.

Ballet shoes must be a close fit whilst being as flexible as possible, they are usually flesh colour to give the appearance of dancing barefoot, or pink for female and white for male dancers. Whilst choreography and costumes may differ from performance to performance, ballet shoes remain a practical and an identifiable part of the dancer.

Marie Camargo of the Paris Opera Ballet was the first women to wear non-heeled ballet shoes since Women first began to dance in ballet in 1681, all footwear had previously been heeled. Modern shoes have a leather sole, which can be split to provide greater flexibility with the remainder of the shoe made from soft leather, canvass or satin. Leather shoes are longer lasting and are the most comfortable and flexible types, whilst both canvass and satin shoes wear out quicker, the later is often only used for performances.


About the Author:
Move Dancewear has the perfect range of ballet shoes for those practicing dance professionally or for fun. If you are looking for leotards for dance classes or tap shoes for a friend, Move Dancewear has the highest quality dancewear.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


|

Loading...
Related....
Videos...

Recent Sports-and-Recreation Articles

Comments

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!

Loading

Copyright 2005-2011 ArticleSnatch, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service.