Ballet: History, Technique & How to Start

What is ballet?

Ballet is the classical theatrical dance of Western Europe, built on turnout of the legs, a lifted and aligned torso, pointed feet and a precise vocabulary of French-named steps. Students train for years at the barre and in the center to develop strength, balance and line; advanced women (and some men) dance en pointe in reinforced shoes. Ballet is the technical foundation many dancers rely on for jazz, contemporary and musical theatre.

History

Court spectacles in Renaissance Italy traveled to France with Catherine de' Medici. Louis XIV, an avid dancer, founded the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661, and Pierre Beauchamp is credited with defining the five positions of the feet. The Romantic era brought La Sylphide (1832) and Giselle (1841); Imperial Russia produced Marius Petipa's Sleeping Beauty and the Petipa–Ivanov Swan Lake and Nutcracker. In the United States, George Balanchine co-founded the School of American Ballet (1934) and New York City Ballet (1948), San Francisco Ballet (1933) staged the first complete American Nutcracker in 1944, and American Ballet Theatre opened its first season in 1940.

Basic technique

The five positions of the feet and arms (port de bras)
Plié, tendu, dégagé, rond de jambe and frappé at the barre
Turnout from the hips, not the knees or feet
Center work — adagio, pirouettes, petit and grand allegro
Spotting the head to stay balanced in turns

Music & tempo

Ballet classes use live or recorded piano accompaniment chosen for each exercise — slow 3/4 for adagio, crisp 2/4 for petit allegro, broad waltzes for grand allegro. The repertoire draws on Tchaikovsky, Adam, Delibes, Prokofiev, Stravinsky and many more.

Songs for ballet

Song	Artist	BPM	Key	Year
El amor brujo: A medianoche. Los sortilegios	Radio‐Symphonie‐Orchester Berlin, Lorin Maazel	73	D minor	1995
The Miraculous Mandarin, BB 82, Sz. 73, op. 19: The body of the Mandarin begins to glow (Moderato)	Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly	78	D minor	2002
The Sleeping Beauty, op. 66: Act II. 17. Panorama. Andantino	Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Neeme Järvi	81	G major	2012
The Miraculous Mandarin, BB 82: VII. Sempre vivo. The Tramps Leap Out	Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer	84	C major	1996
Sleeping Beauty, op. 66: Act II "The Vision": No. 14. Scene: Prince Florimund and the Lilac Fairy	London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn	89	C# major	1974
Ballet Suite “Chout”, op. 21b: 7. Fifth Entr'acte and the Goat's Burial	London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado	90	G major	1967
L'Oiseau de feu : Final	London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado	90	B major	1975
Swan Lake: No. 10. Scene (Moderato)	Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet	91	B minor	2009
The Miraculous Mandarin, BB 82, Sz. 73, op. 19: "We must kill him"... (Maestoso)	Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly	91	A# minor	2002
Der Nußknacker op. 71a: Suite aus dem Ballett op. 71: II. Danse caractéristiques: d. Danse arabe. Allegretto	Berliner Philharmoniker, Ferdinand Leitner	91	G minor	1989

BPM as measured by audio analysis; some tracks read at half or double the danced tempo.

All 350 ballet songs by BPM →

What to wear

Leotard and pink or skin-tone tights for most schools; fitted T-shirt and tights or leggings for men. Canvas or leather split-sole slippers for beginners; pointe shoes only after a teacher confirms strength and readiness.

How to get started

Look for a school that teaches a recognized method (Vaganova, Cecchetti, RAD, Balanchine or a structured graded syllabus) and offers an adult beginner track. Two classes a week is a realistic pace; progress is measured in months and years, not weeks.

We list 1897 studios that teach ballet, or browse all dance studios by state.

Ballet in historic images

Baletka

Slovak national gallery

Odpočívajúca baletka

Slovak national gallery

Tanečnice královského baletu

Náprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures

Ballet dancer's foxtrot

Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive - Cultural Foundation of the National Bank Of Greece

Portrait of the Ballet Dancer Anne Margrethe Schall

National Gallery of Denmark

A balet dancer ????

National Library of Israel · 1968

Mr. Lambkin being introduced to a ballet dancer. Lithograph by G. Cruikshank.

Wellcome Collection

Nude study for the Dressed Ballet Dancer

Nationalmuseum Sweden

Openly licensed images via Europeana; rights statements on each item page.

Key ballet terms

Full glossary →

Notable figures

Goyo Montero

Spanish ballet dancer, ballet director and choreographer

Tadeusz Olsza

film and stage actor (1895–1975)

Beryl Goldwyn

ballerina

Maya Plisetskaya

Russian ballet dancer (1925-2015)

Margot Fonteyn

British ballerina

Vasili Vainonen

Russian choreographer (1901–1964)

Henriette Darricarrère

French dancer and actress, Henri Matisse's female model (1901–1991)

Deborah Kerr

British actress (1921–2007)

Movies featuring ballet

Recent research

Biomechanical Risks Associated with Foot and Ankle Injuries in Ballet Dancers: A Systematic Review. — International journal of environmental research and public health, 2022
Readiness for Dancing En Pointe. — Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America, 2021
Rehabilitation of the Dancer. — Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America, 2021
Ankle Injuries in Dancers. — The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2019
Concussions in Dancers and Other Performing Artists. — Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America, 2021

More ballet research →

Books about ballet

Picasso by Pablo Picasso, Jean-Louis Andral, Pierre Daix (1926)
Marc Chagall by Marc Chagall, Evgenija Petrova, Aleksandra Shatskikh (1948)
If There Be Thorns by V.C. Andrews (1981)
Ellen Tebbits by Beverly Cleary (1951)
In search of theater by Eric Bentley (1947)
Ballet Shoes (Shoes #1) by Noel Streatfeild (1609)

Full reading list →

Encyclopedia summary

Ballet (French: [balɛ]) is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary. Ballet has been influential globally and has defined the foundational techniques which are used in many other dance genres and cultures. Various schools around the world have incorporated their own cultures. As a result, ballet has evolved in distinct ways.

A ballet as a unified work comprises the choreography and music for a ballet production. Ballets are choreographed and performed by trained ballet dancers. Traditional classical ballets are usually performed with classical music accompaniment and use elaborate costumes and staging, whereas modern ballets are often performed in simple costumes and without elaborate sets or scenery.

From the Wikipedia article “Ballet”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get on pointe?

Most students begin pointe after three to five years of consistent training, usually no earlier than age 11–12, and only when a teacher assesses ankle strength, alignment and core control. Adults can go on pointe too, but readiness — not age — is the rule.

Can adults start ballet?

Yes. Many studios run adult beginner and open classes. Adults progress more slowly in flexibility but often learn the vocabulary and musicality quickly.

What are the main ballet training methods?

Vaganova (Russian), Cecchetti (Italian), the Royal Academy of Dance (British), the French School, Bournonville (Danish) and the Balanchine style associated with New York City Ballet.

How many calories does ballet burn?

About 368 calories per hour for a 155-lb (70 kg) person, based on a MET value of 5 from the Compendium of Physical Activities. See calories burned ballet for every body weight.

Ballet & Theatrical Dance

Ballet

What is ballet?

History

Basic technique