French+Dance

__//La Danse//__

Ballet, although first developed in Italy, made its rise in France. It was created from spectacles that combined music, drama, poetry, song, costumes, and dance. Nobility and members of the royal family took part as performers, and as Louis XIV was a dancer, Ballet, along with other styles of dance became very popular during his reign. In later years, dancers began to take the place of the court amateurs, and ballet dancers were paid by the government in France. The first ballet academy opened in Paris in 1661. It was called the Académie Royale de Danse (Royal Dance Academy). The first ballet troupe created was an all-male ensemble, but by twenty years came to include women also.