Expert: Connie - 10/23/2008

Question
QUESTION: I am writing a research paper on ballet and I need to have an "interview" for one of my sources. Any information that you have on ballet would be extremley helpful!! Mainly on ballet history, how it came about..etc. Thanks for your time!

ANSWER: Would it be possible for you to give me specific questions?  I actually know a dance history teacher and he could answer them very well!  Let me know if you want history of pointe work, or early court dances, etc.

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QUESTION: Thanks for your response! Any type of ballet history. If you have more information on the history of pointe, that would be great! Anything on the history. When it started,how it came about. Anything!

Answer
All right.  You should check out the http://michaelminn.net/andros/.  It has a ton of ballet history information

Marie Taglionni is credited with being the first person to go on point, however nobody is positive that that's the case.  Her pointe shoes were simply darned ballet slippers and she didn't stay up on pointe, she just ran a couple of steps on pointe because the shoes weren't strong enough to support her.

Ballet was cultivated and popularized by King Louis XIV.

Comique de la Riene was the first large spectacle that told a story, and was classified as ballet.

Fun Facts:
Turnout was to make the dancers calves more impressive.

The flourish of the wrists at the end of port de bras functioned to show off the sleeves of the shirts originally worn for dancing.

Let me know if you have any other specific questions!