Ballet When dance appeared as a popular, and common, form of entertainment in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries performances included mixtures of acrobatics, speech and song. The performances were created on a large scale for those of royalty and on a smaller scale for the more common people. The entertainment in the court often held that of a political agenda. These dances were used to show off the court'’ magnificent appearance and were written and conceived as subtle propaganda. For instance, dances may have been designed to flatter a visiting dignitary, implying the intentions of the host, or the dances could