How Louis XIV Affected Dance Culture

The French are known to be amongst the most courteous people on earth. Their sense of art and fashion stands them out among other cultures not just in Europe but in other parts of the world as well. They are easily identified with their fashion sense, magnificent architecture, mouthwatering cuisine, and elegant dance steps, to mention but a few elements of their rich cultural heritage. In France, the people have a firm grip to most of their age-long traditions and one of the most adorable and highly esteemed of these traditions is dance. The reason for this is not farfetched as it has been an old tradition passed down by the renowned men and women throughout French history. 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.
As it was a norm in ancient French, the nobility status and the monarchy position were always accorded with the highest honor in the land; and the throne was usually the citadel of nobility that would set the trend for all to follow. This had been the tradition when King Louis XIV rose to power in the 17th century. Like his predecessors, his subjects looked up to him as a representation of the customs of the land, and the monarch, in that regard did not fail to live up to their expectation. Being an avid dancer from an early age, the young king who rose to power at the age of five, after the death of his father, made an indelible mark in different cultural aspects of the French kingdom, including dance. Leaving the affairs of governance to Martizin, who was appointed as the minister of state by Louis’ mother, due to his young age. Louis XIV concentrated on the art he loved best - dancing, a skill inherited from his father. At the age of fourteen, he performed an exceptional ballet role where he represented the rising sun (“Dances of the Baroque Era"). The performance earned him his famous alias ‘the Sun King'.
His adorable adornment and dancing steps were usually a combination of beauty and talent which Louis XIV represented (Hilton). The young monarch though had his reign interrupted by a dissent group of nobles called Fronde. The Frondeurs, in their approach challenged the monarch and attempted to reduce the influence of his throne in the land. Their disruption brought a brief moment of distraction in the Louis XIV reign, which slowed down the theatric performances. However, as calm returned in the year 1653 when Louis XIV was then fourteen years old, there was a need for the throne handlers to reestablish people’s confidence in the young king Louis XIV’s government. What better way to do that than employing the adorable art the king was known for?
To bring life back into Paris, Mazarin put forward a very unusual and magnificent spectacle in February 1653 (Hilton). The astounding view of the spectacle and the brilliant performance was a thing of pride for both the nobles and the commoners in the land. It was grandeur to behold the regular theatrical displays and it brought back the enthusiasm in Louis and his people. This continued until March 1661 as this was when Mazarin passed away and Louis was just 23 years old. At this time, the young Louis fully rose to the throne and continued to show his affection for dancing.
The creation of Académie Royale de Danse (Royal Academy of Dance) was a perfect way for Louis to establish his reign in 1661. Having been a victim of the noble revolt which temporarily forced him out of France, the 23 years old King wanted a better way of engaging the nobles and kept them in sight. He believed that in case the noblemen were kept busy attending to issues of the state within the court, they would have no time to plan for another revolt ("The Art of Power"). The academie creation made that possible as dancing skills (which even though had been one of the prerequisites for noble position in France) became more significant, and a requirement for the noblemen to maintain their relevance. The nobles were more engaged perfecting their dance skills like never before.
The academie, however, was not just for the nobles but to the benefit of everyone in France as it was an avenue to prepare the French for involvement in the high society of the French court Rinehart (2017). This made the two most popular dance genres in the court of Louis XI, namely, ballet and ballroom dancing. Both these forms become fashionable to a point where they became a national pride; and “were heavily focused on etiquette, prestige, high society, and on bringing glory to France” (Reinehart 2017). With the active involvement of the king himself, the nobles, and professional dancers in France, Paris became a paragon of art throughout Europe. The dance academie was made one of the best in Europe as it gave space for the nobles and professional dancers to dance side by side. Loiuz, to also affirm the premium he paid on art, appointed ministers for bourgeoisies, in his determination that “his nobles be ornaments, not rivals, to the throne” (Hilton).
The Academie’s Impact in His Government & All over Europe
The academie became a potent instrument of leadership during his reign; it was successful not only in keeping the nobles in check as proposed, but it also kept them happy as well. Yielding better results than Luioz had anticipated, the dance initiative became accepted to everyone; both the commoners and the nobles, without being forced on them. The people were eagerly happy to be part of the dance or spectators watching exceptional dances at the King’s court. The nobles, the professionals and the king himself were always at their best during each performance making everyone happy. The people started to idealize the King as they started cherishing the prowess of the king and would work hard to emulate him. Reheinart (2017) recalled that the king’s “dancing abilities greatly influenced his subjects to strive for the same perfection.” With the peace and enthusiasm in the land, Louis was able to increase the wealth, the political and military strength of France (Hilton).
The impact of the academie and Lious love for theatric performance was not only felt in France, and it soon became a phenomenon all through Europe. Other European nations began to emulate the French dance and also desired to have similar initiatives. The Swedish King at the time had to send an ambassador to France with the task to observe the new developments in the French kingdom so that he too can inculcate the same in his country (“The Art of Power”).
Besides Sweden, other countries like Germany, Italy, and England also imported the French dance within their countries, especially the barnles dance which was amongst Louis XIV’s favorite dance at the time. Rinehart recollects, that though the English kingdom was always at war with the French kingdom; that, however, would not stop the English citizens from enthustiacally embracing the French dance which had become an entertainment model in the continent. Both the English elite and the middle class were in tune with the dance as it featured famously in their courts. More than other countries, the English were the most affected by the French dance to the extent that “in the early eighteenth century, the employment of French dancing masters (private dance instructors) became an essential aspect of the English society”, Reinhart recalled.
Louis dance initiative was not the only emulated aspect of the ballet; the French dance was imported to other countries together with the French fashion and art. This is not farfetched as Loius was an epitome of beauty with a high sense of fashion which was always in display whenever he performed at his court. The Loius dance revolution gained more prominence in Europe when his grandson Phillip V took control of Spain in 1700. Taking the lead from his grandfather, Phillip V infused the French dance in Spanish court and that development was very much to Loius’ delight, which he reciprocated by periodically sending gifts to the Spanish court. A gesture believed by Reheinart, to have contributed more to the influence of the French fashion in Spanish society.
Impact made in his generation both in and out of France
The impact made by Louis XIV was not only for his generation, but the effects of the movement created by the revered and iconic monarch are also still highly significant even in this contemporary age. For instance, in 1770, the first collections of published theatrical dances and ballroom in notation were as a result of the revolution started by Louis (Hilton). This, according to Hilton was the genesis of the study of the eighteen-century choreography. Corroborating Hilton, Reheinard maintained that development of a notation by Louis XIV's dancing master, Beauchamp, was what paved the way for dance steps to be "recorded, transmitted and preserved", which would later be used by other dancing masters.
In addition, before the Louis dance revolution across Europe, ballet was exclusively for the nobility. However, the king was able to make the special dance accessible to all and enjoyed by all even as the “commoners who were talented in Ballet could travel and enjoy the pleasures of the life of the nobility, which was a rare opportunity for someone of their status and social station” (English 2015). Today, ballet dance has spread far beyond the European continent to almost all the countries of the world. Dance academy now spreads across the world using the 21st-century approach in curriculum design, learning and teaching. This growth can only be attributed largely to the foresight of Loius XIV.
King Louis XIV has shown that the art is powerful enough to bring unity, joy and peace in society. The impact made by his remodeling of the French dance positively affected his subjects. It would ordinarily be difficult to believe that an act as simple as dance would bring such great honor, warmth, strength and wealth to the throne; but Louis XIV, beyond doubt, proved its possibility. The ballet dancer’s community world over would always reflect on the significance that dance has attained today, and be grateful to the king’s achievement in the honorable dance culture.


Annotated Bibliography
Hilton, W. Dance of Court & Theatre: The French Noble Style 1690 -1725.
This article 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.
Powers, R. Dances of the Baroque Era:
This is a 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.
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
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.
English, D. N. Dance as A Community of Practice: Exploring Dance Groups in The Kansas City Area Through the Lifespan.
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.










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 )
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
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
Powers, R. Dances of the Baroque Era. Accessed. 28 Feb. 2019. https://socialdance.stanford.edu/Syllabi/baroque.htm
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