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The King who invented ballet

"The King Who Invented Ballet" shows how King Louis XIV of France, a keen dancer himself, laid the foundations of classical ballet by encouraging its transformation from a male-dominated aristocratic spectacle used for royal propaganda to a professional art-form for the public featuring the first female star ballerinas. Presented by David Bintley, choreographer and director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, the documentary also follows the creation of a brand new ballet inspired by Louis XIV.

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2 minutes

More clips from The King Who Invented Ballet: Louis XIV and the Noble Art of Dance