History of ballet
Ballet originated in the Renaissance court as an outgrowth of court pageantry in Italy, where aristocratic weddings were lavish celebrations. Tutus, ballet slippers and pointe work were not yet used. The choreography was adapted from court dance steps. Performers dressed in fashions of the times. For women that meant formal gowns that covered their legs to the ankle. Early ballet was participatory, with the audience joining the dance towards the end.
Classical ballet
Ballet technique is the foundational principles of body movement and form used in ballet. A distinctive feature of ballet technique is "turnout;" which is the outward rotation of the legs and feet emanating from the hip. This was first introduced into ballet by King Louis XIV because he loved to show off the shiny buckles on his shoes when he performed his own dances. There are five fundamental positions of the feet in ballet, all performed with turnout and named numerically as "first" through "fifth" positions. When performing jumps and leaps, classical ballet dancers strive to exhibit "ballon", the appearance of briefly floating in the air. "Pointe technique" is the part of ballet technique that concerns "pointe work", in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet on specially designed and handcrafted "pointe shoes". In professional companies, the shoes are made to fit the dancers' feet perfectly.