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Can you imagine a party[br]where every movement,

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from the slightest gesture[br]to walking across the room,

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and every visual detail,

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from furniture to hemline length,

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were governed by a complex system[br]of rules and procedures?

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For centuries, such rituals[br]were commonplace for European nobility.

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And while they've gone out of fashion,

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we recognize the components[br]under a familiar label:

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ballet.

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Ballet, from Italian "balletto,"[br]or little dance,

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originated in Renaissance Italy[br]as a combination of social dance

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and choreographed display[br]at aristocratic gatherings.

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In many aspects, it was a way[br]of controlling people in court

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with acceptable forms of behavior,

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such as the manner in which people[br]stepped, bowed, or took someone's hand.

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It also involved rules governing[br]everything from attire

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to where one could walk or sit[br]in relation to the King.

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Over time, the study of ballet became[br]a central element of court life,

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and proper grasp of the etiquette could[br]make or break one's success as a courtier.

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Many of these court gestures can still[br]be seen in modern ballet techniques.

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Ballet was brought to France[br]in the 16th century

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by Catherine de' Medici,

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the Italian wife of King Henry II.

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As celebrations became more lavish,[br]so did the dance,

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with dancing masters teaching[br]elaborate steps to young nobles

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and story elements providing[br]a unifying theme.

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The focus shifted from participation[br]to performance,

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and the form acquired [br]more theatrical trappings,

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such as professionally designed sets

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and a slightly raised platform or stage[br]with curtains and wings.

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But it was in the 17th century court[br]of Louis XIV

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that ballet was refined into the art[br]we know today.

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Louis himself had been trained[br]in ballet from childhood.

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His early role as the sun god[br]Apollo at age fifteen

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cemented the central role ballet[br]would play during his reign.

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It also earned him the title[br]of Sun King,

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with his splendid golden costume[br]and choreography

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that promoted the idea of the king[br]as a divinely ordained ruler.

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Louis would go on to perform[br]80 roles in 40 major ballets,

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either as a majestic lead,

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or sometimes playing minor [br]or comedic parts

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before emerging in the lead role[br]as the end.

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He trained daily in ballet,

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as well as fencing and riding,

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and through his example,

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dancing became an essential skill[br]for all gentlemen of the era.

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But Louis XIV's main contribution [br]to ballet was not as a performer.

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His founding of [br]the Royal Academy of Dance in 1661

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shifted control of ballet[br]from local guilds to the royal court.

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As director,

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he appointed his personal ballet master [br]and frequent performance partner

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Pierre Beauchamp,

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who codified the five main positions [br]of the body still used today.

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Through is collaborations[br]with Jean-Baptiste Lully,

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the director of the Royal Music Academy,

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and famed playwright Molière,

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Beauchamp helped establish ballet[br]as a grand spectacle.

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And in 1669, a separate ballet academy[br]was founded.

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The Paris Opera Ballet survives today[br]as the oldest ballet company in the world.

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Ballet moved away from the royal court[br]to the theater

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and survived the democratic revolutions[br]and reforms

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that followed over the next century.

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With the advent of the romantic movement,

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fantasy and folklore themes [br]became common motifs.

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And though the influence of ballet[br]in France would decline,

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other countries, such as Russia,

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would play a major role [br]in its further development.

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Fortunately, today most of us don't[br]have to learn a complicated set of steps

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just to socialize at a wedding.

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Instead, we can go to the theater[br]to see professionals

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who spend their lives training rigorously

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to perform feats that would have been[br]unimagineable in Louis XIV's day.