In
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
, the ''corps de ballet'' (;
French for "body of the ballet") is the group of dancers who are not
principal dancers
Principal may refer to:
Title or rank
* Principal (academia), the chief executive of a university
** Principal (education), the office holder/ or boss in any school
* Principal (civil service) or principal officer, the senior management level ...
or
soloists. They are a permanent part of the
ballet company A ballet company is a type of dance troupe which performs classical ballet, neoclassical ballet, and/or contemporary ballet in the European tradition, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round ba ...
and often work as a
backdrop for the
principal dancers.
A ''corps de ballet'' works as one, with synchronized movements and corresponding positioning on the stage. Specific roles are sometimes made for the ''corps de ballet'', such as
Swan Lake, the Snow Corps de Ballet and the Flower Corps in ''
The Nutcracker
''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchai ...
''.
See also
*
Ballet dancer
A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...
References
*
Ballet occupations
Ballet terminology
it:Glossario della danza classica#Corps de ballet
{{ballet-dance-stub