Since it has not been mentioned yet and I just came across this video, I just wanted to point out that the engraving at 1:05 is from a book on the life of German university students published in in 1725. What you can see in it is German fencing of the time, which was very different from French fencing.

I love the blue outfit, looks really nice.

Ballet began in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th and 16th centuries. Ballet spread from Italy to France with the help of Catherine de' Medici, where ballet developed even further under her aristocratic influence. An early example of Catherine's development of ballet is through 'Le Paradis d' Amour', a piece of work presented at her daughter's wedding, Marguerite de Valois to Henry of Navarre.

The Ballet is an Italian invention in the 15th century, before 200 years ago from the Ballet in the Louis XIV court in France.

Your work and wisdom inspired me through the years to fulfil my dreams - Thanks you & Happy New Year !

Thank you ROH!

The dancers should be using a foil or epee. The sabre is one of the three weapons used in modern fencing, but it originated as a cavalry weapon for use on horseback.

love that video, the costumes everything

GREAT!!!!I love RBallet videos!!! =D

I love swordplay of the 18th century. Because it's so majestic and a piece of art!

Super cool to learn about.

Love this! :-)

With all respect due to Mme. Hageli, I've been studying the history of fencing (and practicing the art) for some time, and I'm afraid I don't know about any boots-the feet are turned out because it is more biomechanically efficient for the lunge. There is evidence for specialized fencing shoes, but nothing I am aware of for fencing in boots. Other quibbles: The dancers' movement is not correct for baroque fencing, but rather looks like modern ballet. Further, though they have beautiful costumes, they are not using the proper weapon for the court of Louis XIV, but rather cheap reproductions of 19th century sabres. While I am not an expert on the history of dancing, and would not presume to comment on that subject, I am somewhat knowledgeable about the history of fencing.

This was so cool

LUV IT

Not too much!!! :D

Dommage que la quasi totalité de la vidéo, ait été consacrée à des commentaires, au lieu de nous montrer les danseurs !!!

Cool

I do not really understand where the ballet is here? It is strange to analyze the ballet of the times of Louis XIV on example of a fencing school. Compare at least the difficult solo dance "Entrée d´Apollon" (1700), where in it something of fencing?

Awesome vid

beutiful

Would women also have danced at this place and time? If anyone knows. I am a writer trying to get a sense of women and ballet prior to 1810.

i winced a bit when she pronounced "loove-ruh"...

The more you know!

Mmm why the I am god topic though? Louis XVI was believing himself to be the sun /god sun? Didn’t get that if anyone knows thanks

Hmm, I see several faults with this interpretation from a fencing perspective. Fencing at Louis' court was not highly stylized, it was highly specialized. Around this time the aristocrats started to fence with the smallsword, a shorter rapier that was designed to thrust to kill. The actual technique behind using this weapon is highly specialized in that it is designed to present a narrow target to the opponent at the same time using the point to present a threat. It still has sound mechanics behind it that rely on self-defence, judgement, calmness and balance. Nobody would initially learn to ponce around like a ballet dancer in fight, because that would essentially get them killed. This is maybe why fencing was regarded above dancing as an art. Second is: nobody in this presentation shows some actual fencing.

kurła kiedyś to były pojedynki! nie to co teraz, teraz to nie ma kultury !

I do not see any connection between fencing and ballet unless you have the idea that you can just create historical references of your own accord for the purposes of re-educating the world about fencing and ballet, at whatever the cost to truth. Perhaps to make ballet more of a sport and not an art-and draw more males to it by lying to them. Though it is a lovely conception and might be termed "a dance" and easily choreographed into ballet, one would wonder why they created ballet at all if they could not just include fencing and elaborate on that in opera and other entertainment extravaganzas, or why they would create an academy of ballet, which incorporated art and not sport. Aside from the fact that it is not mentioned at all in any of the books on ballet of the time, or dance, in any country, I do not know where you are drawing these references from, particularly whr the pointed foot and the turned out foot has historically been given credit to Catherine d"Medici, and not Louis the XIV (her descendant), in a number of other texts (and in French) and in history, turnout was already clearly established. It was thought that it was primarily because physiologically people would not perform the movements in ballet without "turning out" and because the view of these movements, from the audience, was not clear if not turned out. Tripping over ones boot flaps is humorous, but simply not true! I was also not aware, either that boots were used for fencing, unless you are only familiar with swashbuckling scenes from The Three Muskateers, and I agree that it was not so stylized, as actual and real fighting (not stage fighting) would result in DEATH if one was just poncing around and posing, as you suggest. As you are undertaking to educate the public here, I find something wrong with mis-educating them to make yourselves more popular and possibly to take advantage of their apparent gullibility. With power comes responsibility!