Classical vs. Romantic Ballet

What is Classical Ballet?

What is Romantic Ballet?

Romantic Ballet is primarily and era in Ballet, in which many ideas of romanticism came about and influenced the creation of ballets. The era occurred during the early 19th century and had no immediate end, but rather a slow decline.

Classical Ballet is a traditional style of ballet, that adheres to its classical technique. Classical Ballet is mainly known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique such as:

• pointe work
• high extensions
• precise movements
• turnout of the legs

Even though classical Ballet has so many stylistic variations, the performance and movement vocabulary are largely consistent throughout the world.

Ballet originted in the Italian Renaissance courts, and was brought to france by someone named Catherine de' Medici in the 16th century

Similarities

Classical Characteristics

Romantic Characteristics

• Classical Ballet specializes in more technique and training. you learn the foundation principles of body movement and form used
• Women were used in Classical ballet, but you saw mostly male dancers until later on when Romantic Ballet came in to place
• The costumes for Classical Ballet were short. The tutus were very short and stuck out
• Pointe shoes weren't really used yet. They were used in class, but women wore flat ballet shoes more than pointe shoes.

• The Romantic era marked the rise of the female ballerinas as a central part.
• All the women had soft rounded arms, and a forward tilt in the upper body which made women seem as if they are floating or hovering like an unearthly creature.
• Themes of Romantic Ballet deal with fantasy characteristics such as ghosts, fairies, nymphs etc.
• The costumes for Romantic Ballet was the "Romantic tutu". It was a full, white, multi-layered skirts full of tulle

• Romantic Ballet was simply a period of time within Classical Ballet. Nothing really changed, but the length of the tutus.
• Romantic Ballet and Classical Ballet still revolved around all the same technique using turn out, the feet positions etc.
• Even though Romantic used more pointe, both Classical and Romantic still used pointe shoes

Romantic Ballet

Classical Ballet

Examples: Swan Lake, Nutcracker

Examples: La Sylphide, Coppelia, paquita

Pictures and Videos

Pictures and videos

http://www.nytimes.com/video/arts/dance/100000003674690/clip-from-la-sylphide.html

Classical vs. Romantic Ballet

Works Cited

https://www.australianballet.com.au/education/about_ballet/history_of_ballet/history_of_ballet_romantic_ballet

By: Sumiya, Faith, Vaquel, and Gordon