What makes Ballet dancing different from other forms of dance?

Ballet is different from other dance forms, because it has very particular rules about. Ballet dancing is movement through space, rhythmic patterns in time, control and release of energy, an awareness of the body in movement, a way to communicate without using words, means to tell a story or express an idea.

People have always danced. Before there were languages people danced as a way to show how they felt and what they were thinking. To this day dance is an important part of the rituals of many cultures and of significant social importance. People have danced for many reasons- to entertain other people, to express themselves to others, to have fun with friends, to show the special traits of their culture, to express their faith, to keep their bodies fit and healthy, to learn new dances.

Ballet is one form of dance that developed in the courts of Renaissance Italy. It was brought to France at the time of Catherine de Medici and became a great favorite with King Louis XIV who cast himself in the leading roles of elaborately costumed court spectaculars. Ballet has since spread to all the corners of the world reaching new heights of perfection in Russia and now worldwide. You can view professional ballet companies on every continent. New York has been called the Dance Capital of the World.

Ballet is different from other dance forms, because it has very particular rules about how the dancer must stand and move. One of those rules requires that the dancer stand with their legs rotated outwards. This is called turn out. Turn out allows for greater mobility of the legs and produces a pleasing line in many poses.

As this is not a natural way of standing ballet dancers must train carefully so as not to injure their knees or ankles.

It is also important for a ballet dancer to maintain a good body alignment both to prevent injury and to produce a more pleasing look.


Ballet is a theatrical form of dance and is usually danced with the idea of an audience viewing it from a fixed perspective. Ballet can be a very expressive art form, telling stories and showing emotions, or the work can be abstract.