BALLET, balla, or ballet (from bal; from the French bailer, and the Italian ballare, to dance), a kind of dance now usually constitut ing an interlude in a theatrical performance. In its widest sense a ballet is the representa tion of a series of passionate actions and feel ings by means of gestures and dancing. In a more confined sense we call ballets musical pieces, the object of which is to represent, by mimic movements and dances, actions, charac ters, sentiments, passions and feelings, in which several dancers perform together. Ac cording to the analogy of lyrical poetry those which rather represent feelings may be called lyrical ballets; those which imitate actions, dramatic ballets. The lyrical and dramatic ballets, together, constitute the higher art of dancing, in opposition to the lower, the aim of which is only social pleasure. Dramatic ballets are classed as historical, the subject of which is a real event; mythological, in which the sub ject is some fabulous action; and poetical, founded on poetical fiction, to which belong also the allegorical, necessarily the most imper fect. A ballet is usually divided into several acts, each of which has several entrees. An entrée, in a ballet, consists of one or several quadrilles of dancers, who, by their steps, ges tures and attitudes, represent a certain part of the action. In criticising a ballet we must consider, first, the choice of the subject, which must have unity of action or of passion, and be capable of being represented in an intelligible manner by means of mimic movements and dancing; secondly, the plan -and execution of the single parts, which must have due propor tion to each other; and, finally, the music and decorations, which must supply whatever danc ing cannot bring before the eye. The ballet is
an invention of modern times. Baltazarini, director of music to Catherine de Medici, probably gave its form to the regular ballet, though pantomimic dances were not unknown to the ancients. The ballet owes much to the French, and particularly to Noverre. During the early 19th century the French and Italian schools were in their heyday but since 1850 have been eclipsed by the Russians who under Petipas, Fokine, and more recently Bakst, have evolved a school uniting the romanticism of the old-time ballet fairy lore with a genuinely modern realism. Anna Pavlowa was developed in this school and is regarded the equal of Taglioni, Cerito and Ellsler, the greatest danseuses of the French and Italian schools of the first half of the last century. Consult Castil-Blaze, 'La danse et les ballets) (Paris 1832); Flitch, 'Modern Dancers and Dancing) (London 1912) ; Menestrier, Wes ballets anciens et modernes) (Paris 1682) ; Noverre, °Lettres sur la danse et les ballets' (1760; 1807); Pougin, A., Wictionnaire historique du (Paris 1885) ; Voss, Tanz and seine Geschichte' (Berlin 1868). See OPERA.