Ballet

     In the early times ballet was a lavish entertainment given in the courts of Renaissance Italy. Ballet began to take its place in Renaissance Italy in 1489 and then gained more popularity in Paris in 1581. In 1661 Louis XIV established the Acadmie Royale de Danse, a professional organization for dancing masters. By this time the court ballet had already began to pave the way to professional dancing. Initially all dancers were men, and men in masks danced women's roles. The first female dancers to perform professionally in a theater production appeared in 1681 in a ballet called Le Triomphe de l'Amour which means The Triumph of Love. In the 1920s and 1930s, modern dance began to be developed in the United States and Germany. Dancers began to break away from traditional ballet to create individual expressive movement styles and choreographed dances that were closely related to actual human life, experience and realism. Dance faced an enormous plunge toward popularity beginning in the mid-1960s. Ballet began to show the influence of a younger audience, in both unique theme and style.

     Not just for dancers anymore, ballet is one of the more recent fitness trends which are rapidly gaining popularity. Ballet is no longer exclusively open to those with optimum balance, strength, and flexibility. Classes for every level and age group are available at dance schools everywhere, as well as an increasing number of gyms and fitness centers. Ballet provides an excellent workout, geared towards improving strength, tone, flexibility, and spinal alignment and requires minimal fitness equipment. Warm-ups and cool-downs are an important part of the class. These prevent injury, elevate the heart rate to a sufficient level for physical activity, and diminish soreness following the workout.