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Ever been interested in the diverse and interesting world of classical dance but have no idea where to start? Take this quiz to give you some direction! Both for newbies and balletomanes.

Which Ballet Should You See?

How many ballets have you seen? Do you know their stories? Do you know famous ballet dancers or companies? Do you have a favourite style?

How experienced are you in the world of ballet?

What is the best thing about ballet in your opinion?

There are descriptions for each if you don't know them well.

Which ballet style is your favourite?

What is the main attraction of any ballet?

Which theatre do you like the best?

These ballets are called the 'romantic' ballets, due to their over-riding love themes and long white tutus. The leading ladies are beautiful, ethereal creatures scorned by but saved by love. Others to consider may be Raymonda, Les Sylphides and Ondine.  
GISELLE:
This is a short ballet in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Giselle is a beautiful peasant girl who falls in love with a the Prince Albrecht, who courted her in disguise as a peasant boy. When his hunting party returns, his fiancee reveals herself, and Giselle dies from her weak heart in the famous 'madness scene'.
Act 2 sees Myrtha, the Queen of the Willis who were women scorned by love, raise her fellow ghosts to greet Giselle, their new member. Albrecht comes to lay flowers at her grave, only to get caught by the vicious Myrtha who forces him to dance until his death. Giselle tries to save him, and gets him to dawn where they are departed, Albrecht absolved of his sins by Giselle who still loves him.  
LA SYLPHIDE:
This ballet is set in Scotland, where James, betrothed to Effie, meets the mischievous and beautiful Sylphide who interrupts his life, making him crazy about her before they leave to the forests and he meets all her nymph friends. In an effort to possess her, he meets a witch who gives him a shawl to give her. When he does, the shawl makes her wings fall off and so she dies in his arms, still loving him. His fiancee marries his best friend, and the witch teaches him in his quest to attain the unattainable sylphide who belonged to no one, he lost everything.

Giselle or La Sylphide

These famous, high drama, four act ballets are encompassing in their themes, decorations and stories. These are the very pinnacle of the major ballet. Other options are the Romeo and Juliet, Lady of Camellias, Onegin and Manon.  
SWAN LAKE:
Prince Seigfreid enjoys a birthday party held in his honour, having been given a crossbow by his mother. His friend entices him into a hunt after seeing a flock of swans fly overhead. He follows them to the lake where the queen presents herself as Odette, explaining that she was enchanted into a swan by night by Rothbart, the evil sorcerer. A man who loved only her could break the spell, which Seigfreid promises to do. In the third act, princesses from around the world vie for his favour under his mother's insistence, but a showstopper arrives. Rothbart disguises his daughter, Odile, as Odette, known as the famous black swan, where she seduces him to declare his love for her. With his promise to Odette broken, he rushes back to the lake to find Odette desperate. He battles with Rothbart, and here is where interpretations differ; in some versions, Odette and Seigfreid are reunited, in others, Seigfreid drowns and Odette is forever enslaved, and in other version, she throws herself in the lake after him.  
LA BAYADERE:
A massive ballet with all the works, it is set in India where Nikiya, our temple dancer (or bayadere) meets her love, Solor, a warrior, at the steps of her temple. The Brahmin of the temple is in love with Nikiya but she refuses him, and so he is intent on taking revenge on Solor. We then move onto the second act where the Rajah introduces Gamzatti to Solor, and insists they be betrothed. Solor has no choice but to accept. The Brahmin reveals to Gamzatti indirectly about Nikiya's existence, and so the princess invites the lowly temple dancer, where she tries to bribe Nikya into leaving Solor. Nikiya refuses, and a fight ensues between the women, where in the heat of things, Nikiya raises a dagger to Gamzatti, who then promises to take revenge.
The next act is where Solor's and Gamzatti's engagement is announced to much festivity. In a cruel trick, the Brahmin and Gamzatti invite Nikiya to come and dance for them. Nikiya is despondent at Solor's apparent love for Gamzatti, until she is presented with a basket of flowers she believes is from him. From this basket, a snake comes out and bites her. Then, she realises it was Gamzatti's doing. The Brahmin offers her the antidote, but seeing Gamzatti looking upon her triumphantly with Solor wrapped around her finger, she chooses death. In the famous third act, the Kingdom of the Shades, Solor smokes opium to forget his pain, and sees her ghost as she dances with the other shades. In some versions, he leaves into the kingdom with her, but in other versions, he goes ahead with the wedding only to have the temple crash down over their heads.

Swan Lake or La Bayadere

Both Shakespeare plays, they are a few full ballets with more modern choreography which are being developed in the recent years. Others to join their ranks are Hamlet, Carmen, Alice in the Wonderland and Marco Spada.  
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW:
Just like in the play, we meet the daughters of a rich gentlemen, Katharina and Bianca. The eldest is tempestuous while the second is sweet. Many suitors vie for Bianca's hand while Katharina drives all of hers away. In an effort to match them both, their father says Bianca can only marry if Katharina marries first. One of Bianca's suitors enlists Peruchio, a boorish man to 'tame the shrew'. They are both volatile, savage characters who play tricks on each other, but as their wedding night passes, they grow to love each other in their tempers. They return for Bianca's wedding, both changed people for the better. The man who hired Petruchio is foiled in his attempt to get Bianca, who instead marries her love, Lucentio, but they are not as good a match as Petruchio and Katharina who leave everyone bewildered.  
THE WINTER'S TALE:
The King Leontes invites his good friend, King Polixenes to visit him, but becomes paranoid with the idea that his friend is having an affair with his wife, Hermione who becomes pregnant, thought he knows not with whose child. In a jealous rage, he orders the daughter borne to Hermione to be abandoned. Hermione and their son die in distress, leaving Leontes alone with remorse. The baby girl doesn't die and is in fact saved by a shepherd who raises the girl as Perdita. She meets Florizel, who happens to be Polixenes's adored son. They run away together and end up in Leontes's kingdom, pulling an enraged Polixenes after them. The friends are forced to meet once more, and Perdita's heritage is discovered through stories and accounts of those who left her. Hermione's ghost comes back to direct Leontes in this issue, and he accepts Florizel and Perdita gladly, in retribution for his mistake.

The Taming of the Shrew or The Winter's Tale

These a mainly happy, large ballets, somewhat comedic but hardly with much tragedy. Others to consider are La Fille mal Gardée, Coppelia, The Flames of Paris, Lost Illusions or The Dream.  
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY:
A sumptuous four act ballet accompanied by some of the best music, composed by Tchaikovsky. As you know the story, we are introduced to Aurora as a baby in the prologue, where the fairies dance their variations while presenting gifts at the child's lavish birthday. In enters Carabosse however, the evil witch who curses Aurora so she would die by pricking her finger on her sixteenth birthday. The Lilac fairy undoes the curse by having Aurora fall into a sleep when she pricks her finger, and would be awakened by true love's kiss. The fateful day arrives, and Aurora is a stunning princess, dancing her famous rose adagio with four suitors. Despite her parents' attempts to burn all the spindles, Carabosse manages to prick the princess's finger, sending everyone into a long sleep.
Years later, we're introduced to Prince Desirée, who is on a hunting party. He is led astray by the Lilac Fairy, who shows him a vision of the beautiful Aurora, enticing him to the overgrown castle and to kiss her, breaking the spell. The last act is one of joyous character dances and their famous pas de deux.  
DON QUIXOTE:
Based of Cervantes's novel, here we meet the Quixotic Don Quixote as he arrives at a Spanish town and meets the barkeeper's fiery daughter, Kitri. She is in love with Basilio, a penniless barber. Her father forbids their marriage and insists she marries the rich but old Gamache. She refuses him amid the festivities in the town, where Don Quixote is wrapped up in the merriment of the many dances. In the craziness, Don Quixote sees Kitri and thinks she is his Dulcinea, a woman of his heart he sees in his dreams. He sees her run away with Basilio, and leads the crusade to follow them. In fact, the couple have run away and stumbled upon a gypsy troupe where they dance and make merry. Don Quixote accidentally suffers a head injury of his own causation, leaving him bewildered and wondering the forest. There, he has a famous dream where dryads and cupid descend to meet him, accompanied by his Dulcinea.
Kitri and Basilio return to the city, where Kitri's father and Gamache threaten the couple. In a sweeping gesture, Basilio threatens to stab himself, and plunges the blade between his torso and arm, but everyone believes he has stabbed himself in love. Kitri is desperate but finds that Basilio is still cheekily alive. Kitri's father changes his mind by Don Quixote's persuasion, seeing their love, and they're allowed to marry.

The Sleeping Beauty or Don Quixote

These are the contemporary, no story ballets. They have interesting movements, costumes and music, as well as vibrant athleticism and unique choreography. Ones to look out for are Apollo, Jewels, Earth Song, Rain, Dances at a Gathering, Le Parc, In the Night and Tetracyts. Plenty can be found on YouTube.

In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated or Chroma

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Which Ballet Should You See?

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