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Ballet Dance Research Paper

1382 Words6 Pages

Ballet is a type of performance dance that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts in the 15th century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread, highly technical form of dance. Ballet dance work consists of the choreography and music for a ballet production. This is a sport in which the appearance of each member is greatly noticed as it is a visual art form. It is very demanding one that requires years of training. Even with years of practice, it is still necessary for the athletes to be extremely strong, and have significant amounts of stamina. For the dancers to be strong, they will have to look muscular and built. Despite this, the ballet companies often want their dancers …show more content…

Ballet breeds perfectionists. Dancers face many psychological issues that can interfere with any athlete’s performance, such as anxiety. Because in this sport the dancer’s body is the instrument, the dancers will often turn too much of their attention towards it in a negative way. A little perfectionism can be good so the dancers will maintain a healthy build, but too much and the dancers become so focused on technique, expectations, and mistakes that they cannot enter the flow of the dance itself. Body image issues start very early in ballet and when companies create extreme expectations for their dancers, this can cause great mental instabilities in them. Imagine spending hours at a time in nothing but a leotard and tights, surrounded by mirrors and thin girls. When recently asked whether they believed the body and look standards, set in place by each individual company, are necessary, professional ballerinas and broadway stars Sarah and Leigh-Ann Esty had their own experiences to share with me. Sara confirmed that is important for each company to have a unified feel about it, but then when on to say that she did not believe it necessary to be determined by body type. She shared how she had seen companies not let certain body types into maintain their personal preference. Leigh-Ann elaborated on this, sharing her own experience at her most recent ballet company saying, “I see so many people, myself being one of them, become victims in this category...constantly judged by what they looks like, how flexible they are, and so on.” She agreed that these judgements create huge physiological body complexes. Both sisters agreed in saying dancers should be able to enjoy their art form, and express themselves without being judged, but ballet companies want to be known for producing beautiful, delicate, and feminine ballerinas (Sara and Leigh-Ann Esty).

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Though ballet wasn’t originally intended for women, it was inevitable that the female race would rise above and eventually dominate this powerful yet delicate art. Femininity in ballet developed considerably after the reign of men in this art form during the 15th and 16th centuries, when men in mask and costume portrayed women in productions, and King Louis XIV’s elaborate productions starring himself in the 17th century. The Romantic Era ushered in a real exploration into the roles of gender, and ballets became a woman’s forte, full of love, sexuality, and femininity. During the early days of dance in ancient times of primitive civilizations such as the Aztecs and Maya, gender roles were not important to society.

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“They were burdened with sashweights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in” (Vonnegut para. 10). Here it expresses the extremes that society has implemented in the attempt to make everyone the same. The ballerinas are burdened with weights and physical deformities to force them into normality. They are no longer able to express their creativity through dance or to stand out from the crowd. They are reduced to a level far below themselves, and their individuality is

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