A body moving in an expressive way, usually to music, is considered dancing. Most dances are set to music, but not all of them are. What is considered a dance changes quite rapidly over the years, at least with regard to what is considered popular. Classical ballet is one of the most long-standing dance styles and is considered the high art of the dance world. A ballet dancer is usually respected by the dance community.

Ballet first came from France and Italy. The original idea for it was to express fencing in a dancing way. The idea behind ballet is for the dancer to present his or her best features to the audience. That is why ballet dancers tuck in their behinds, and suck in their bellies. Long, sleek lines are what define ballet movements. Modern dancers are allowed more freedom, but classical ballet dancers have to keep their torsos as still as possible. Classical ballet dances are set to slower musical pieces, but neoclassical dances are faster and have more movements. A ballet dancer puts most of his or her focus into flexibility, strength and grace, which creates their unique form.

Ballet has morphed into several distinct styles, which are classical ballet, neoclassical ballet and contemporary ballet, and each is unique. Classical ballet tries to stay as close to the tradition of ballet as possible. Neoclassical ballet keeps to tradition, but also allows more modern moves into the dance. Contemporary ballet has the basic structure of older ballet styles, but that is about it. A lot of contemporary ballet is taken from modern and 20th century styles of dance.

Ballet dancers can usually perform some of all of these styles, but usually stick to dancing one specific mode most of the time. There are actually serious health risks to being a ballet dancer. First of all, there are many injuries that dancers can get, just like with any other endeavor that involves physical exertion. Being a dancer is actually so strenuous, that most retire from active dancing by their mid thirties. On top of that, because there is such a focus on image for professional dancers, they often have trouble with eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia. This can also injure the health of the ballet dancers, while making their job harder.

Learning about ballet theater and ballet styles is interesting. It is obvious that any professional ballet dancer has a very hard job. Trying to always avoid injury and having to always keep learning new dance styles puts a lot of physical demands on ballet dancers. So next time you see a ballet dancer be sure to give them the props they deserve. For all the hard work that they do for usually little pay, they deserve all the respect that someone can give them.

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