Character dance Character dance Character dance is a specific subdivision of classical dance. It is the stylized representation of a traditional folk or national dance, mostly from European countries, and uses movements and music which have been adapted for the theater. Character dance is integral to much of the classical ballet repertoire. A good example of character dance within ballet is the series of national dances which take place at the beginning of Act III of Swan Lake. The ballet Don Quixote as well as La sylphide also features many character variations based on traditional Spanish dances. Popular character dance adaptations for
Odette Valery event. Odette Valery Odette Valery (spelled Valéry in French publications), née Helene Vasilardi, (1883–?) was an Italian dancer of Greek parentage. She made her début at La Scala in 1898 at the age of fifteen. She moved to Paris where she danced with the Ballet Excelsior at the Folies Bergère. She came to regard dancing "en pointe" as "old-fashioned" and made her name doing reconstructions of ancient Greek dances in bare feet. Later she portrayed Cleopatra and did an Egyptian dance with a live asp. She was well-educated and spoke French, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian as well as some