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Depicted here is the "Carrousel du Roi," an equestrian ballet that was performed as part of a large procession or "carrousel" for the marriage of Louis XIII. The ballet, which celebrated the traditional technical bases of aristocratic supremacy -- chivalry and horsemanship -- was choreographed in 1612 by Antoine de Pluvinel, director of a military academy for young noblemen and widely acknowledged as the father of modern dressage. The carrousel took place in the Place Royale (now the Place des Vosges) in Paris, where a large pavilion for the guests of honor had been erected. When the carrousel drew before the king and queen, the knights' mounted orchestra performed a succession of geometric figures and performed pirouettes, turns, and kicks to the amazement of the royals. The ballet had to be repeated the next day by popular demand. |
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