Ballet Royalty

It’s safe to say that ballet loves a procession, a coronation and a fairytale ending. Ballet has always had a strong royal connection, from Queen Catherine de Medici, who introduced the French court to ‘ballet de cour,’ to King Louis XIV, who popularised the art form at his lavish Versailles palace.

The Sun King Louis XIV

We have to start with real-life-royal and original balletomane, King Louis XIV. A  fierce supporter of ballet he would dance in 40 major ballets during his lifetime and established the Academie d’Opera (now Paris Opéra Ballet) and is believed to have had a genuine understanding of the art form.

King Louis XIV also wielded ballet as a powerful political tool, introducing specific etiquettes in ballet that imitated court protocols to remind his subjects of his ‘absolute power’. Most famously, he earned his nickname ‘The Sun King’ after his debut performance in  Le Ballet de la Nuit (The Royal Ballet of the Night) in 1653 at 15 years old. The performance lasted 13 hours from sunset to sunrise. Additionally King Louis XIV’s ballet master, Pierre Beauchamp created a ballet notation system and the codification of the five positions of the feet. 

Queen of Hearts

The best at being bad, The Queen of Hearts from Chistopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland© is an outrageously over-the-top dictator. From demanding the roses be painted red to her hilarious attempt at the rose adage from The Sleeping Beauty, The Queen of Hearts just can’t help but get it wrong. 

Honourable mention: The long-suffering King of Hearts

Cinderella

She might not start out as a royal, but this rags-to-riches fairytale continues to delight ballet-lovers of all ages. Whether it’s Sir Frederick Ashton’s dreamlike version or Alexei Ratmansky's 2013 commission for The Australian Ballet, Cinderella is a timeless ballet that proves you don’t always need a crown to be a true queen at heart.

Prince Siegfried

Swan Lake’s wayward Prince Siegfried finds his life’s purpose when he discovers Odette, a young woman trapped under a spell that makes her take the form of a swan during the day. The tale takes a further tragic turn when Siegfried is tricked into declaring his love for Odille, who has disguised herself as Odette. 

Sidebarre: Graeme Murphy’s controversial 2002 premiere of Swan Lake alludes to the relationship of British royals, the then Prince Charles, Princess Diana and Camilla Parker-Bowles.