WEEK #6: Tuesday

Welcome back, ballet lovers, to another fun installment of “Let’s Get Technical” on today’s Coffee Break With the Ballet with nerdy ballet trivia and a Google Challenge you won’t want to miss.

Let’s Get Technical

Here’s a fun fact for your next pub trivia night: the leotard was first popularized by French acrobat Jules Léotard (1842–1870).  After it was adopted by the ballet world, rehearsal wear was never the same.  Leotards are popular with contemporary choreographers who want the movement of every muscle of the dancer’s body to be visible to the audience.  Compared with the huge, heavy, cumbersome costumes and headdresses the first ballet dancers wore, the leotard is a breath of fresh air!

Rehearsal wear before the invention of the leotard (1887)

19th-century French acrobat Jules Léotard

Duo Fantasy at OBT (Photo:  Basil Childers)

GOOGLE CHALLENGE!

Post a link to a picture of the most out-there ballet, theatre or opera costume you can find.  Is it incredibly ornate and fancy?  Is it over-the-top or just plain crazy?  Does it look totally gorgeous but impossible to move in?  (Bonus points if it includes a headdress or wacky hat.  We LOVE a wacky hat.)Post here or on OBT’s Facebook page.