CHAPTER 1 A STORY IN A DANCE The orchestra begins to play The curtains rise Then an elegant ballet dancer appears She glides across the stage Her twirls are graceful and beautiful As she performs she tells a story Ballet dancers tell a story with their movements
The audience members watch in amazement A ballet involves more than just dancing It also combines story and mime People have loved ballet for centuries Ballet began in Italy in the late By the ballet became popular with the kings and queens of France A French king started the first ballet school in This is why ballet terms are in French
An illustration shows a court ballet in Paris in the late The first ballet dancers were mostly men and boys Court dress did not allow women to move freely
