Paragraph on “What does ballet dancing portray?” complete paragraph for Class 9, Class 10, Class 11 and Class 12

What does ballet dancing portray?

In ballet, the movements of the dancers interpret the sound of the music. Often a ballet has a story, and the dancers act out the story. Instead of words, they use their bodies and move their hands and faces to portray actions and feelings. The ballet may be set to music that already exists, but sometimes the music is written especially for the ballet. It helps to know the outline of the story before seeing this kind of ballet. Several famous ballets portray fairy stories, such as Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. Others are light and amusing tales, such as Coppelia — in which dolls come to life — while several are serious, such as the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet. Petrushka is a marvellous ballet containing both these ideas: some dolls come to life but act out an unhappy story of love and jealousy.

Many ballets have no story, but are danced to portray a certain mood or to produce a beautiful pattern of movement. In both cases, the music is often to be heard on its own, and the dancing provides a different way of appreciating the music.

Ballets of this kind include The Rite Of Spring, which is a set of savage but thrilling dances celebrating the return of spring after the winter, and Les Sylphides, a group of elegant dances set to music by Chopin.