Neoclassical ballet

A twentieth-century dance style that retains classical technique while abandoning narrative plot, elaborate sets and costumes. Neoclassical ballet favours abstraction, musicality and greater freedom of movement, with expansive gestures of the arms and legs. Exemplified by George Balanchine, this pared-down repertoire features in the dance programmes proposed to palace guests, offering pure movement set to music in place of storytelling and spectacle.