24 Facts About Ballerinas
Here are some fun facts about ballerinas.
1. A male ballerina is called a ballerino.
2. In the early days, staging a ballet was a sign of great wealth. Noblemen would fund productions for political and business reasons. It wasn’t really about the art. It was more like, “Hey, look at all my pretty dancers and let’s talk business. You gonna sell me that island, or what?”
3. Ballet was first performed near the end of the 15th century in Italy, at the height of the Renaissance.
4. The largest expense for a ballerina production is shoes. A dancer might go through 120 pairs of shoes in one season.
5. Ballet did not appear in Russia until about 1850-ish. At the same time it was losing popularity in France.
6. Jean-Baptiste Lully, director of the Paris Opera, is the biggest musical influence on ballet in history. He was appointed by King Louis XIV.
7. The word “ballerina” is French, with Italian origins. It means, “dancer.”
8. In England, all ballerinas were male until 1681. Directors would use young men with high-pitched voices and dress them up in wigs. The same thing was done for stage plays.
9. It takes more energy to perform in a ballet than it does to run 18 miles. The average non-completive runner can run a mile in 10 minutes. So try running for 180 minutes (three hours) and see how you feel. That’s what ballet dancers go through.
10. Pointe shoes have tips made from layers of fabric, cardboard, and glue. They are densely packed together to give them structure.
11. A typical ballet class starts with the “barre” which is a long rod that is attached to a wall in the studio. Ballerinas use the barre to support themselves while doing stretches and warm ups. The class then moves on to “centre work” where the dancers execute more complicated moves without the help of the barre.
12. The ultimate goal of a ballerina is to be hired by a professional company where she may perform and become famous.
13. Most ballerinas practice at least six days a week.
14. Ballerina training can begin as young as two years old.
15. When spinning, ballerinas use a technique called “spotting” where they keep their head fixed on a certain position. Some auditoriums will shine a blue light behind the audience that the dancers can use to spot. This lets them orient themselves and remain balanced even when doing complicated turns.
16. Ballerinas can spin up to 100 times without stopping. Although you’d be considered a professional if you could do it even 30 times.
17. King Louis XIV of France was a huge fan of ballet. He founded the Royal Ballet Academy, and even appeared in many productions as a dancer.
18. A ballerina’s pointe shoes wear out very quickly. She might go through three pairs in only one performance! Which sucks because they’re super expensive.
19. Pointe shoes need to be broken in for a ballerina to be able to safely dance in them. Most ballerinas have their own process for breaking in pointe shoes. Some like to smash them against the floor, or cut up the insides to make their feet flex better. A few shoes even have special instructions for breaking them in, such as putting them on and heating them up in a hair dryer, then placing them in the freezer so that they keep their new shape.
20. Road police officers in a city in Romania were once sent to take ballet classes. This was to teach them to guide traffic with more grace and elegance.
21. Male dancers go through thousands of pairs of tights.
22. Modern ballets last about 2 hours, while older ballets lasted up to 5 hours.
23. Modern ballet costumes are very delicate, and some cannot even be washed at all. These costumes are hung up to air out and sprayed with freshener.
24. Tutus are handmade. A single tutu can take between 60 and 90 hours of labor and uses up to 10 meters of fabric. This is why an ordinary tutu costs around $3000, and a specialty tutu can cost $10,000, which is more than many people pay for a car. That might make a fun name for a game show. Car or Tutu? Come on down!!!
