In
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
, a soloist is a dancer in a ballet company above the ''
corps de ballet
In ballet, the ''corps de ballet'' (; French for "body of the ballet") is the group of dancers who are not principal dancers or soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers.
...
'' but below
principal dancer
A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company.
A principal may be male or female. The position is similar to that of '' soloist''; however, p ...
.
Dancers at this level perform the majority of the solo and minor roles in a ballet, such as
Mercutio
Mercutio ( , ) is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's 1597 tragedy, ''Romeo and Juliet''. He is a close friend to Romeo and a blood relative to Prince Escalus and Count Paris. As such, Mercutio is one of the named characters in the p ...
in ''
Romeo and Juliet
''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...
'' or one of the Fairies in ''
The Sleeping Beauty''.
See also
*
Demi-soloist Demi-soloist can have one of two meanings in the ballet. The first is for a solo rôle normally danced by a member of the ''corps de ballet''. Such rôles are often made in pairs, that is, two corps dancers, dance together, frequently in mirror imag ...
References
{{Ballet
Ballet occupations