Biographical Information

    Born in France of the year 1655, Mademoiselle de La Fontaine lived in a time where it was often believed that ballet originated in her country. However, ballet was influenced by the court dances of the Italian Renaissance and the  formalized dances of the French court. These aspects paved the way for ballet to become  recognized as a unique art form. Very little is known about La Fontaine’s early life on the Internet, nor records of La Fontaine’s ballet influencers or which schools she trained under.  In the 17th century however, ballet in France was an impactful and changing period in the history of this art  form. This was characterized by significant developments and the establishment of the foundations for modern ballet. Additionally, during this period of time women  did not perform in ballets, where the ballet industry during this time was dominated by the masculine gender. In each performance, men played the roles of  women and women were not allowed to perform in court ballets. That is, until La Fontaine  debuted in her first ballet, who would change the image of ballet for the rest of history.