What is dance? Dancing is really up to the interpretation of anyone. Dances change so rapidly over the years, and something that is considered a popular dance move one year, might be considered ridiculous within five. Generally, dancing is considered to be bodily movement in some kind of rhythmic way, usually to music. Ballet theater dancing is one of the oldest forms of dancing, and has held its own for centuries. Usually, a ballet dancer is admired by the dancing community because of the difficulty of the moves.



France and Italy were the originators of this type of dancing. It is believed that it began as a form of expressive fencing. What people wanted to accomplish through it is the presentation of a person's best parts when performing. Ballet dancers try to keep their less attractive parts tucked in and controlled when dancing. Now, a ballet dancer is allowed more freedom of movement, but for classical one, the torso is held as stationary as possible.

In classical ballet, dances are slower, but in neoclassical one faster tempos have been introduced. Most of a dancer's focus goes into making their bodies as strong, graceful and flexible as possible. That gives them their unique and sleek appearance.

This type of dance has morphed into several distinct styles, which are classical, neoclassical and contemporary ballet, and each is unique. Classical style of dance tries to stay as close to the tradition of it as possible.

Neoclassical ballet keeps to tradition, but also allows more modern moves into the dance. Contemporary one 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 dancers, while making their job harder.

Now you know a little more about different styles of ballet theater. Someone who wants to be a professional ballet dancer has a tough job ahead of them. What with learning all the different forms of movement, and trying to avoid injuries, being a ballet dancer is difficult. These dancers should get a lot of respect for the job that they do.