corps de ballet

The dancers in a ballet troupe who perform as a group.

[French : corps, corps + de, of + ballet, ballet.]

The term originally referred to the entire body of dancers in a ballet company, although nowadays it refers only to the dancers who regularly perform together as a group, i.e. not soloists, principals, or character artists. On stage the dancers of the corps de ballet give added fullness to a scene, enhancing the drama and acting as background support to the soloists. Some of the greatest of all classical choreography is for the corps de ballet; the Kingdom of the Shades scene in La Bayadère, for example, when one by one the dancers repeat the same opening sequence until the stage is filled with their hallucinatory presence. Swan Lake and Giselle are two other ballets which provide a glorious showcase for the beauty and power of a corps de ballet in which many dancers perform as one single entity.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: the chorus of a ballet company
  Synonym: ensemble

See also: Category:Ballet companies

A ballet company is a group of dancers who perform ballets. The size of a company can range from less than a dozen dancers to a large ensemble. Large professional ballet companies are often comprised of several levels of hierarchy, beginning with Apprentices, or junior dancers, then moving on to members of the Corps de ballet, Soloists, and lastly Principal dancers. A ballet company will often rehearse over a series of weeks or months, or season, combining rehearsal schedules with performances or tours.

Contents 1 Members 2 Major ballet companies 2.1 Europe 2.1.1 Russia 2.1.2 United Kingdom 2.1.3 see also 2.1.4 France 2.1.5 other countries 2.2 Africa 2.3 Asia 2.4 Oceania 2.5 The Americas 2.5.1 Canada 2.5.2 Central and South America 2.5.3 United States 2.5.4 see also

Members

A ballet company usually consists of:

Artistic director Ballet mistress or Ballet master Choreographer Prima ballerinas Ballerinas Principal dancers Soloists

Corps de ballet Regisseur Character dancers Répétiteur and/or Dance notator Music director Orchestra Executive director

Major ballet companies

Europe Russia The Kremlim Ballet Theatre. Moscow Ballets Russes Kirov Ballet / Mariinsky Ballet Bolshoi Ballet St Petersburg Ballet Theatre - Konstantin Tashkin Ballet de Moscu United Kingdom Birmingham Royal Ballet formerly Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet English National Ballet Northern Ballet Theatre The Royal Ballet Scottish Ballet Rambert Dance Company formerly the Ballet Club and Ballet Rambert now a contemporary dance company see also Category:Ballet companies in the United Kingdom France Paris Opera Ballet Lyon Opera Ballet Marseille Opera Ballet other countries Companhia Nacional Bailado de Portugal Bavarian State Ballet Cluj-Napoca Romanian Opera Ballet Dutch National Ballet Estonian National Opera Hungarian National Ballet Moldova National Opera Ballet Romanian National Opera Ballet Royal Danish Ballet Stuttgart Ballet Vienna State Opera Ballet Ballet van Vlaanderen Corpo di Ballo del Teatro alla Scala Aterballetto Compagnia di Balletto del Teatro San Carlo Hamburg Ballet Africa Cape Town City Ballet South African Ballet Theatre Ballet Theatre Afrikan Asia K-ballet National Ballet of China Shanghai Ballet Company Oceania Queensland Ballet The Australian Ballet The Royal New Zealand Ballet West Australian Ballet

The Americas Canada Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal Alberta Ballet National Ballet of Canada Royal Winnipeg Ballet Central and South America National Ballet of Cuba United States Alabama Ballet American Ballet Theatre American Repertory Ballet Atlanta Ballet Ballet Arizona Ballet Austin Ballet San Jose Ballet British Columbia Ballet Florida Ballet Memphis Ballet Met Columbus Ballet Nouveau Colorado Ballet West Boston Ballet Carolina Ballet Cincinnati Ballet Charleston Ballet Theatre Colorado Ballet Covington Regional Ballet Delta Festival Ballet Eugene Ballet Gwinnett Ballet Theatre Harkness Ballet Houston Ballet Indiana Ballet Company Joffrey Ballet Kansas City Ballet Los Angeles Ballet Louisville Ballet Miami City Ballet Milwaukee Ballet Nashville Ballet Nevada Ballet Theater New Jersey Ballet New York City Ballet New York Theatre Ballet North Carolina Dance Theater Oklahoma City Ballet Oregon Ballet Theatre Pennsylvania Ballet Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Pacific Northwest Ballet National Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico Sacramento Ballet San Francisco Ballet Texas Ballet Theater Tulsa Ballet Washington Ballet see also Category:Ballet companies in Canada Category:Ballet companies in the United States

v • d • e Ballet General information History of ballet · Ballet timeline · Glossary of ballet · List of ballets · Ballet music · Ballet company · Ballet Portal Ballet by genre Classical ballet · Contemporary ballet · Neoclassical ballet Ballet by region French ballet · Russian ballet · British ballet Ballet technique Balanchine method · Cecchetti method · Vaganova method · En pointe

This ballet-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)