Ballet
A classical underpinning of basic movement foundational to many other dance genres. A highly technical form of dance using its own French vocabulary. A classical style built around 5 basic positions. This style has a wealth of tradition and heritage in its form and technique. Ballet acts as a foundation for many of styles as it encourages a strong core and centre of gravity as well as key skills such as leaping, turning and dancing on pointe. Popular classical ballets seen on stage are Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. These ballets date back to the nineteenth century and originated in Russia although have been updated to suit todays audience. A couple of 21st century choreographers who create new ballets (and are Helen’s favourite) include Wayne McGreggor and William Forsythe, check them out to see the difference to the more classical ballets.