Ballet History Potpourri
The term "Ballet" originated from this Italian verb which means to Dance
What is Ballare?
The first Ballet Masters came from this country where court ballets began
What is Italy?
This was the first ballet school established by King Louis XVI in Paris in 1661
What is The Royal Academy of Dance?
This ballet was first performed in Paris in 1832, and introduced the era of the Romantic Ballet
What was La Sylphide?
This Russian Impresario organized The Ballet Russe in Paris in 1909, which brought talented artists together to collaborate on the ballets
Who was Serge Diaghilev?
At first all dancers were of this gender; they would wear masks and costumes as a suitable disguise in certain portrayals
What are men?
In 1581, this was the first ballet performed for royalty with a full musical score and danced by aristocratic amateurs
What is Le Ballet Comique de la Reine or The Queen's Ballet Comedy?
This was considered the oldest ballet company in the world
What is the Paris Opera Ballet?
These were introduced and worn in these supernatural ballets to give the illusion of the ballerina floating across the stage
What are pointe shoes?
He was a famous choreographer for the Ballet Russe and his works included The Firebird, Sheherazade and Petrushka
Who was Michael Fokine?
This gender dominated the Romantic era of Ballet
Who were women?
This "picture-framed stage" was first adopted in France in the mid 1600s
What is a Proscenium stage?
In 1681, the first female dancers appeared in this ballet
What is Le Triomphe de l'Amour or The Triumph of Love?
This romantic ballet is about a peasant girl who dies of a broken heart after discovering her lover, Albrecht, is betrothed to another.
What is Giselle?
This russian ballerina was known for her performance of the "Dying Swan"
Who was Anna Pavlova?
He composed the music for several ballets including "The Nutcracker", "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty"
Who was Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky?
The court ballet peaked during his reign from 1643-1715;he was known as the "the Sun King"
Who was King Louis XIV?
Who was Anne Heinel?
He choreographed the ballet "La Sylphide"
Who was Filippo Taglioni?
Russian born dancer and choreographer, he was invited to work in the United States by Lincoln Kirstein, and formed the New York City Ballet where he became the artistic director in 1948
Who was George Balanchine?
This is the oldest regional ballet company in the United States
What is the Atlanta Ballet?
This French choreographer and ballet teacher for King Louis XIV was said to have defined the first 5 positions of Ballet
Who was Pierre Beauchamp?
The most famous advocate of the dramatic ballet was this Frenchman who wrote Letters of Dancing and Ballets in 1760
Who was Jean Georges Noverre?
This Frenchman became the chief choreographer for the Imperial Russian Ballet and perfected the full-length story ballets; his best known works were "The Sleeping Beauty" and "Swan Lake".
Who was Marius Petipa?
The two prominent Russian Ballet companies which were known for their technically outstanding dancers
What are the Bolshoi and Kirov?