The Most Famous Ballets in History

The Most Famous Ballets in History Do You Know the Most Celebrated and Best Ballets Ever Produced? ChaptersWhat is Ballet?Swan LakeThe Rite of SpringThe Magic FluteThe NutcrackerSleeping BeautyDon QuixoteCarmenRomeo and JulietLady of the CamelliasThe history of classical ballet is rich with creations and artists of all kinds. Still, in spite of our royal ballet, this art form is still not very popular with us Britons, with fewer of us now taking dance classes in this style. (But if you do want to learn, look for 'dance classes near me' now!)It is not very popular with the French, either... which is rather strange, seeing as they are regarded as more culturally, classically inclined than most any other society.According to a survey conducted by France Bleu and Télé 7 on French musical habits and practices, classical music is the preferred genre of just 7% of the respondents, and only 15% report having been to the national ballet or Paris opera The last 12 months.Never mind the Paris Opera Ballet; let us focus on English national ballet!Why don't we look at inspiring ourselves by reviewing these acclaimed ballets?Here are the most beautiful among the history of ballet to give you a hand in your choice.Edouard Espinosa co-founded what would become the Royal Academy of Dancing, that operates still today.Let's return to French ballet now, where ballerinas earned much more esteem and danced a whole lot more.Prominent authors of the comedy ballet, as it was called, were: Jean-Baptiste Lully, Molière, and Pierre Beauchamp. Each, in turn, was appointed to royal court as Master of Dance.Molière's The Bourgeois Gentleman is a notable addition to the repertoire of that period.Also during that epoch, Pierre Beauchamp established the codification of the five positions â€" the foundation of ballet technique; namely how the ballet dancer set their feet.His notated dance scores, the first of such ever published, is known today as the Beauchamp-Feuillet notation; Feuillet being the publisher.Through these and other academic advances, ballet continued to evolve. The 20th c entury saw the arrival of the Russian Ballet, with all of its style variations.Still today, ballet is a fluid art.Swan LakeDate of Creation: 1877Composer: Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyHas the dance movie Black Swan seduced you with its grace and power?Then there is no doubt that the swan mentioned in that dance documentary will also seduce you.Swan Lake is  internationally known as one of the best ballets, and for just cause: it is reputed to be the most beautiful gala in the world. A must-see in social circles; a must-dance in the world of classical performance.Tchaikovsky's moving score tells the story of a German legend, interpreted through dance.A prince, obliged to choose a wife, falls madly in love with a young woman who, unfortunately, is the victim of a curse: she turns into a swan each day, and becomes a woman only at night.This masterpiece has been presented all over the world. At any given time, you could catch a performance of Swan Lake, ideal for ballet enthusiasts and initi ates to the world of ballet alike.The role of Odette is coveted by every prima ballerina! Source: Pixabay Credit: NikidinovThe Rite of SpringDate of Creation: 1913Composer: Igor StravinskyAt the beginning of the 20th century, the classical scheme of ballet changed somewhat with the arrival of the Russian Ballet, or Ballet Russe, founded by Serge de Diaghilev.The choreography evolved, and so did the musical genre.Stravinsky's Rite of Spring was part of this novel artistic wave from Russia, which provoked a scandal in Paris because the dynamism of the work reflected the social spirit of that time.Stravinsky's opus, choreographed by Nijinsky and staged by Sergei Diaghilev, tells the story of a pagan Russian ritual, without any particular panache.At its first performance, the spectators were treated to a representation of such festivities, till then rare in France.Since then, the ballet has been designed and redesigned by many famous choreographers, including Maurice Béjart, Pina Bausc h, and Martha Graham.The Magic FluteDate of Creation: 1791Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus MozartComposed and played for the first time in 1791, The Enchanted Flute is an opera first, and a magnificent ballet second.Mozart composed this opus just months before his untimely death.The work tells the story of a man who went to rescue a young woman at the request of her mother.Instead, he realises the fallacy of his current life and decides to undergo trials so that he might join the young lady in her realm.After a trial of silence, in which they are not permitted to speak, the maiden proffers a magic flute to protect our hero, as well as herself, through the remaining ordeals. They then embark on a life together.The Magic Flute, originally an opera, was choreographed in the early 2000s by Maurice Béjart, founder of the dance company  Béjart Ballet in Lausanne.Since then, his ballet company has become a point of reference for the artistic environment. Among other accomplishments, it democra tized ballet, making it accessible to a wider audience.The Magic Flute illustrates a case in point... or should we say en pointe? The expression and movements, of the bodies and the music, is beautiful in its simplicity.This is a ballet not to be missed!exciting love story in a Spanish setting in the city of Seville, but he is the most renowned.This ballet challenged traditional classical ballets by Tchaikovsky and transported audiences to another realm of dance culture.Can you bear the dramatic tale of tragic love that is Romeo and Juliet? Source: Pixabay Credit: Niko ShogoiRomeo and JulietDate of Creation: 1935Composer: Sergei ProkofievAlthough this ballet had difficulty gaining any following or garnering any praise  because of its melodic and rhythmic complexity, it is now considered one of Prokofiev's greatest works.This work is a staple of the Paris Opera and is now widely appreciated for the very intricacy that makes it a complex work.Prokofiev's melody and rhythm are peculiar : less theatrical and more faithful to the ambiance created by Shakespeare in his literary work.Can you stand to be captivated once again by the tragic story between the lovers of Verona?Lady of the CamelliasDate of Creation: 1978Composer: Frederick ChopinThe story we are most familiar with as Camille, The Lady of the Camellias originated as a novel by the son of Alexandre Dumas, published in 1848.The tale was inspired by the author's love for courtesan Marie Duplessis, who suffered from tuberculosis.He said of his work:  Not yet at the age of inventing stories, I am content to tell them.His work inspired many others; Verdi's opera La Traviata among them.As for the ballet interpretation of his love story, it is performed regularly throughout the world. You may even want to mark your calendar for the 2018 season in Paris, so you won't miss it!It is a dark tale, but touching nonetheless.Discover dance classes glasgow.