Ballet is a demanding art. Ballet dancers are trained to move their bodies in unnatural ways and if they are good, they make it look natural. Sometimes it seems as if they are defying gravity with their leaps and they manage to keep a perfect balance as they spin around and around without becoming horribly dizzy and falling down.

The history of ballet goes back about 600 years to the Renaissance in Europe. Originally dancers would entertain audiences in the pauses between opera scenes. In 1581, the Ballet Comique de la Reine was performed in France and is usually considered to be the first ballet. With this beginning of ballet, France became the capital and center of the ballet world. In 1661, King Louis XIV of France founded the Royal Academy of Dancing to train dancers to perform for his court. Soon other companies were founded in other countries; the Russian Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg was founded in 1738. The Italians also became well known for their style of ballet. In the early 1800s, more women began performing in ballets. Dancing en pointe, or on their toes, also began around this time. France was still the capital of the ballet world, but soon dancers graduating from ballet school spread out to other countries, most notably Russia, which soon became large player on the world stage of ballet. Read the rest of this entry »

If you want to improve in your ballet dancing you will need to experience as many other dance forms as you can fit in. In this way you can expand on your dance vocabulary and knowledge, and a company is more likely to employ a well rounded dancer than somebody who has just been exposed to classical ballet all their lives.

Today I will briefly discuss ballroom and Latin American dancing. These two dance forms are loads of fun and you are never to old to learn and enjoy them. There are many different dances to learn within these two genres and you will find amongst these a firm favorite that you will be better at than all the rest.

Ballroom dancing is broken down into Fox Trot, Waltz, Quickstep, Viennese Waltz and the ever popular Tango. Ballroom dancing tends to be slower, excepting for the Quickstep and Viennese Waltz. In ballroom you would always step forwards on a heel, keep the knees slightly relaxed and travel well at all times. The upper body is usually held in contact with your partner with a well extended back and elongated neck, to give an elegant look to your dancing. Ballroom is more difficult as it is so slow and controlled. Read the rest of this entry »