Ballet is further shaped by the French…
1573 CE
Ballet is further shaped by the French ballet de cour, which consists of social dances performed by the nobility in tandem with music, speech, verse, song, pageant, decor and costume.
When Catherine de' Medici, an Italian aristocrat with an interest in the arts, married the French crown heir Henry II in 1533, she had brought her enthusiasm for dance to France and provided financial support.
Catherine's glittering entertainments support the aims of court politics and usually are organized around mythological themes.
The first ballet de cour is the Ballet de Polonais, performed in 1573 on the occasion of the visit of the Polish Ambassador.
It is choreographed by Balthasar de Beaaujoyeulx and features an hour-long dance for sixteen women, each representing a French province.