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The Language of Ballet: French and Fit for a King

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The language of the ballet is in French; it all began in France with King Louis XIV in the 17th century. Wherever ballet is studied, the names of the steps are in French: tendu, grande battement, pirouette, tour en l’air, etc. Discover the five basic positions, how ballet began and how it represented class and social hierarchy in aristocratic courts.

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