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42-524: During this era, the development of pointework , although still at a fairly basic stage, profoundly affected people's perception of the ballerina. Many lithographs of the period show her virtually floating, poised only on the tip of a toe. This idea of weightlessness was capitalised on in ballets such as La Sylphide and Giselle , and the famous leap apparently attempted by Carlotta Grisi in La Péri . Other features which distinguished Romantic ballet were

84-533: A physician has determined that a dancer's feet have sufficiently ossified , and it is not uncommon for dancers to begin pointe work as early as age nine. Oftentimes dance studios require their dancers to have their feet x-rays and get their physician to verify whether the dancer's feet are ready for pointe work. Another key determining factor is strength in the legs, feet, ankles and core. Without strong ankles, feet and legs dancers are likely to hurt themselves once en pointe or be too weak to remain en pointe for

126-571: A dancer to begin pointe work. Pointe technique encompasses both the mechanical and artistic aspects of pointe work. In particular, it is concerned with body alignment, placement of the feet and the manner in which a dancer transitions to and from en pointe. A dancer is said to have "good" or "proper" technique when in conformance with the best practices of pointe technique, which in turn are generally referred to as proper technique . En pointe dancers employ pointe technique to determine foot placement and body alignment. When exhibiting proper technique,

168-404: A dancer's en pointe foot is placed so that the instep is fully stretched with toes perpendicular to the floor, and the pointe shoe's platform (the flattened tip of the toe box ) is square to the floor, so that a substantial part of its surface is contacting the floor. Proper technique is also evident from a dancer's body alignment, by visualizing a straight line that extends from the center of

210-415: A new phenomenon. With the introduction of pointe work into classes came an increased emphasis on strengthening of the feet for both male and female dancers. Exercises such as coupes were first taught during this era to prepare dancers for the strength needed to dance on unblocked pointe shoes. These exercises have since evolved alongside modern technique and taken on new meanings. Romantic ballet owed much to

252-435: A proper ballet position with straight back and good turnout, pull up properly in the legs, and balance securely in a relevé that is perpendicular to the floor. Preparation for pointe work is a gradual process that begins with barre exercises to develop the requisite strength in ankles, feet, legs and core often known as pre-pointe classes. These exercises may vary in accordance with a teacher's preferences and if applicable,

294-519: Is attributed to Marie Taglioni in La Sylphide. Contrary to the hard shank and box of modern pointe shoes, Taglioni’s pointe shoes were the typical ballet shoes of the era with extra darning around the side and tips of the shoes to create extra padding for her toes. Due to the lack of support in the shoes, ballerina’s could not remain on pointe for long periods of time. Ballet Technique from the Baroque era to

336-478: Is often mitigated with lambswool or toe pads or by wrapping tape around toes or use gel pads that can conform to any one problem area. Choosing between cloth and gel, gel, only cloth, wool, etc. for toe pads is a personal preference for each dancer, but each style has its own benefits. Other exterior injuries include cuts caused by toenails piercing adjacent toes. This can be prevented by keeping toe nails cut short and filed smooth. Also, calluses may form on

378-404: Is part of classical ballet involving a technique that concerns pointe work , in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet when wearing pointe shoes . A dancer is said to be en pointe ( / ɒ̃ -, ɒ n -, ɑː n ˈ p w æ n t / ) when the body is supported in this manner, and a fully extended vertical foot is said to be en pointe when touching

420-538: The Romantic style of ballet from the nineteenth century, ballets blancs are usually populated by ghosts, dryads, naiads, enchanted maidens, fairies, and other supernatural creatures and spirits. A precursor of the genre was Ballet of the Nuns , an episode in act 3 of Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera Robert le Diable . The ghosts of cloistered nuns who, in life, were unfaithful to their vows are summoned from their graves to tempt

462-498: The Romantic era is represented by a fluid shift in movement, with steps from the Baroque era being both lost and reimagined. The era saw pointe work become increasingly prevalent in class work, though the technique was not deemed to be particularly revolutionary. Records of classwork from the era refer to pointe work in a casual manner, indicating that pointe work was believed to be a natural extension of past ballet technique rather than

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504-410: The Romantic era were largely written and choreographed by men, thus the role of women in these ballets is largely reflective of the Romantic view and status of women in general. Emphasis on the sensuality and innocence of women through the roles of supernatural and weightless characters revealed the desire of men to both protect and exploit the opposite sex. The role of the female enchanter was a staple of

546-604: The bottoms and sides of the feet, which can crack open. This can be helped by the use of gel pad protectors on specific problem spots or using pads to surround the toes. Ingrown nails can result from ill-fitting shoes. Ultimately, dancing on the tips of the toes is unnatural, painful and potentially harmful. Every other activity of the human foot, walking, running, jumping, has been part of its evolutionary journey from arboreal to bipedal locomotion - dancing en pointe has not. Further, pointe shoes are symmetrical, there are no lefts and rights. The toes have to flex inwards to conform to

588-478: The box of the shoes, and avoiding sickling . Problems dealing with technique can be easily fixed by proper training and one-on-one interactions with the dance instructor to improve the dancer's technique. Injuries due to toe misalignment are often avoided by adjusting toe alignments with gel toe spacers . Toenail bruising can be caused by heavy pressure on the surface of the nail. This is typically prevented by keeping toenails clipped short, by wrapping tape around

630-402: The classical tutu . The shortening of the tutu came as a direct result of the increasing intricacy and difficulty of ballet steps. By the 1870s, the length of tutu had changed from mid-calf to above the dancer's knee. Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake in the late 1870s debuted an even shorter tutu, built with hoops and 10 layers of netting to maintain its flat, wide shape. The classical tutu soon became

672-409: The creation of each costume was time-consuming and costly. The invention of the bobbinet machine in 1808 streamlined the production of tulle, allowing for larger scale production of the romantic costumes that construct the era’s signature look. The end of the Romantic era saw a shift in the shape of tutu from the bell shaped full skirt of the romantic tutu to the short and stiff skirt that characterized

714-462: The duration of a routine. Strong core strength ensures the dancer maintains their center and prevents them from rolling their feet when dancing en pointe. Otherwise ballet students are generally ready to begin pointe work after achieving competency in fundamental ballet technique and have been dancing for a number of years. For example, before learning pointe work, a dancer must be able to maintain turnout while performing center combinations, hold

756-520: The feet are often too soft prior to that age and in such cases serious and permanent foot injuries could result from starting pointe work too early. While some students start pointe work at the age of ten or eleven, this should only be practised by highly accomplished and experienced students. The long bones in feet begin to harden between the ages of 8 and 14; dancing en pointe before one's bones have hardened can lead to trauma and growth-plate fractures that create deformed feet. Exceptions may be made if

798-624: The floor or in demi-pointe (heels raised). In the sauté method, the dancer springs up and lands en pointe. In the process, the feet break contact with the floor and the dancer is briefly airborne. To transition to en pointe via piqué , a dancer will step out directly onto a fully extended, vertical foot. The other foot is then raised from the floor, thereby leaving the dancer en pointe. Modern ballet technique incorporates all three transition methods. Relevé and piqué transitions are typically used for adages , where strength, poise and controlled movements are highlighted. The more abrupt sauté method, which

840-463: The floor, even when not bearing weight. Pointe technique resulted from a desire for female dancers to appear weightless and sylph -like. Although both men and women are capable of pointe work, it is most often performed by women. Extensive training and practice are required to develop the strength and technique needed for pointe work. Typically, dance teachers consider factors such as age, experience, strength and alignment when deciding whether to allow

882-462: The hearts and senses of mortal men and made it impossible for them to live happily in the real world. While ballerinas became increasingly virtuosic, male dancers became scarce, particularly in Paris (although they were still common in other European areas, such as Denmark). This led to the rise of the female travesty dancer - a female dancer who played male roles. While travesty dancing had existed prior to

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924-480: The hero, Robert, with dancing, gambling, drink, and love making. Choreographed by Filippo Taglioni and first presented in Paris in November 1831, it starred his daughter, Marie Taglioni as Helena, the abbess of the ruined convent of Saint Rosalia. Costumes in modern productions are usually white dresses with black sashes and headpieces. The next year, 1832, Marie Taglioni appeared in the title role of La Sylphide ,

966-413: The hip through the toes. When a properly aligned dancer is viewed from the side, the line passes through the knee, ankle joint and big toe joints. When viewed from the front, the line passes through the knee, ankle joint and the joints of the second toe or middle toe or the area between those toe joints. In cases of unusually high instep or metatarsal joint flexibility, it is sometimes necessary to flex

1008-513: The lakeside scenes of Swan Lake and the Kingdom of the Shades scene of La Bayadère sometimes wear short, classical tutus rather than the traditional calf-length or ankle-length ballet dresses, but the visually stunning effect of the ballet blanc is undiminished. In 1908, Michel Fokine revived the genre in a ballet set to the music of Frédéric Chopin that he entitled Chopiniana . When a revised version

1050-522: The material required for pointe. Dancing en pointe stresses the feet in various ways and thus can potentially cause injuries if the dancer does not plan ahead or take into account health and safety concerns. Injuries can result from improper technique, poorly fitting pointe shoes, and lack of effective cushioning and accessories. Some types of injuries are prevented by adhering to proper technique such as: correct upper-body positioning, maintaining straight knees when required, keeping body weight centered over

1092-442: The men in the plots willing to die for them, young dancers often found themselves to be exploited by men in society who wished to preserve the idea of femininity they were presented through romantic storylines. The costume for the Romantic ballerina was the romantic tutu . This was a full, white, multi-layered skirt made of tulle . The ballerina wore a white bodice with the tutu. In the second acts of Romantic ballets, representing

1134-432: The most well known shape of skirt, used by prima ballerinas to show off their skill and strength. The Romantic era marks the first time that dancers began to incorporate pointe work into their classwork and performances beyond the elementary poses and tricks meant to dazzle the eyes of an audience. Pointe shoes were initially implemented to give the effect of the dancer floating. The first use of pointe shoes in performance

1176-501: The new developments in theatre effects, particularly gas lighting. Candles had been previously used to light theatres, but gas lighting allowed for dimming effects and other subtleties. Combined with the effects of the Romantic tutu, ballerinas posing en pointe , and the use of wires to make dancers "fly," directors used gas lighting to create supernatural spectacles on stage. [REDACTED] Category Pointe technique Pointe technique ( / p w æ n t / pwant )

1218-455: The popularization of romantic tutus, a costume that became synonymous with the era. The Romantic era marked the rise of the ballerina as a central part of ballet, where previously men had dominated performances. There had always been admiration for superior dancers, but elevating ballerinas to the level of celebrity came into its own in the nineteenth century, especially as female performers became idealized and objectified. Marie Taglioni became

1260-594: The prototypical Romantic ballerina, praised highly for her lyricism. The movement style for Romantic ballerinas was characterized by soft, rounded arms and a forward tilt in the upper body. This gave the woman a flowery, willowy look. Leg movements became more elaborate due to the new tutu length and rising standards of technical proficiency. Important Romantic ballerinas included Marie Taglioni , Carlotta Grisi , Lucille Grahn , Fanny Cerrito , Pauline Leroux and Fanny Elssler . The plots of many ballets were dominated by spirit women—sylphs, wilis, and ghosts, who enslaved

1302-676: The recognized dress for dancers of the academic school. The skirt of the Romantic tutu is either mid-calf or ankle length in design. Despite the introduction of Romantic elements of otherworldly spirits, the dancing in La Sylphide was of the purely classical school. Ghosts, shades, shadows, spirits, and other elemental beings dominated ballet stages for decades after La Sylphide . Famous ballets blancs were staged in act 2 of Giselle (1842), in acts 2 and 4 of Swan Lake (1877/1895), in act 3 of La Bayadère (1877), and in act 1 of The Nutcracker (1892). In modern productions, dancers in

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1344-425: The romantic era and it greatly outnumbered the roles of male enchanters in ballets. The Romantic age was consumed with beauty and the mysterious dichotomy of the sexual and spiritual facets of femininity. Despite the growing importance of females in ballet, women benefitted little socially, as the era was still defined by widely accepted patriarchal notions.  As a result of the idealized women presented on stage and

1386-476: The romantic period it was generally used in tableau and walk-on (marcheuse) parts. Now it became a high-status occupation, and a number of prima ballerinas made their names by dancing en travestie . Fanny Elssler and her sister both played travesty parts. The most well known travesty dancer was Eugénie Fiocre, who was the first dancer to play Frantz in Coppélia , as well as a number of ballerina roles. The ballets of

1428-482: The separate identity of the scenarist or author from the choreographer , and the use of specially written music as opposed to a pastiche typical of the ballet of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The invention of gas lighting enabled gradual changes and enhanced the mysteriousness of many ballets with its softer gleam. Illusion became more diverse with wires and trap doors being widely used. Additionally, technical advancements in production of tulle facilitated

1470-404: The spiritual realm, the corps de ballet appeared on stage in Romantic tutus, giving rise to the term "white act" or ballet-blanc . The inclusion of gas lights and the romantic tutu in romantic ballets resulted in a sense of eeriness among theatergoers of the era due to the revelation of the dancer’s silhouetted legs through the thin fabric. Prior to the 19th century tulle was hand woven, meaning

1512-416: The story of a wood nymph (a sylphide) who tempts a Scottish farmer, James, to abandon his rural sweetheart and follow her into the woods, in pursuit of ethereal beauty. Dance historians consider this work, as the first fully-fledged ballet blanc , to be the beginning of the Romantic movement in ballet. The name of the genre is derived from the white costume designed by Eugène Lami for Taglioni, which became

1554-409: The tapered shape of the toe box. Pressure of the body weight on the toes in this misaligned position may, with other factors, contribute to the development of bunions. Other common injuries: Ballet blanc A ballet blanc ( French: [balɛ blɑ̃] , "white ballet") is a scene in which the ballerina and the female corps de ballet all wear white dresses or tutus . Typical in

1596-455: The toes to achieve proper alignment. A dancer may transition to en pointe by any of three possible methods: relevé, sauté or piqué. In the relevé method, the dancer rises smoothly by rotating the foot downward until it reaches a fully extended, vertical orientation while the toe box remains in contact with the floor, thus "rolling up" on the foot. This may be done either gradually or rapidly, on one foot or both feet, beginning with feet flat on

1638-436: The toes, and the use of ballet technique while en pointe. Dancers typically take pre-pointe lessons for a year before they are allowed to get pointe shoes. However, it is at the discretion of the dance instructor to determine if one year of pre-pointe is sufficient or if the dancer needs more time to prepare. Hence, it is quite common for students to take two or even three years of pre-pointe in order to properly assimilate all

1680-411: The toes, by using padding, or combinations of these. Bruising can also occur on the tips of the toes, especially when no padding is used. It is highly unadvised to dance en pointe without padding. Pointe work can cause friction between toes and the interior of the pointe shoe's box. This friction, under the high pressure of much of the dancer's body weight, can result in chafing and blistering . This

1722-485: The training method's syllabus . The first exercises at the barre are usually relevés and échappés . When the student is comfortable executing these steps on both feet and sufficiently strong, steps ending on one en pointe foot are introduced such as pas de bourrée and retiré. During each class session, a student will move on to centre exercises after completing the barre work. These exercises emphasize various aspects of ballet technique such as: turnout , pointing of

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1764-490: Was introduced by Enrico Cecchetti, is typically used in allegros , where the relatively slow and smooth relevé and piqué transitions would be both impractical and visually inconsistent with the lively pace of movement. The sauté method is more common in Russian ballet . Although age is not necessarily a prerequisite, many ballet students do not begin to dance en pointe earlier than approximately 12–14 years of age because bones in

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