Ballet is a form of dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century. It is an artistic dance form performed to classical ballet music using highly precise steps. It uses graceful, fluid, and light movements. Generally, professionals girls use pointe shoes, while if you are just starting you typically use ballet slippers. Ballet is the "backbone" of dance. It is highly technical and based on French terminology.

Famous ballet dancers

• Natalia Osipova, who dances with the Royal Ballet in London. She was born May 18, 1986. Some of her main roles are Odette the swan in Swan Lake, Manon in the ballet Manon, and in Don Quixote she played the role of Kitri. She was also the role of Giselle in the ballet Giselle. She is the principal dancer of the Royal Ballet. Some of her awards include Grand Prize at the Prix de Luxembourg, Russian Ballet Magazine's Soul of Dance Award, Britain's Critic Circle National Dance Award for Best Female Dancer, and the Golden Mask Award.
• Isabella Boylston, who dances with the American Ballet Theatre. She was born October 13, 1986, and grew up in Idaho. She is a principal dancer with the ABT. She was Giselle in the ballet Giselle. She was Clara in the Nutcracker, and also played the role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. She was also the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, and she was also Gulnare in the ballet Le Corsaire.  A few of her awards include the 2009 Princess Grace Award and the Clive Barnes Award.
• Misty Copeland, who is the first black principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. She was born September 10, 1882, and grew up in San Pedro, California. She was the lead gypsy in Don Quixote. She was also given the role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. She was also the Mazurka Landy in Coppelia. She was also in many more ballets. Some of her awards include the Shorty Award's Best in Dance award, Glamour Award for the Showstopper, Breakthrough Award from the Council of Urban Professionals, and President's Council for Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition. She is also a model for Under Armour sportswear.
• Carlos Acosta, who dances with the American Ballet Theater, Houston Ballet, and the National Ballet of Cuba. He was born June 2, 1973. He's been awarded with many awards. Some of which are Prix Benois de la Danse, Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance, Grand Prix and gold medal at the Prix de Lasanne, and a gold medalist at the 4th Annual Competition of Ballet in Paris, France. In 2003, he became a Principal Guest Artist with the Royal Ballet. He was also a principal dancer with the Houston Ballet.

Successful Ballet Theatres

• American Ballet Theatre founded in 1945 and is one of the most well known ballet schools in America. It is located in New York City and has over 90 principal dancers, soloists, Corps de Ballet dancers, and apprentices. One of their biggest productions was Romeo and Juliet with Misty Copeland as the role of Juliet.
• English National Ballet. Founded in 1950, this ballet school has over 120 dancers! It is located in Great Britain and puts on amazing productions such as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Giselle, Le Corsaire, and many more!
• Russian National Ballet Theatre. This theatre´s directors are Elena Radchenko and Sergey Radchenko. This theatre is located in Moscow and was founded in 1989. Some of their productions include Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and the Nutcracker.
• Vaganova Academy. This is a very old theatre founded in 1738 in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was founded during the reign of Empress Anna. There are 352 dancers at the Vaganova Academy. Its director is Nikolai Tsiskaridze. Some of their productions include the Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Giselle.
• Paris Opera Ballet founded in 1669, is located in Paris, France. This theatre is very technical and very successful. It is considered the oldest national ballet company. Along with the Mariinsky Ballet, Mosow Bolshoi Ballet, and the Royal Ballet in London, it is considered one of the four most preeminent ballet companies in the world.
• The Royal Ballet. This theatre is very popular, located in London. It was founded in 1931, and has over 200 dancers. Its director is Kevin O´Hare. Its sister company is the Birmingham Royal Ballet. One of their most famous productions is Giselle, with Natalia Osipova as the main role, Giselle.