Ballet de la Merlaison
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The Ballet de la Merlaison (Ballet of the Blackbird Hunt) is a ballet de cour first performed on 15 March 1635 at the Château de Chantilly, during the reign of – and commonly attributed to – Louis XIII.[1] It was later performed at Royaumont. “Merlaison” is a word coined by Louis to designate the feast which was held after a blackbird hunt. Louis created the scenario, wrote the music and the words, devised the choreography, designed the costumes, and danced roles as a woman, a merchant, a tax collector, and a mischievous blackbird, adept at avoiding traps.[2] It is the most popular ballet performed during the reign of Louis XIII and marked an important development of the ballet de cour.