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evidence of ballets in the Psalms and explains that the early Christian
church often celebrated feast days with dances.
society:
Menestrier also believes that such diversion is necessary to
Le divertissement n'est pas moins necessaire 3. l'esprit
pour le delasser que la nourriture l'est au corps pour l'entretenir.
C'est pour cela que Platon apres avoir forme l'idee
d'une Republique parfaite, veut que le Legislateur y introduise
des FStes et rejouissances publiques, des Festins, des Dances,
et des Spectacles pour entretenir le Peuple et delasser les
Magistrats de leur application assidue aux affaires (Menestrier,
p. 29).
The ancient representations that Menestrier calls "ballets" are
considered by many to be nothing more than dances, but Menestrier
says that as far back as Egyptian times, they were truly theatrical
presentations, representing such subjects as the movements of the sky
and the planets.
It is the ancient Greeks, however, who formulated rules for
the ballet, rules that Menestrier says still apply to the form. Since
ballets and song began to be integrated into the action of Greek tragedy,
Aristotle defined their use: "Aristote dit en parlant des Ballets en sa
Poetique, que ce sont les actions, les moeurs et les passions que 1'on
exprime en ces Dances figurees par las Cadences harmoniques, et les
mouvemens reglez des gestes, des actions, et des figures. Tout l'Art
des Ballets est fonde sur cette definition" (Menestrier, p. 40).
The subjects of the ballet must be chosen carefully, according
to Menestrier, and he believes that the poet should take them from
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