Super Safi’s Monday Morning Musings 87 – Ballet

Morning Musically-Minded, Medically-Minded, Masticators!

(Today’s post is sponsored by the letter “M”)

Over the past 600+ episodes, The Simpsons has taken us on an amazing journey involving music, science, and food to name a few concepts.

And what better way to start your week, than by discussing some of these concepts Monday morning?

So let’s get started this week by talking about a popular form of dance.

In the eighty seventh episode of The Simpsons, Marge on the Lam (Season 05, Episode 06), Marge reminds Homer that he promised her he would take her to the ballet after work.

Marge: “I got us tickets to the ballet.”
Homer: “The ballet? Woo-hoo!”
Marge: “You like ballet?”
Homer: “Marjorie please, I enjoy all the meats of our cultural stew. Ah ballet.”

But on his way out of work, he gets his arms caught in a pair of vending machines.

So Marge decides to go to the ballet with his neighbour Ruth Powers.

The two have a wonderful time at the ballet in the local gym. The ballet features a mix of ballet and basketball.

But then, as we covered in Monday Musings 50, they go on a Thelma & Louise run, where Homer realizes Marge is in the getaway car.

Homer: “It’s Marge! She’s become a crazed criminal just because I didn’t take her to the ballet.”
Chief Wiggum: “That’s exactly how Dillinger got started.”
Homer: “Really?”

But have you ever wondered what the ballet is?

Ballet

Per Encyclopedia Britannica, ballet traces its origins to the Italian Renaissance, when it was developed as a court entertainment. During the 15th and 16th centuries the dance technique became formalized. The epicentre of the art moved to France following the marriage of the Italian-born aristocrat Catherine de Médicis to Henry II of France. A court musician and choreographer named Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx devised Ballet comique de la reine (“The Queen’s Comic Ballet”) in 1581, which inaugurated a long tradition of court ballets in France that reached its peak under Louis XIV in the mid-17th century.

There are many styles of ballet, including classical, romantic, neoclassical, and contemporary. Famous ballet dancers of the twentieth century include Anna Pavlova, Galina Ulanova, Rudolf Nureyev, Maya Plisetskaya, Margot Fonteyn, Rosella Hightower, Maria Tall Chief, Erik Bruhn, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Suzanne Farrell, Gelsey Kirkland, Natalia Makarova, Arthur Mitchell, and Jeanne Devereaux.

Now that we’ve learned more about the ballet, be sure to come back next week when we continue our Monday morning musings with the next episode of The Simpsons.

Did you remember the episode? What’s your favourite Marge-centric episode of The Simpsons? What about your favourite neighbour episode? Did you remember the ballet and why Homer couldn’t attend? Did you remember the Thelma & Louise scenes? Did you know the history of the ballet? Have you ever participated in ballet or know someone who has? Sound off in the comments below. You know we love hearing from you.