Welcome to Imagine Notes, this guide has been published by Imagination Celebration Fort Worth in collaboration with ArtsCorps members and the Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet.
Imagine Notes Contain:
Who Invented Ballet?
Why Do Dancers Wear Tights?
Ballet: No Girls Allowed!
Great Teachers: George Balanchine, Paul Mejia
On Your Toes!
So, You Want To Be A Dancer!
In the 17th century, King Louis XIV enjoyed the dancing called "ballet" so much that he hired his own dancing teacher and founded the first dancing academy in Paris 1661.
France and Italy were the centers of ballet until the 1890's when French choreographer Marius Petipa moved to Russia. There he met the famous composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (pronounced Chy-kof-skee). Together they produced some of the most difficult and beautiful ballets that are still performed today such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty.
In 1909, Sergi Diaghilev formed a company of Russian dancers, composers and designers called the Ballets Russes. This dance troupe had a new abstract style and often didn't have a story with the dance. The great George Balanchine was part of this troupe. Later, Balanchine came to the United States and started the New York City Ballet, Paul Mejia, the choreographer and Fort Worth Dallas Ballet Artistic Director, studied under Balanchine. What you are viewing today is a direct descendent from ballet's earliest and finest roots. Ballet has grown and changed and the famous dances have been passed down from one famous foot to another!
Have you ever wondered why classic ballet dancers wear those tights and skirts that stick out? It wasn't always that way! Dancers used to wear heavy fabric robes and head dresses and it greatly restricted their movement. In the 1700's a famous ballerina shocked audiences by shortening her skirts to ankle length so she could move easier and audiences could enjoy her difficult dance steps. By 1830, all skirts became ankle length and were made out of a light netting called tulle (pronounced tool) to allow for more difficult movements and jumps. Male dancers began to wear short jackets and tights so their jumps could be higher. Both male and female dancers were able to discover and perform more difficult and athletic movements without so many clothes in the way.
As ballet changed through the years and became more abstract, the costumes also became simpler. Today many ballets are performed in simple leotards and tights so that audiences can fully enjoy the shapes dancers' bodies create in motion.
Ballet used to be performed by men only! They wore masks and heavy costumes to portray different characters. Not until 1685 were women seen in professional performances. Male dancers retained their importance until the Romantic period of the nineteenth century, which idealized women (in ballets such as Giselle).
George Balanchine (1904-1983) was born in Russia and joined Deaghilev's prestigious Ballet Russes at nineteen. In 1933 he moved to the United States and helped to found th School of American Ballet. In 1948 he became the artistic director and principle choreographer of the New York City Ballet.
1830 was the first time dancers started dancing on the tipsof their toes on pointe (pronounced point) shoes, and these shoes are still worn today in ballet. The shoes are ,ade out of satin and leather. The end of the toe has a hard block about an inch thick of layered canvas baked with glue for hardness and strength. An average professional dancer goes through at least 3 pairs of shoes a week, and needs at least 3 new pairs for each performance. Each pair of shoes costs about $50.00. How much would pointe shoes cost for one month (5 weeks)? With 10 performances a month?
Answers
Try a professional dancer schedule for a day ...
A Professional Dancer's Typical Daily Schedule:
7 A.M. -- Wake up and eat breakfast. Watch what you eat! A dancer needs to be healthy. Your body is your profession.
8 A.M. to 10 A.M. -- Warm up body and dancing exercises in the studio for discipline, strength training, and to prevent injuries.
10 A.M. to 5 P.M. -- Dance rehearsals with the company. The rehearsal schedule will end mid-day if there is an evening performance.
5 P.M. to 6 P.M. -- Home to shower, change, and eat a light dinner (you have a show tonight and can't dance well with a full stomach)!
6 P.M. to 8 P.M. -- Put on costume and makeup and last minute warm up dance exercises.
8 P.M. to 10:30 P.M. -- Performance! Or if there isn't a performance, you will probably have more rehearsals.
10:30 P.M. to 11:30 P.M. -- Hang up your costume, take off your stage makeup, and change clothes.
12 A.M. -- You may have a social life now--if you're not too tired. Remember, though, you have to get up at 7 A.M. tomorrow to repeat this schedule and yes, it IS a Saturday!
Answers: Each dancer will pay $750.00 per month for pointe shoes and $2,250.00 per month with performances.
