Moving effortlessly between the great classical works and the best of contemporary dance, including new commissions from both home and abroad, The Australian Ballet offers the nation transformative experiences through the power of our performances and our example of excellence.
The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur and director Dame Peggy van Praagh as founding artistic director.
There is no defined standard. For younger applicants, very little dance experience is expected as the audition class provides the opportunity to demonstrate natural coordination, musicality and physical suitability. Applicants auditioning for the Full-Time Program are expected to have had some form of ballet training.
Russia is renowned for its ballet, counting many of the world's greatest ballerinas, choreographers, and composers among their ranks.
Paris Opera Ballet
(Much of that history can be read about in our post on the history of ballet.) The Paris Opera Ballet was the absolute center of the ballet world for centuries, and it remains today perhaps the most prestigious company in the world.
“Swan Lake” — which opens, in a production choreographed by Kent Stowell, at Pacific Northwest Ballet on Feb. 2 — is, of course, much more than a sequence of turns. The technically and artistically demanding double role of Odette (White Swan) and Odile (Black Swan) is perhaps the most difficult in all of ballet.
Vaganova Ballet Academy
As in all world-renowned schools, it is very difficult to get a place. Their training is so complicated too and among thousands of people who access, less than 30 complete the eight years of training. Teachers such as Marius Petipa, Jules Perrot, Enrico Cecchetti have taught at this school.
Melbourne Academy of the Arts - Australia's Leading Ballet School.
Why is ballet famous in Russia? Ballet has been a part of Russia's cultural identity since the 17th century, when Peter the Great, the former Emperor of Russia, began a cultural revolution to challenge the West.
Ballet is a French word which had its origin in Italian balletto, a diminutive of ballo (dance) which comes from Latin ballo, ballare, meaning "to dance", which in turn comes from the Greek "βαλλίζω" (ballizo), "to dance, to jump about". The word came into English usage from the French around 1630.
The Australian Ballet has been inspiring and delighting audiences since 1962 and is Australia's national ballet company. A not-for-profit public company limited by guarantee, it is funded primarily through its own commercial and fundraising activities.
The ages of 14-17 are not too old to start lessons in ballet. But it is an age where the chances of becoming a professional ballet dancer start to decline as the bones in your body begin to harden and it becomes harder to develop flexibility and especially turn out of the hip joints.
The pelvis position, abdominal and gluteal weakness, hip flexor tightness and or weakness, and other issues are all factors that can affect how easy the leg can move freely to its extreme ranges of movement.
Generally, successful applicants will be between 15 and 17 years of age.
Ballet originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century. Noblemen and women were treated to lavish events, especially wedding celebrations, where dancing and music created an elaborate spectacle.
Origins of Ballet
There doesn't seem to be one individual who invented ballet, but King Louis XIV is credited with expanding its popularity and helping it evolve into the dance known today. There were also other individuals who contributed various elements that played a huge role in the formation of ballet.
Ballet originally came to Russia in the 1700s when Peter the Great instituted his Westernization program, replacing traditional Russian folk dances with ballet from France. Through centralized planning and organization by Catherine the Great, the country built ballet schools and theatres in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Conclusion: In terms of biomechanics, the most demanding classical ballet position in pre-professional dancers is CP4, followed by CP5, CP3, CP1 and CP2.
Ballet is widely acknowledged as the most rigorous and demanding form of dance.
Corps de ballet—This is the beginning level, and where most professional dancers start out. Most of a ballet company's dancers are at this level.