Brief_History_of_Ballet

Nicole Lopez WRC 1013.034 9/29/08 Curtain Rise to Curtain Fall It was the dance of the royals and European aristocracy. Flamboyant and elaborate music and costumes graced the halls and courts of high society. The word “ballet” is Italian in origin but would later in centuries to come be recognized worldwide. The art itself has evolved over time shaping around and within history. Progressing from the French courts to Cirque du Soleil, ballet can take root in most dancing styles that we see today. Ballet can be broken down most simply into three set styles; classical, neo-classical, and contemporary. Each technique has emerged from one another yet all the while remaining true and steady fast to its own design. In Paris 1581 the first ballet was performed at the request of Queen Catherine de Medici by Balthasar Beaujoyeulx, a renowned musician and choreographer. However this first ballet was not like the light and fluid fashion we find now indentified in Classical Ballet. It was in fact more dramatic, staged, and clothed like that in an opera or play with large bright costumes, masks and wigs. This form of dramatic “restraint” carried over as costumes became lighter causing the both men and women dancers to display great jumping and turning feat. In conjunction women stopped wearing high heeled shoes, replacing them with soft flat slippers began strengthening their ankles to dance quite literally on top of their toes. In 1832 came the introduction of pointé shoes, sturdy shoes of numerous layers of cloth which made it easier to dance upon. Combined with the grace and art of storytelling that the theater brought to ballet, strong yet gravity defying movements created the basis of classical ballet. The style was highly established in Paris Opéra 17th century but then began to decline. Attention was turned to Russia in late 19th century as ballet grew. “The dance scene there was unlike that of any other country in the world…most prestigious of the ballet troupes were…in a sense, Imperial servants” (Anderson 101). The great influence of Russia continued as ballet developed into the 20th century. The company of Ballet Russe revitalized the art making the dancing all the more theatrical and intense to say the least. But it would be Russian born American George Balanchine that would pull away from the confinement the classics brought. He is sometimes credited for creating the neo-classical ballet style. With America now joining the ballet game, and various companies and studios setting up across the nation, Balanchine’s arrival to American Ballet Theater in the 1920’s was ground-breaking. While still preserving the thespian soul, he focused on the dance itself, exemplifying the moves and ability. “Ballet was born in the courts of Europe, many people considered it an art for an oppressive aristocracy that had no place in democratic America. Instead of adopting ballet…theorist argued, America should create a totally new dance” (Anderson 146). However with the renewal of ballet there did remain the display the structure and uniform clothing that classical ballet permitted. With America as a younger generation of dancers, not so willing to follow the rules and redefine perfectionism, neo-classical ballet unleashed the boundaries of what true ballet and dance should be about and contain. “Balanchine included, have preferred the word "plot less," and that most plot less dances contain implicitly narrative elements” (Teachout). These types of non narrative productions became more and more popular throughout the dance world over time and eventually gave way to our now most modern style of dancing, contemporary ballet. Once again ballet taking on a metamorphosis, ballet issued out an era of point of view or state of mind in dance. Beginning in the 1940’s and continuing till this day there are no longer unusual or unconventional techniques. Many companies wide spread have taken their own interpretations as to what modern dance regards. While the placement of feet and turnout of legs and body was a main focally point in classical, in contemporary dances may very well include a dancer to be pigeon toed and hunched. The approach of just body strength whether used in floor work, exhibiting torso movements, or dancing complete bare foot thus created a more natural setting. “Ballet themes, so often considered old fashioned, out of touch with reality, were renovated in the search for relevance that swept the U.S. in the late 1960’s.The modern dance was a key influence in updating ballet’s image” (Au 177). However the influence classical ballet showed still reigns over us today. Many beyond many classical ballets are still practiced and performed. Examples of classical ballet contain a certain amount of romantic quality that phases over into something “magical”. The ballet La Sylphide by Filippo Taglioni was first performed in Paris in 1832, was also the presentation of pointé work by his daughter Marie Taglioni. This graceful exploitation allowed the image of ballerina to seem unearthly. “Thus it expresses romantic yearning for the unattainable…overcome by despair, having lost both the human and the spirit world” (Anderson 79). Another compelling classical ballet is that of The Sleeping Beauty by Marius Petipa in 1890 in the Imperial Russian Ballet. While the story of a young princess cursed at birth and her journey to find true is gratifying it is “both visually beautiful and rich in thematic significance…celebrates dignity, graciousness and fine manners-…the growth of a woman” (Anderson 108). While the light hearted essence persists into neo-classical ballet, Balanchine also introduces abstractness. His ballet in 1957 Agon was his first “plot less” and consisted of only twelve dancers. He also had his dancers perform “in simple leotards and tights, without scenery, as though to dispense with anything that might distract the viewer from the dancing” (Su 142-143). The music alone set by Stravinsky created a new style of musical phrases that Balanchine used as inspirations to bring back French court dances such as saraband, a fast triplet meter and bransle, a swing of side to side movements. Kenneth MacMillan’s neo-classical ballets are “about the frustrations, dark passions, and unfulfilled desires that may lurk within the human psyche” (Anderson 207). His piece in 1965 Songs of the Earth dealt with the unavoidable outset of death. The choreography, by definition of steps, was classical but the way which they were presented invoked a violent fear driven quality in his character. The contemporary ballet, gaining much of its nonfigurative impression from neo-classical but delve deeper into more “riskier” artistic outlets. Twyla Tharp worked with the Joffrey Ballet Co. in 1973 creating Deuce Coup. Her technique contained “an electric blend of ballet, modern, tap, jazz, social dancing and athletics, represent[ed] a new type of virtuosity that parallels ballet’s big leaps and multiple pirouettes” (Su 168). The work displayed an oddity to sharp movements that would give way to shrugs, then with equal surprise burst back into leaps or lunges. In 1995 William Forsythe created Eidos:Telos an evening length program in which one part Self Meant to Govern is quite literally were dancers improvise. This technique was simply used a tool for dancers to make their own choices but was later integrated into the piece. As seen before while his steps are classically based “his productions often make them seem aesthetically akin to many recent developments in modern dance” (Anderson 217). Works Cited Anderson, Jack. Ballet and Modern Dance: A Concise History.2nd ed. New Jersey: Princeton Book Company, 1992. Au, Susan. Ballet and Modern Dance. 2nd ed. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2002.