King Louis XIV Codification of Ballet-Ansley Kenney

In the late 17^th century, the King of France, King Louis XIV, was very passionate about dance. King Louis XIV had a profound influence on the progression of ballet. Not only was he an avid supporter of dance, he was a beloved performer. During King Louis’s reign, ballet became a performance-focused art form. The king’s personal dance teacher was Pierre Beauchamp, who codified the five positions of the feet and the two positions of the arms. The positions of the feet and arms in ballet are a fundamental part of classical ballet technique. These positions are now universally understood even though their names are in the French language.

 In 1661 King Louis XIV wanted to reverse a decline in dance standards that had began in the 17^th century. Thus, he created the Académie Royale de Danse. Beauchamp was appointed director of the dance academy. In 1652, an Italian dancer, choreographer, composer, and violinist named Jean-Baptiste Lully joined the court of King Louis XIV. Lully played a significant role in establishing the general direction ballet would follow for the next century. King Louis would often be cast in the ballets. King Louis was nicknamed “Sun King” for the French monarch, which originated from Louis’s role in Lully’s “Ballet de la Nuit”. King Louis XIV was only fourteen years old when he danced five roles in the twelve-hour ballet. Soon, King Louis established the Académie Royale de Musique while making Lully the director and Beauchamp one of the principle choreographers. Within this academy emerged the first professional theatrical ballet company. King Louis’s company brought together music and drama with Italian and French dance elements. The predominance of French in the vocabulary of ballet reflects this history and the work created a legacy, which would define the future of ballet itself.

Citation:

http://www.balletaustin.org/education/documents/HistoryofBalletHandoutsforStudents.pdf