Ballet

What is Ballet• an artistic dance form

performed to music using precise and highly formalized set steps and gestures.

• Ballet Can: – tell a story or– express a thought or

emotion. – magical, exciting,

provoking or disturbing.

History of Ballet Italian Courts in the Renasissance, 15th &

16TH Century Noblemen and women were treated to

lavish events (weddings) Early ballet was participatory Attire was fashion from the time period

Formal Gowns that covered legs and ankles

In the 16th century, Catherine de Medici, an Italian noblewoman/interest in Arts wife of King Henry II of France began to fund ballet in the French

court Her elaborate festivals = growth of

ballet de cour, a program that included dance, decor, costume, song, music and poetry

History of Ballet 17th Century ballet developed as

performance-focused art under King Louis XIV

French Ballet Terminology

Pierre Beauchamp, codified the 5 positions of feet

and arms, Kings personal dance teacher director of the Dance company

Jean-baptiste Lully, violinist, dancer, Choreographer, and composer…….would cast the king

1661, Louis XIV founded Academie Royale de Danse, First Ballet Company

History of Ballet Popularity throughout Europe Professional Ballet Troupes toured

Europe 18th Century advanced in technical

standards and it became a serious art form on par with opera

Express character & assist in the narrative Jean-Georges Noverre Wanted masks removed and

costumes to show off dancers figures, bring life to the images

Composition was reformed• Venice was center of dance in

Europe• Italian Ballet Techniques remained

dominant until Russia techniques supplanted them in early 20th Century

19th Century• Ballerina most popular

dancer in Europe• Ballet hero's often played

by a woman• Shift in social change, new

techniques such as pointe work that gave the ballerina prominence on the stage

• Ballet Boxed toe shoe invented to support pointe work

• Genevieve Gosselin, Marie Taglioni, and Fanny Elssler…….pointework

Marie Taglioni: 1831 In Zephire et Flore

Early 19th CenturyRomantic Movement

• Classical Ballet during this movement which influenced the art, music, and ballet were known as Romantic Ballets

• Supernatural world of spirits and magic

• Shows women as fragile and passive

• choreographers composed romantic ballets that appeared light, airy and free

• Pointe work, became the norm for the ballerina.

• The romantic tutu, a calf-length, full skirt made of tulle, was introduced.

• Early classical ballets such as Giselle and La Sylphide Created during the romantic movement

Later 19th CenturyRussia & Ballet

• Recognized tradition of ballet• The female dancers'

classical tutu as it is recognized today began – It consisted of a much

shorter, stiff skirt supported by layers of crinoline or tulle

– revealed legwork and difficulty in her movements

• Russian choreographers and composers took it to new heights. – Marius Petipa’s The

Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, by Petipa and Lev Ivanov, represent classical ballet in its grandest form.

• The main purpose was to display classical technique – (pointe work, high

extensions, precision of movement and turn-out)

• Complicated sequences that show off demanding steps, leaps and turns were choreographed into the story.

20th Century Ballet • Ballet Russes brought Ballet

back to Paris

• Russian choreographers experimented with movement and costume, moving beyond the confines of classical ballet form and story.

• the ballet The Rite of Spring, a work so different (dissonant music, its story of human sacrifice and its unfamiliar movements) it used the audience to riot.

George Balanchine, • a Russian who emigrated to

America, would change ballet• neo-classical ballet, a form

that expands the classical form.

• greatest innovator of the contemporary “plotless” ballet.

Today Ballet is: multi-faceted Classical forms traditional stories and contemporary choreographic

innovations

Types of BalletStory balletstell a story. they contain narrative

action, characters, and a beginning and end.

Examples: The Nutcracker and The

Sleeping Beauty are famous story ballets from the 19th century

Types of Ballet

• PBT company dancers perform in Twyla Tharp’s plotless ballet,

• In the Upper Room, 2010

Plotless ballets no storylineutilize the movement of

the body and theatrical elements to interpret music, create an image or to express or provoke emotion.

Choreographer George Balanchine was a prolific creator of plotless ballets.

Styles of BalletClassical ballet • Oldest and most

formal/traditional style

• originated in Renaissance Italy and established its present form during the 19th century

• Focuses aesthetics and technique– Pointe work, turn-out of

the legs, and high extensions

– Graceful and flowing movements

– Balance & symmetry– Emphasis on story ballets– Elaborate sets and

costumes

Classical BalletsCoppélia,The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker Swan Lake. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25-5ksjxGg4

Types of BalletNeoclassical Ballet• introduced in the 20th

century • Uses ballet terminology but

less rigid than classical ballet

• increased speed, energy and attack

• manipulation of the classical form

• asymmetry; an off-balance feel

• non-narrative; often one-act ballets

• paired down aesthetic—simple sets and costumes

Neoclassical Ballets Apollo Serenade Cinderella Carmen Romeo and Juliethttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUNQjjbozF8Choreographers: George BalanchineFrederick Ashton

Types of BalletContemporary Ballet• influenced first by classical ballet

then by modern danceyou may see:• floor work• turn-IN of the legs• greater range of movement and

body line• pointe shoes, barefoot, socks, or

anything else the choreographer wants

• Breaks the rules of classical and neoclassical ballet

(no strict body line)

• Mikhail Baryshnikov ( worked with modern dance choreographers)

• Renowned contemporary ballet choreographers include Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor and Dwight Rhoden. In contemporary ballet

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF2k4RRfBb0