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Why did Jean-Georges Noverre criticize ballet that focused only on virtuosity?

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Classic performance — dance criticism Dance criticism analyzes all forms of dance, including classic pieces such as *Swan Lake*, to enhance the understanding of the art form.

Jean-Georges Noverre criticized ballet that focused solely on technical virtuosity because he believed it lacked the dramatic depth and narrative coherence necessary for the art form to reach its full potential. In his influential treatise, Lettres sur la danse et sur les ballets (1760), Noverre argued that ballet should be elevated through the use of dramatic motivation, a concept he championed as ballet d’action.12

Noverre sought to purge ballet of excessive artificialities and conventions that prioritized empty display over meaning. He advocated for a form of dance where all production elements—including choreography, set design, and costuming—were subordinate to the plot and theme. By emphasizing narrative forms based on mythology and history, Noverre aimed to restore the dignity of ballet, transforming it from a display of mere physical skill into a powerful, expressive medium capable of conveying complex human emotion and storytelling.342