Ballet technique today is almost unrecognizable from its early forms as it has evolved dramatically in terms of both style and technique. The technical demands placed on dancers today are a result of centuries of innovation, experimentation, and cultural exchange. From the courtly steps of 15th-century Italy to the gravity-defying feats of modern ballet, the history of ballet technique is a fascinating story of transformation. Each era of ballet’s development brought its own advancements, influenced by shifts in political power, cultural movements, and visionary choreographers and dancers. Let’s take a look at a few of the major pivot points.
The Beginning Beginning:
Ballet as we know has its roots in the Renaissance courts of Italy and France. Early ballets were social dances reflecting aristocratic refinement, ballet’s development into a formal art form began when Catherine de Medici introduced it to the French court in the 16th century. Early ballet focused on graceful walking and geometric floor patterns, with dancers constrained by elaborate costumes. However, with the founding of the Académie Royale de Danse by Louis XIV in 1661, ballet became more structured and technically advanced. Pierre Beauchamp’s codification of the five basic foot positions and the use of turnout allowed for greater flexibility and more complex choreography. As ballet moved from courtly settings to theaters, it shifted from a display of noble decorum to an exploration of the body’s expressive potential, laying the foundation for the sophisticated techniques that define modern ballet.
The Pointe Shoe: Marie Taglioni and La Sylphide
It was in the 19th century that the innovation of the pointe shoe, which brought about the developments in the art form that would begin to make it recognizable to us today. Pointes shoes are deeply intertwined with the evolution of ballet itself, representing a unique blend of artistry and technical advancement. Pointe work, is considered one of the defining aspects of classical ballet. The roots of pointe work can be traced back to the early 19th century during ballet’s Romantic Era. At this time, the rise of Romantic ballets brought about a shift in themes, focusing more on ethereal, supernatural beings, such as sylphs, nymphs, and spirits, often played by women. Dancers began to adopt a more weightless, floating style, which led to the desire to create the illusion of flight or defying gravity. To achieve this, female dancers sought to elevate their bodies, leading to the development of pointe work.
Marie Taglioni, an Italian ballerina, is often credited as the first dancer to truly popularize pointe work. In 1832, she performed in La Sylphide, one of the most famous Romantic ballets that is still performed often today, she captivated audiences with her ability to rise onto the tips of her toes, symbolizing the ethereal nature of her character. However, the pointe shoes Taglioni wore were vastly different from the ones used by dancers today. Early pointe shoes were merely soft slippers, reinforced with darning at the toes, offering little to no support. Dancers relied on their own strength and balance to achieve this effect, making the technique extraordinarily difficult and physically demanding.
As ballet progressed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly through the work of Marius Petipa and the imperial ballet in St. Petersburg,, so did the need for more structured footwear. By the late 19th century, ballet technique had grown more demanding, and the movements required more stability and durability from the pointe shoe. In the early 20th century, pointe shoes began to feature a hardened box at the toe, which allowed dancers to balance on the tips of their toes for longer periods without risking injury. The shank, a stiff piece of material that runs along the bottom of the shoe, was also added to provide further support for the foot’s arch.
The Pointe Shoe 2.0: Anna Pavlova and Salvatore Capezio
In the early 20th century, dancers like Anna Pavlova further progressed pointe work and the design of pointe shoes. Pavlova, whose narrow feet and high arches made dancing on pointe especially challenging, is credited with modifying her shoes by flattening the toe box and adding leather soles for better stability, an innovation that influenced the future design of pointe shoes. Though Pavlova didn’t do this alone! She worked with the (now famous) shoe maker of the Metropolitan Opera, Salvator Capezio (yes the Capezio) and the first international pointe shoe brand was created. This was a massive turning point(e) in ballet’s technical evolution, we wouldn’t be anywhere close to the level we are on today if the shoes hadn’t made these advancements.
Moving Forward:
By the mid-20th century, pointe shoes featured a rigid box, made of layers of fabric, glue, and paper maché, and a strong shank, allowing for both flexibility and support. Which allowed ballet choreography to become more complex and physically demanding, the dancers now had the necessary support to perform intricate footwork and daring jumps. The next couple of decades saw the strength, prowess and flexibility reach a level that dancers in the 18th and 19th centuries (and certainly before then) never would have thought possible. Balanchine’s neoclassical style in the mid-20th century, with its fast footwork and extreme precision, pushed dancers and their footwear to new limits. Today, Modern pointe shoes, while still handmade from traditional materials, are designed to meet these challenges, offering both the strength and delicacy required for today’s demanding performances.
After these may innovations ballet as an art form had been fully formed as a narrative and poetic technical dance medium. The steps were named, the coordinations developed, the stories told, multiple styles of choreography invented within the genres. Just when people thought there was nowhere left to ago, along came what could only be described as a technique phenom, French Ballerina Sylvie Guillem. She redefined for the world what it meant to be a “ballerina”, what styles and roles a classical dancer could take on, what choreographers belonged in ballet’s theaters, and most importantly for our purposes today, what was expected technically of a classical ballet dancer.
The Before and After: Sylvie Guillem
One of the most celebrated and influential ballerinas of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, known for her remarkable technique, daring artistry, and pioneering spirit. Born on February 25, 1965, in Paris, France, Guillem initially trained as a gymnast before entering the Paris Opera Ballet School at the age of 11. Her natural talent quickly set her apart, and by 19, under the mentorship of legendary choreographer Rudolf Nureyev, she became the youngest-ever étoile (highest ranked principal dancer) at the Paris Opera Ballet. In 1989, she shocked the Paris cultural scene and left the Paris Opera Ballet and joined the Royal Ballet in London as a principal guest artist. The French minister of culture even went on air to declare the loss a national catastrophe.
Guillem’s career was marked by her technical brilliance, especially her extraordinary flexibility, athleticism, and powerful extensions, which redefined the standards for ballerinas. She performed lead roles in the classical ballet repertoire, but she notably embraced contemporary works. Her collaborations with major choreographers like Maurice Béjart, William Forsythe, and Mats Ek demonstrated her willingness to push the boundaries of ballet, integrating modern dance into her repertoire and expanding the possibilities for both classical and contemporary dance and dancers.
Throughout her career, Guillem was known not only for her technical prowess but also for her fierce independence and strong personality. She was unafraid to challenge the conventions of the ballet world, earning her the nickname “Mademoiselle Non” for her refusal to conform to the rigid expectations of classical ballet institutions. This defiance allowed her to carve out a unique artistic path, and she became an inspiration for a new generation of dancers seeking creative agency. Guillem officially retired from the stage in 2015 with her farewell tour, Life in Progress, which featured works by Akram Khan and Russell Maliphant, among others. Her influence on ballet is profound; she expanded the possibilities of the art form by merging a never before seen technical virtuosity with contemporary expression and set a precedent for ballerinas to take control of their artistic careers.
Her influence on ballet’s development is marked, the olympian level of technique that dancers are on today, is in no small part due to her influence. If you look at a dancer from the 70s, 80s or even 90s and compare them to a present day ballerina you will see an undeniable and extreme difference in the range of motion and virtuosity. The dancers and technological developments that came before her set the stage so to speak, and Guillem, standing on their shoulders showed us what was possible.
Want to see some of today’s amazing dancers in real life? Join us for our production of NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet, where you’ll see incredible dancers from all over the world in their daring partnering, exciting footwork and lyrical adagio’s. And when you do, you’ll know how this thrilling technique was all made possible!
