Ballet is a type of dance, originally from Italy in the 15th century, which later evolved into its stage form, mainly in France and Russia. In its early form, the use of scenery was absent and took place in large halls, where the spectators occupied the seats in front and on either side of the stage. Since then it has evolved into a type of dance of high technical demands, with its own terminology and structural composition. The musical accompaniment is primarily from the classical music repertoire, and many composers have written music specifically for this purpose.

It is considered one of the highest arts that requires many years of practice to reach a professional level.

There are some facts you may not know about ballet

1.A male dancer lifts over 1.5 tons when dancing with ballerinas during performances.

2. One tutu it requires 60-90 hours of work and over 10 meters of material.

3. Every time a dancer jumps to points , three times her body weight is transferred to the tip of her big toe.

4. Many of the costumes used are so delicate that they are impossible to wash between performances. These costumes are hung in the air between performances and sprayed with deodorant.

5. Dancers rub their shoes in rosin to prevent slipping. It's a yellow crystalline substance that cellists, bassists, and violinists rub on their bows to help them play better, and baseball players use to improve their grip on the ball.

6. Ballet began in Paris. He traveled from there to Italy and Russia, where ballet masters continued to teach and refine ballet methods.

7. One tutu it costs $3,000 to build a more complicated one tutu it can cost much more.

8. In very early ballet dancers wore masks and heavy costumes that were difficult to move. It wasn't until the 1720s when a dancer known as Marie Camargo restricted her dress above the ankles as the movements became more elaborate.

9. The five basic foot positions were designed in the 18th century by Pierre Beauchamps, dance teacher to King Louis XIV of France. He created the positions so that a dancer's weight is evenly distributed over his feet for any body position.

10. In Italy a male dancer is called a ballerino. In the English-speaking world, boys or men who dance classical ballet are usually referred to as (male) ballet dancers.

Source: http://balleton.gr/