Mairead Kennedy
Prof. Ishiguro
Dance as Cultural Knowledge
12 December 2020
Ballet is a style of dance that is so commonly practiced today, however most people are unaware of its origins and its development overtime. In particular, the racial aspects of this dance are rarely discussed, despite how important they really are. Ballet started off as a dance that was extremely exclusive, and went through a lot to become more inclusive. The word ballet originated from the Italian word ballare, which translates to the verb dance in the english language. This is to show that the first ballet dance must have come from Italy. Despite the origin of the word, this dance style has been carried out to take over in many countries. Specifically in France, ballet became popular through the royal court under the rule of both King Henry II and Louis XIV. It was regarded as a dance made for highly respected individuals. Although there was a time when ballet was not allowed in the French court, it still found a way to disperse throughout the world with the help of education and the prominence of dance academies. Now that ballet has a place in various cultures, the difference in the bodies of people who perform this style of dance has made an impact on what the dance itself looks like. Ballet eventually made its way into Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City. This is an area that is recognized as a center for African American culture. Because of the origins of this dance and the meanings behind it, the concept of African Americans taking part seemed quite contradictory. Ballet was tied to ideas of superiority and the distinguishing of aristocracy from other social classes. During the time when the Dance Theatre of Harlem was opening, classical ballet, amongst many other activities, was not at all racially integrated. Ballet was known for exclusivity, which was something that black community in the United States was fighting against. However, the meaning behind this new dance company was to create a space for all people to have the opportunity to take part in the practice of ballet.
When King Henry II married Catherine de Medici, who was from Italy, she introduced ballet to the royal court in France. She was very fond of the dance, so she funded the court performances herself. At this point in time, ballet was not known across the world. This was still a dance that was only practiced by people who had money or were born into royalty. Eventually, the dance became more popular and was performed on stage, rather than just in the royal court. This was a step in the right direction for opening up opportunities for dancers. These stage performances made it much easier for the dance to gain popularity because it was more accessible to the common people. The more that people were exposed to ballet, the more likely it was to be brought to a new area in the world. Later on, when Louis XIV had control over the royal court, it was said that he was a part of bringing the dance into French culture. He was a performer himself, and actually longed to become a professional dancer of this style. It is even explained that “ballet as we know it today began at the precise moment when the Sun King arose, stepped down from his throne, and danced” (Shook 11). This gives some insight into just how important ballet was during this time period. Unfortunately, when Louis XIV was too old to continue his practice, ballet was then banned from the royal court. From this point on, it was up to the dance academies in Europe to pass along the dance style to the rest of the world. Ballet made its way to the United States long after these performances took place in the royal courts of France. This would be where the dance was changed into a more modern style, through the various inputs of different cultures.
The basic movements of ballet have been mostly stable throughout its evolution, yet there are aspects that have changed drastically over the years. It is important to understand that, “Classical ballet, like everything else in the human condition, evolves, and, as it evolves, mutates” (Shook 10). There was no chance that this dance form would stay stagnant in every respect, considering the extent to which is migrated around the globe. An important aspect to analyze would be the costume that the dancers wear during performance. Pointe shoes are now recognized as a part of ballet that distinguished it from all other dance styles. However, it is shocking to find that these shoes were not always worn during performances. Interestingly enough, early on in the development of the dance, ballerinas would actually wear heeled shoes when they performed. Overtime, it became really important for a dancer to show an emphasis of elevation and extension of their legs. This eventually led to the innovation of ballet shoes. At first, “Italian shoemakers developed reinforced pointe shoes with stiff boxes made from newspaper, flour paste and pasteboard” (Guiheen 2020). This explains that the development of pointe shoes started off as just an idea that was attempted in a simple way. The innovation took a long time to make its way to the pointe shoes that are worn today. It was not until long after that the shoes became a necessary part of the dance itself. This goes to show that the dance was constantly changing to become what it is today. Whether it is in the costume of the dance or the opportunities that the dance presents, it is clear that ballet evolved for a long time with the help of the influence from countries across the world.
Another aspect that continued to change was the movement of the dancers’ bodies. At first, this style was only ever performed by white aristocrats in the royal court. It is easy to imply that these dancers all had similar body shapes and similar ways of moving. Dancers of the same race will tend to have similar anatomy. This is where the concept of the importance of integration of different races and cultures into ballet comes into play. For example, “an arabesque, while remaining just what it is, will look one way on a Russian body, different on an oriental body, or on the black bodies of the dancers of Dance Theatre of Harlem” (Shook 10). The meaning behind this quote is that all dancers will look different depending on the way that their body is shaped, and this tends to correlate with race and cultural origins. The important part to understand is that this should not determine whether or not a dancer is good at a certain dance. It may look different, but skill cannot be determined by the physical makeup of a body. Nowadays, this is likely an idea that most people do not regularly think about. This is because dance is now much more open to allowing all types of people to contribute their practice. However, it is important to realize that discrimination was extremely common in the world of dance, and this was not long ago. The 1900s in the United States was a place that experienced a large amount of racial division. There was “little opportunity for dancers of color to study and flourish in classical ballet”, because this was a dance style that was not open to them at the time (Djassi DaCosta Johnson). It is necessary to realize that without the input of African American dancers into the world of ballet, the dance would not be the same as it is to this day. Although the movements might appear differently when done by different groups of people, it is still ballet, and that is what now makes the dance so beautiful. For this reason, it can be understood that race should not determine whether or not one can be a skilled ballet dancer, or dancer of any style.
There were moments throughout the history of America that altered how society viewed dancers based off of the color of their skin. When looking at dance during the time of Civil Rights Movements, it is clear that there was discrimination specifically against black dancers. When the Dance Theatre of Harlem was founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook, it became a place for all people to experience ballet, despite what they looked like or where they came from. The opening of the theatre was supposedly influenced by the death of Martin Luther King Jr.. During this time, Harlem was filled with violence and civil unrest due to the racism and social divide in the area. This area was not a safe place to be living, especially as a young person being surrounded by violence. Therefore, the Dance Theatre of Harlem was the perfect respite for all people to join and practice dance safely. In regards to Arthur Mitchell, it is noted that, “At the height of the civil rights movement, in a graceful moment of artistic resistance, he created a haven for dancers of all colors who craved training, performance experience and an opportunity to excel in the classical ballet world” (DaCosta Johnson 2020). The importance of this can be understood through just how beneficial it was to the community of Harlem, along with all colored dancers across the country. The development of the theatre was a brilliant idea that opened up a way to break down the segregation of race in the dance world.
Ballet was originally created as a dance to be done by the wealthy and respected people of the royal courts in Italy and France. As the dance was brought around the world, it picked up influences from a variety of cultures. In France, the dance was developed to become more popular outside of the royal courts. In Italy, pointe shoes were created which are now a large part of what makes ballet so unique. As ballet was practiced, there was more and more exposure that led to the dance being practiced across the entire world. Along the way, input from different cultures changed certain aspects of the dance. These influences led to changes in the way that the dancers dressed and moved. Movements became more about skill and less about similarity, as the bodies of the dancers were different in all parts of the world. It was understood that ballet was much more versatile than it was first set out to be. With the creation of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, classical ballet was able to be performed by all people. Opening up a place for all people, specifically black Americans in Harlem, to practice ballet was likely the most important development in ballet when discussing the equality of dancers. This was a huge step forward into ensuring that the color of one’s skin should not hinder opportunities in the dance world.
Works Cited
Djassi DaCosta Johnson, Djassi. “Our History.” Dance Theatre of Harlem, 2020, www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/our-history/.
Guiheen, Julia. The History of Pointe Shoes: The Landmark Moments That Made Ballet’s Signature Shoe What It Is Today. 11 Aug. 2020, www.pointemagazine.com/history-of-pointe-shoes-2646384074.html.
Shook, Karel. Elements of Classical Ballet Technique: As Practiced in the School of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Dance Books, 1978.
