Our child ballerina is 5.5 inches long, including the 3 inch gold cord hanging loop. She is standing on one toe with one arm above her head. She is wearing a pink ballerina costume with a small pink rose decoration at the neck and a pink tutu and pink ballerina slippers with iridescent glitter highlights. The little ballerina has two pink roses in her hair.
Sets and Costumes.
A ballet’s sets and costumes are often designed by the same person. Some famous artists have designed ballets, including the Spanish born painters Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Painted backdrops and side panels have traditionally been the se4eting for ballets. Many modern designs have employed simple structures or scenic effects created with lighting alone. Occasionally, designer uses film and video projections. The most successful designs create mood without obstructing the stage space the dancers require.
Costumes have changed during the history of ballet and the changes have affected how the dancers move. In the early days, female dancers wore heavy skirts that reached the floor. During the 1800’s, ballerinas began to wear skirts called tutus, made of lightweight net. Those tutus that extended below the knee were known as romantic tutus. Classical tutus were much shorter, often reaching no lower than the top of the thighs. Since the early 1900’s, shorter and lighter costumes have allowed dancers more freedom to carry out complex movements. Today, dancers sometimes perform in close fitting leotards and tights that show the entire body.
Modern Ballet.
During the late 1900’s many ballet companies were founded throughout the world. In the United States, important companies established in Houston, Miami and other cities joined older companies, such as the San Francisco Ballet, in raising the level of dancing throughout the country. After returning to the United States from Belgium, Mark Morris became choreographer for the White Oak Dance project, a touring company he helped found with Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1990. Such companies provided more opportunities for dancers and choreographers and helped educate audiences.
Ballet in musical comedies has been popular since the early 1900’s. a number of leading ballet choreographers have created dances for Broadway musicals. In 1943, Agnes de Mille choreographed the dances for the famous musical Oklahoma!
Life of a Ballet Dancer.
A ballet career can offer enormous satisfaction, but is also strenuous and difficult. Job opportunities are limited and salaries low, except for a few superstars. Performing careers tend to be short and dancers are always vulnerable to injury. Although some performers dance for many years, ballet is basically for young adults.
After the first years of training, students preparing for a professional career may take three to sic ballet classes a week. Professional dancers try to attend at least one class a day. It can be difficult to combine ballet training with regular school. Many young dancers interested in a professional career choose to skip or postpone college believing that the college years, from the late teens to the early 20’s are too valuable in the short career of a dancer, to devote the time to anything but ballet.
After dancers retire, some become teachers or rehearsal directors who help stage ballets. Others may become dance administrators, designers, historians, physical therapists, photographers or critics. Some become notaters, or people who preserve ballets by writing down the patterns and steps through a system of graphic symbols.
Choreography.
Choreographers vary in how they create a ballet. Some create material on their own. Others come to rehearsal with only a general idea of what they want and then work with the dancers to develop the ballet. Choreographers must consider the scenery, costumes and music and how these elements will fit the dancing.
Often a company’s repertory will consist of works by different choreographers. Some troupes employ a resident choreographer who is responsible for creating new ballets. The most successful works often come from choreographers who work with a group of dancers over time. Frequently a dancer will be a source of inspiration for a choreographer.