Aditi Bahali September 17, 12

Topic Proposal for Extended Inquiry Project

The topic of my paper is how the practice of ballet has changed from its origin in 15th century Italy. As dance is a passion of mine, I have always been interested in the beauty of ballet; however, because I did not start young I was never able to dance on pointe. Pointe is where a ballet dancer dances on the tips of their toes wearing pointe shoes. Dancing and on pointe is a practice of ballet that has stayed the same through centuries of practice, in fact much of the fundamentals of ballet remain the same. However the practice of ballet has changed thanks to figures like Anna Pavolva, who is widely considered to be the best ballet dancer of all time; and George Balanchine, who is regarded as the foremost contemporary choreographer in ballet. My knowledge of dance and ballet is not limited. When I started in dance for my high school I was fascinated and envious of all the perfect ballerinas in my school. Where I danced ballet was not the focus. But the girls that went to a studio called International Ballet Academy and spent their summers in leading ballet academies in New York, ballet was a huge part of their lives. Being with them I realized a good ballerina, and I say that with high standards for the word good, walks, stands and moves different than a normal person. Ballet builds a technique, a movement that when practiced right become a part of the person learning it. You cannot learn ballet the way you learn other a jazz routine, ballet takes years of dedication. I hope to learn more about the people that have devoted their lives to this style of dance, and have been brave enough to leave their own imprints on the classical dance style. My knowledge of ballet already tells me to read short biographies of George Balanchine and Anna Pavolva. From there I will get some answers and can continue my research. I also will go look at the French and Italian courts, specially looking at Louis the 14th, who had a significant effect on the creation of ballet.