But Louis XIV himself is genuinely interested in dancing , and in 1661 he decides that his colleagues are not up to scratch . He brings together the best Parisian dancing masters to form the Académie Royale de Danse , where his friends ' skills may be honed . It is so successful that he follows it in 1669 with a similar Académie Royale de Musique .
Costumes during this time were far from liberating to the dancer . Although a more expressive use of the body was encouraged , dancers ' movements were still restricted due to heavy materials , panniers , and tonnelets . Costume fabrics were heavy and covered a dancer ' s physique . It wasn ' t until choreographer Jean Georges Noverre called for dance reforms in 1760 with his Letters on Dancing and Ballets that costumes became more conducive to the art form . Noverre urged that costumes be crafted using lightweight fabrics that move fluidly with the body , complimenting a dancer ' s figure . At the end of the century , dancers wore soft slippers fitting snuggly along the foot . This shoe design instilled confidence within the ballerina , daring her to dance on her toes . This opened the door to pointework , for this acceptance of more naturalistic costuming allowed the development of the heel-less shoe , which led to the dancer being able to make more use of the rise onto demi-pointe .
The era of Romanticism produced ballets inspired by fantasy , mystique , and the unfamiliar cultures of exotic places . Ballets that focused more on the emotions , the fantasy and the spiritual worlds , heralded the beginning of true pointe-work .
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