The Laurence Olivier Awards are like the Oscars of the British theater.
In 1977, the London Festival Ballet made history when its ballet production of Romeo and Juliet became the first ballet to win the prestigious award.
The Art Itself Originated in Italy
The terminology is mostly French, the most famous pieces are Russian, but the dance itself is actually Italian. In the 1500s, ballet was performed at the royal court by courtiers as entertainment.
When the Italian Catherine de Medici came to France to marry King Henry II, she brought the dance with her and turned it into a more formal dance in France.
Teaching Ballet to the Police
Ballet and police work seem like completely unrelated fields. But ballet can actually benefit anyone with any kind of job.
In Romania, for example, some police officers have taken ballet in order to help them with their poise and posture when they direct traffic.
Ballet Productions Originated in France
The royal ballet academy (Académie Royale de Danse if you're local) was formed in 1661. It was the first place to showcase big ballet productions on stage.
The dance soon became trendy and spread throughout Europe, most notably in Russia and Italy.
The Language Sounds Foreign Because It Is
Since France had a significant hand in the development of ballet as a performance art, most of the terminology of the dance is in French.
Take the term "pas de chat" for example — it is a ballet jump that has soft, catlike qualities — translated from French, this means "a cat's step".