Ballet and Women in Disguise

The History of Ballet

Ballet, where acrobatics meet dance and performance, has been practised worldwide since the earliest of times. However the origins of classical ballet can be traced back to the wedding of a prince. In 1581 Catherine de Medici, the French Queen, hired a group of performers to produce the first known ballet – The Comic Ballet of the Queen – for her son’s favorite friend’s wedding. Ballet became a favorite pastime for the French nobility, not only watching but also performing.

Women in disguise

During the early days, ballet was only performed by men, as were acting of any from on stage usually done by men. If a woman wanted to dance or to act on stage, she first had to disguise herself as a man, before she was allowed to perform. If a female role had to be performed, slender men or boys were dressed in ladies clothing, and wore wigs. Ballet dancer’s donned masks to portray their character further. The costumes were elaborate, and it is a wonder that the performers managed to dance in them at all. After that many more ballet schools were opened across the world. Ballet remains a popular form of art, and a popular sport. Many sportsmen and women use ballet in training for their actual sport. Pelé – a famous soccer player used ballet to warm up before matches. Many ice skating performers and gymnasts use ballet in both training and choreographing their sport.