WEBVTT

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Can you imagine a party
where every movement,

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from the slightest gesture
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
of rules and procedures?

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For centuries, such rituals
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
under a familiar label:

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ballet.

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Ballet, from Italian "balletto,"
or little dance,

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originated in Renaissance Italy
as a combination of social dance

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and choreographed display
at aristocratic gatherings.

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In many aspects, it was a way
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
stepped, bowed, or took someone's hand.

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It also involved rules governing
everything from attire

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

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

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

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

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Ballet was brought to France
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,
so did the dance,

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with dancing masters teaching
elaborate steps to young nobles

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and story elements providing
a unifying theme.

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The focus shifted from participation
to performance,

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and the form acquired 
more theatrical trappings,

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such as professionally designed sets

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and a slightly raised platform or stage
with curtains and wings.

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

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that ballet was refined into the art
we know today.

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Louis himself had been trained
in ballet from childhood.

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His early role as the sun god
Apollo at age fifteen

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cemented the central role ballet
would play during his reign.

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It also earned him the title
of Sun King,

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with his splendid golden costume
and choreography

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

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

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either as a majestic lead,

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or sometimes playing minor 
or comedic parts

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before emerging in the lead role
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
for all gentlemen of the era.

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

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His founding of 
the Royal Academy of Dance in 1661

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

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As director,

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he appointed his personal ballet master 
and frequent performance partner

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Pierre Beauchamp,

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

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Through is collaborations
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
as a grand spectacle.

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And in 1669, a separate ballet academy
was founded.

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

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Ballet moved away from the royal court
to the theater

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and survived the democratic revolutions
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 
became common motifs.

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And though the influence of ballet
in France would decline,

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other countries, such as Russia,

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would play a major role 
in its further development.

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Fortunately, today most of us don't
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
to see professionals

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who spend their lives training rigorously

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