How Louis XIV Affected Dance Culture

How Louis XIV Affected Dance Culture (contd.)
It is instructive to note that Louis was a goal-getter. He was a man who knew what he needed at different phases of his kingship and knew the right strategies to use in getting them. As stated above, having had a taste of rebellion from the Frondes, and learnt an unforgettable political lesson, which made him stronger and wiser. He knew he had to stamp his authority and strip the nobles of their sense of entitlement to the throne and aggrandizement. That he did by forming his own army loyal to him, and also declared to as many that cared to listen saying "I am the state." He did not stop at that; he was determined to maintain his relevance and was always on guard to avoid being caught unawares. Louis would practice for several hours with Pierre Beauchamp. The continuous practice, beyond dancing, was more of a way of asserting his authority.
Louis XIV was a man who loved perfection and would encourage that also in people around him. He ensured that the nobles' presence and performance at the theatre were on merit and not by sheer virtue of prominent status. After evaluating their skills, Louis affirmed that only a few nobles were qualified to dance in his court. He would not condone people's lackadaisical attitude toward dancing because to him, dance was not just a mere movement of the body, it was a fundamental identity of the French people, and that he was always ready to uphold. He made sure that all choreographies performed at the court were well-rehearsed beforehand. Ballet, as a result of Louis’ reformation, became “a very disciplined, structured, and precise dance genre” (English p.217). The king’s foresight in creating the first dance notation afford today’s generation of dancers the opportunity of tracing the origin and transformation of many dance steps that are in the system. As noted by Hilton (9), the study of choreography can always be tracked to the emergence of dance notation in the French court.
The Reformation brought about the hierarchical system in dance structure. As a social model in France, the dancers were categorized and ranked according to “order of social precedence,” people with higher social status danced first before others could take their turn (Hilton p 11). This hierarchical procedure is still being strictly followed in the modern-day Ballet dance according to dancers' level of professionalism which is "from ballerinas and soloists, down to the corps de ballet, interns, and often, a second-tier dance company" (English p. 310). The structure is one of the factors that distinguish Ballet from other dance styles. It is not only shown in the artistic performance, but it is also, even more, reflective in the organization of dance companies. The codified and regulated framework makes the companies more demanding and requires that they are meticulously set up following a globally-accepted standard.
Deservedly, many renowned historians alluded that Louis XIV was one of the greatest accomplished men ever lived. However, his exploits in the expansion of French culture cannot be discussed holistically without delving into other areas of his life that made him an exemplary leader. Louis was not just a great dancer; he was also a prudent manager and a great planner. Before he rose to power, the French economy was in bad shape, and the national treasury was on the verge of bankruptcy. Louis swiftly stepped into action and executed a plan to revive the economy. He brought in professionals and manufacturers from different parts of Europe and made France a hub of skill acquisition and manufacturing. This initiative made France self-sufficient, reduced importation and increased its foreign earnings. A few years after, Louis ingenuity stabilized the economy, and France became buoyant financially.
His calculative cleverness was also employed in warfare. Louis was a man who knew when to attack, to restrain and to retreat - a hallmark of a great dancer. In 1665, the War of Devolution was initiated by him against the Spanish Netherlands. The contest was an easy victory for him as the French army overran the Spanish Netherlands and thereby claiming the territory. However, Louis was forced to give back most of the claimed portion when “a Triple Alliance of England, Sweden, and the Dutch Republic” was formed against France (“France and Authoritarianism” https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-worldhistory/chapter/france-and-authoritarianism/ ). Before he retreated, his goal had already been achieved as he had succeeded in expanding the French territory. His ingenuity was also felt in the French legal system. Just like the theatre culture pre his era, the country’s law was also in a discordant state. The country’s law was filled with different types of criminal and civil legal frameworks in different parts of France. However, Louis worked to harmonize the judicial system by introducing a practicable legal reform called Code Louis. With the code, there was uniformity in the laws of the land and the system became very efficient. The enactment of the code, Klimaszewska (138) posited “marked a very significant reform of the law, which led France into a new era of codification in the domain of civil procedure.
Though the enormous responsibility bestowed on Louis XIV required that he kept affairs of the state in shape which he showed in various sectors such as the finance and legal reforms as discussed above. However, he never lost his focus on improving the dance culture. Louis continued to work with his advisers such as Pierre Beauchamp, Jean Baptiste Lully, and together they made a notable landmark in the Ballet history. Despite having a strong military force, Louis still would not solely rely on that. He wanted to portray the French kingdom to entire Europe as the epitome of culture and luxurious etiquette. His approach and importunity in pursuing that desire made him one of the most influential French past leaders. Most European countries, including those that were at war with France, had to admire Louis' style and could not resist the artistry revolution of his initiative which began from the neighboring countries and later spread across the continent. In a classy version, Louis won over the hearts of his enemies both home and abroad with the power of culture and dance. The impact made by him and his men was so iconic that even after long after their era, it was still difficult for the next generation of Ballet and theatre culture influencers to match their attainment. For instance, across the continent, there was an emergence of several useful notation systems, especially the Lorin and Favier systems, however, as good as those systems were, “none were quite as influential as the development of Beauchamp-Feuillet notation” (Rinehart p. 73). Despite many dance notation systems from England, Germany, Spain, and Portugal, even within France, most dancing masters and dance students from those European countries still widely use Beauchamp and Feuillet's works.
Louis had made a landmark in the traditional French dance that it became a national identity so much that the culture was continued by the next generation of performers after his retirement from dancing. His Courtiers had to retire with him, which left the kingdom in need of professional dancers to fill the vacuum created by the king and his courtiers. The retirement gave rise to a new crop of dancers and in France, and accorded the female dancers a place in French Ballet for the first time. Before then the dancers at the courts at Versailles and theatres were all male. However, as the new set of dancers grew in number, female dancers started joining them, and in no time they grew in number, and a few years after, there were more women than men in the French dancing profession. Ballet soon became a livelihood of many professional French dancers. The musicians in the country were not also left behind, as there was a harmonious blend between dancing culture and musical productions at the French courts.
After the death of Louis, Lully and other prominent influencers of that era, the legacy was carried on by the professional dancers after them. Soon after, many dancers sprung up in different parts of France and Europe, and there were also different notation systems continent-wide. The collaboration by several professional dancers in the French theatre culture brought about more accuracy and efficiency in Ballet dance. Choreographic performances became more standard and uniformed nationwide as there was notation for dancing performances. Before 1700, there were published works containing sketches on the dancing steps. The works, which circulated nationwide, elevated the status and acceptability of the already-proficient Ballet, now with more accurate details. This made dancing practice easier for even amateur dancers, and there was less reliance on the dancing masters to master essential dance steps.
Several decades later, the European continent was still largely dominated by French culture and taste. Despite the rising in the number of dancing masters of other nationals, many Courts of other countries still had their preference for French dances and would rather employ French dancing masters in their courts (Powers). The presence of dancing masters of French origin in different Europeans countries ensured that the French culture remained relevant in the whole of the continent. As part of the impacts of exportation of the unique French dance system into different parts of Europe, Rinehart (74) noted that an Academy in Luneburg, Germany, was a citadel of French culture. The centre had a massive presence of French traditions and discussions and procedures of events within it were dominated by French culture. Most high-born German became immensely inspired by the French culture, including Bash, a German student at the time. Bash later got "exposed to French culture" and played a significant role in dance music production. His dance music, (minuets, passepieds, courantes, sarabandes, gigues, and loures) were a reflection of Lully’s French music (Rinehart p.74). Apart from Bash, there were several other notable composers in Europe whose works were inspired by Louis’ works. Suffice to say that the influential monarch’s culture restructuring positively affected almost every stratum of European theatre culture.
Though there have been many modifications made to the modern day’s Ballet culture, however, almost every newly-invented step, notation, and opera performance can still be traced to the Baroque era. The resourcefulness of Louis XIV and his dedicated team of dancers and composers remains the reason why no other dance genre can boast of a vibrant and detailed history like the Ballet dance. Indeed, the flamboyant Louis will always be remembered for many things, but hardly will any other area of his life be reckoned as much as his reformation of the theatre culture both home and abroad.
















Works Cited
English, D. N. Dance As A Community Of Practice: Exploring Dance Groups In The Kansas City Area Through The Lifespan. Faculty of The University of Missouri-Kansas City 2015. Accessed 28 Feb. 2019. https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/46424/EnglishDanComPra.pdf?sequence=1
“France and Authoritarianism” The Rise of Nation-States. Lumen Boundless World History. Accessed Date 20 Apr. 2019. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-worldhistory/chapter/france-and-authoritarianism/
Hilton, W. Dance of the Court & Theatre: The French Noble Style 1690 – 1725. Accessed. 28 Feb. 2019 http://artisanrenovation.com/Baroque_Dance_For_Musicians/Course_Materials_files/Hilton%20Chapter%201.pdf
Klimaszewska, A. The Ordinance Of 1667: Ideology Of Modern Codification As A Political Tool of Louis XIV. Wroclaw Review of Law, Administration and Economics. Vol. 5, 1-138. Access Date 20 Apr. 2019.
Powers, R. Dances of the Baroque Era. Accessed. 28 Feb. 2019. https://socialdance.stanford.edu/Syllabi/baroque.htm
Rinehart, A.P. French Society Abroad: The Popularization of French Dance throughout Europe, 1600-1750. Music and Worship, Cedarville University. Musical Offerings. 21 Sep. 2017. Accessed. 28 Feb. 2018 https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1075&context=musicalofferings
Schmid, G.The Art of Power”: How Louis XIV Ruled France With Ballet. The Mag. 15 Mar. 2017. Accessed. 28 Feb. 2019. http://mentalfloss.com/article/93297/art-power-how-louis-xiv-ruled-france-ballet



Topic: Louis XIV and His Power of Dance
Thesis statement: This article explores the exploits made by one of the past leaders of French, Louis XIV; his ascendency to the throne, his impact in the ballroom dance, and how he ruled the kingdom of France and influence Europe with the power of dance.

Annotated Bibliography
English, D. N. Dance As A Community Of Practice: Exploring Dance Groups In The Kansas City Area Through The Lifespan. Faculty of The University of Missouri-Kansas City 2015. Accessed 28 Feb. 2019. https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/46424/EnglishDanComPra.pdf?sequence=1 )
In this article, English, D. N explicate the impact of the ballet dance in today’s world. The innovation in today’s dancing academies by the contemporary scholars; in terms of curriculum development and class settings. The author advocates the use of art as a tool for effective leadership.
“France and Authoritarianism” The Rise of Nation-States. Lumen Boundless World History. Accessed Date 20 Apr. 2019. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-worldhistory/chapter/france-and-authoritarianism/
This work discusses The War of Devolution which was initiated by Louis against Spain. It detailed how France overran the Spanish Netherlands (present-day Belgium) and claimed a part of the territory. The contest showed that Louis’ tactfulness was not only in the dance culture but also in warfare.
Hilton, W. Dance of the Court & Theatre: The French Noble Style 1690 – 1725. Accessed. 28 Feb. 2019 http://artisanrenovation.com/Baroque_Dance_For_Musicians/Course_Materials_files/Hilton%20Chapter%201.pdf
This book chronicles the ascendency to the throne and leadership of Louis XIV. It gives a perfect insight into the affection of the monarch for theater and dance especially the emergence of the academie as a tool of unity in the kingdom.
Klimaszewska, A. The Ordinance Of 1667: Ideology Of Modern Codification As A Political Tool of Louis XIV. Wroclaw Review of Law, Administration and Economics Vol. 5, 1-138. Access Date 20 Apr. 2019.
Anna Klimaszewska, in this article, gave a detailed elucidation of Louis legal reform in the French kingdom. The author narrated how the monarch used his authority to constitute a robust legal framework that made the interpretation of laws become easier in France.
Powers, R. Dances of the Baroque Era. Accessed. 28 Feb. 2019. https://socialdance.stanford.edu/Syllabi/baroque.htm
This is anarticle concise write up focused more on the teenage years of Louis XIV up to his full ascendency to the throne; his love for ballet dance and the impact he made.

Rinehart, A.P. French Society Abroad: The Popularization of French Dance throughout Europe, 1600-1750. Music and Worship, Cedarville University. Musical Offerings. 21 Sep. 2017. Accessed. 28 Feb. 2018 https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1075&context=musicalofferings
In his record of the exploits of Louis XIV in the ballet world, Reinhart detailed the time, life and achievement of the king beyond his French kingdom. He retrospectively elucidates the influence made by Louis XIV even across Europe and explains how the king’s grandson, influenced the Spanish society with the French dance and fashion ideologies.
Schmid, G.The Art of Power”: How Louis XIV Ruled France With Ballet. The Mag. 15 Mar. 2017. Accessed. 28 Feb. 2019. http://mentalfloss.com/article/93297/art-power-how-louis-xiv-ruled-france-ballet
This article gives a comprehensive analysis of the struggles of the young Louis XIV against the Frondes who, at some point, forced him out of France. It describes how the king learnt his lessons from the experience and how that led to his decision to checkmate the nobles with the power of dance.