Ballet
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This
article is about the dance form. For other uses, see Ballet (disambiguation).
Classical bell tutus
in The Dance Class by Degas, 1874
Ballet /ˈbæleɪ/ (French: [balɛ]) is a type of performance dance that originated
during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth
century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and
Russia. It has since become a widespread, highly technical form of dance with
its own vocabulary based on French terminology. It has been globally
influential and has defined the foundational techniques used in many other
dance genres and cultures. Ballet has been taught in various schools around the
world, which have historically incorporated their own cultures and as a result,
the art has evolved in a number of distinct ways. See glossary of ballet.
A ballet,
a work, consists of the choreography and music for a ballet production.
Ballets are choreographed and performed by trained ballet dancers. Traditional classical balletsare usually performed
with classical
music accompaniment
and use elaborate costumes and staging, whereas modern ballets, such as
the neoclassical works of American choreographer George Balanchine, often are performed in
simple costumes (e.g., leotards and tights) and without the use of elaborate
sets or scenery.
Contents
·
2History
·
3Styles
·
4Technical
methods of ballet instruction
o 4.5The
Royal Academy of Dance method (RAD)
Etymology[edit]
Ballet is a French word
which had its origin in Italian balletto, a diminutive of ballo (dance)
which comes from Latin ballo, ballare,
meaning "to dance",[1][2] which in turn comes
from the Greek "βαλλίζω"
(ballizo), "to dance, to jump about".[2][3] The word came into
English usage from the French around 1630.
History[edit]
Main
articles: History of ballet and Timeline of ballet
Louis XIV as Apollo in
the Ballet Royal de la Nuit (1653)
Ballet originated in
the Italian Renaissance courts of the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Under Catherine de' Medici's influence as Queen, it
spread to France, where it developed even further.[4]The dancers in these
early court
ballets were
mostly noble amateurs. Ornamented costumes were meant to impress viewers, but
they restricted performers' freedom of movement.[5]
The ballets were
performed in large chambers with viewers on three sides. The implementation of
the proscenium arch from 1618 on
distanced performers from audience members, who could then better view and
appreciate the technical feats of the professional dancers in the productions.[citation needed]
French court ballet
reached its height under the reign of King Louis XIV. Louis founded the Académie Royale de Danse (Royal Dance
Academy) in 1661 to establish standards and certify dance instructors.[6] In 1672, Louis XIV
made Jean-Baptiste Lully the director of the
Académie Royale de Musique (Paris Opera) from which the first
professional ballet
company,
the Paris Opera Ballet, arose.[7] Pierre Beauchamp served as
Lully's ballet-master. Together their
partnership would drastically influence the development of ballet, as evidenced
by the credit given to them for the creation of the five major positions of the
feet. By 1681, the first "ballerinas" took the stage following years
of training at the Académie.[5]
Ballet started to decline
in France after 1830, but it continued to develop in Denmark, Italy, and
Russia. The arrival in Europe of the Ballets Russes led by Sergei Diaghilev on the eve of
the First
World War revived
interest in the ballet and started the modern era.[8]
In the twentieth century,
ballet had a wide influence on other dance genres,[9] Also in the
twentieth century, ballet took a turn dividing it from classical ballet to the
introduction of modern
dance,
leading to modernist movements in several countries.[10]
Famous dancers of the
twentieth century include Anna Pavlova, Galina Ulanova, Rudolf Nureyev, Maya Plisetskaya, Margot Fonteyn, Rosella Hightower, Maria Tall Chief, Erik Bruhn, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Suzanne Farrell, Gelsey Kirkland, Natalia Makarova, and Arthur Mitchell.[11]
Styles[edit]
Marie Sallé, classical ballet dancer
Stylistic variations and
subgenres have evolved over time. Early, classical variations are primarily
associated with geographic origin. Examples of this are Russian ballet, French ballet, and Italian ballet. Later variations, such
as contemporary ballet and neoclassical ballet, incorporate both classical
ballet and non-traditional technique and movement. Perhaps the most widely
known and performed ballet style is late Romantic ballet (or Ballet blanc).
Classical
ballet[edit]
Main
article: Classical ballet
The Valse des
cygnes from Act II of the Ivanov/Petipa edition of Swan Lake
Classical ballet is based
on traditional ballet technique and vocabulary.[12] Different styles
have emerged in different countries, such as French ballet, Italian ballet, English ballet, and Russian ballet. Several of the
classical ballet styles are associated with specific training methods,
typically named after their creators (see below). The Royal Academy of Dance method is a ballet
technique and training system that was founded by a diverse group of ballet
dancers. They merged their respective dance methods (Italian, French, Danish
and Russian) to create a new style of ballet that is unique to the organization
and is recognized internationally as the English style of ballet.[8] Some examples of
classical ballet productions are: Swan Lake and the Nutcracker.
Romantic
ballet[edit]
Main
article: Romantic ballet
Carlotta Grisi, the original Giselle, 1841, wearing the
romantic tutu
Romantic ballet was an
artistic movement of classical ballet and several productions remain in the
classical repertoire today. The Romantic era was marked by the emergence
of pointe work, the dominance of female
dancers, and longer, flowy tutus that attempt to exemplify softness and a
delicate aura.[5] This movement
occurred during the early to mid-nineteenth century (the Romantic era) and featured themes
that emphasized intense emotion as a source of aesthetic experience. The
plots of many romantic ballets revolved around spirit women (sylphs, wilis, and
ghosts) who enslaved the hearts and senses of mortal men. The 1827 ballet La Sylphide is widely
considered to be the first, and the 1870 ballet Coppélia is considered to be
the last.[4] Famous ballet
dancers of the Romantic era include Marie Taglioni, Fanny Elssler, and Jules Perrot. Jules Perrot is also
known for his choreography, especially that of Giselle, often considered to be the most widely celebrated romantic ballet.[5]
Neoclassical
ballet[edit]
Main
article: Neoclassical ballet
Neoclassical ballet is
usually abstract, with no clear plot, costumes or scenery. Music choice can be
diverse and will often include music that is also neoclassical (e.g. Stravinsky, Roussel). Tim Scholl, author
of From Petipa to Balanchine, considers George Balanchine's Apollo in 1928 to be the
first neoclassical ballet. Apollo represented a return to form
in response to Sergei Diaghilev's abstract ballets.
Balanchine worked with modern dance choreographer Martha Graham, and brought modern
dancers into his company such as Paul Taylor, who in 1959 performed
in Balanchine's Episodes.[13]
While Balanchine is
widely considered the face of neoclassical ballet, there were others who made
significant contributions. Frederick Ashton’s Symphonic Variations (1946) is a seminal
work for the choreographer. Set to César Franck’s score of the same
title, it is a pure-dance interpretation of the score.[5]
Another form, Modern Ballet, also emerged as an
offshoot of neoclassicism. Among the innovators in this form were Glen Tetley, Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino. While difficult to
parse modern ballet from neoclassicism, the work of these choreographers
favored a greater athleticism that departed from the delicacy of ballet. The
physicality was more daring, with mood, subject matter and music more intense.
An example of this would be Joffrey's Astarte (1967), which
featured a rock score and sexual overtones in the choreography.[8]
Contemporary
ballet[edit]
Main
article: Contemporary ballet
A contemporary ballet
leap performed with modern, non-classical form
This ballet style is
often performed barefoot. Contemporary ballets may include mime and acting, and are usually set to
music (typically orchestral but occasionally vocal). It can be difficult to
differentiate this form from neoclassical or modern ballet. Contemporary ballet
is also close to contemporary dance, because many contemporary ballet concepts
come from the ideas and innovations of twentieth-century modern dance,
including floor work and turn-in of the legs. The main distinction is that
ballet technique is essential to perform a contemporary ballet.
George Balanchine is
considered to have been a pioneer of contemporary ballet. Another early
contemporary ballet choreographer, Twyla Tharp, choreographed Push
Comes To Shove for the American Ballet Theatre in 1976, and in
1986 created In The Upper Roomfor her own company. Both of these
pieces were considered innovative for their melding of distinctly modern
movements with the use of pointe shoes and classically trained dancers.
Today there are many
contemporary ballet companies and choreographers. These include Alonzo King and his
company LINES Ballet; Matthew Bourne and his
company New
Adventures; Complexions Contemporary Ballet; Nacho Duato and his Compañia Nacional de Danza; William Forsythe
and The Forsythe Company; and Jiří Kylián of the Nederlands Dans Theater. Traditionally
"classical" companies, such as the Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet and the
Paris Opera Ballet, also regularly perform contemporary works.
The term ballet has
evolved to include all forms associated with it. Someone training as a ballet
dancer will now be expected to perform neoclassical, modern and contemporary
work. A ballet dancer is expected to be able to be stately and regal for
classical work, free and lyrical in neoclassical work, and unassuming, harsh or
pedestrian for modern and contemporary work. In addition, there are several
modern varieties of dance that fuse classical ballet technique with
contemporary dance, such as Hiplet, that require dancers to be practised in
non-Western dance styles.[14]
Technical methods of ballet instruction[edit]
There are six widely
used, internationally recognized methods to teach or study ballet. These
methods are the French School, the Vaganova Method, the Cecchetti Method, the Bournonville method, the Royal Academy of Dance method (English style),
and the Balanchine method (American style).
Many more schools of technique exist in various countries.
French
method[edit]
The French method is the
basis of all ballet training. When Louis XIV created the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661, he helped
to create the codified technique still used today by those in the profession,
regardless of what method of training they adhere to. The French school was
particularly revitalized under Rudolf Nureyev, in the 1980s. His
influence revitalized and renewed appreciation for this style, and has
drastically shaped ballet as a whole.[15] In fact, the French
school is now sometimes referred to as Nureyev school. The French method is
often characterized by technical precision, fluidity and gracefulness, and
elegant, clean lines. For this style, fast footwork is often utilized in order
to give the impression that the performers are drifting lightly across the
stage.[16] Two important
trademarks of this technique are the specific way in which the port de bras and
the épaulement are performed, more rounded than when dancing in a Russian
style, but not as rounded as the Danish style.[17]
Vaganova
method[edit]
Agrippina Vaganova,
"Esmeralda" 1910
The Vaganova method is a style of
ballet training that emerged from Russian ballet, created by Agrippina Vaganova. After retiring from
dance in 1916, Vaganova turned to teaching at the Leningrad Choreographic
School in 1921. Her training method is now internationally recognized and
revered and her book, The Fundamentals of Classical Dance(1934), is a classic reference.
This method is marked by the fusion of the classical French style, specifically
elements from the Romantic era, with the athleticism of the Italian method, and
the soulful passion of Russian ballet.[16] She developed an
extremely precise method of instruction in her book Basic Principles of
Russian Classical dance (1948). This includes outlining when to teach
technical components to students in their ballet careers, for how long to focus
on it, and the right amount of focus at each stage of the student's career.
These textbooks continue to be extremely important to the instruction of ballet
today.
The method emphasizes
development of strength, flexibility, and endurance for the proper performance
of ballet. She espoused the belief that equal importance should be placed on
the arms and legs while performing ballet, as this will bring harmony and
greater expression to the body as a whole.[18]
Cecchetti
method[edit]
Enrico Cecchetti with
Anna Pavlova
Developed by Enrico Cecchetti (1850-1928), this
method is one known internationally for its intense reliance of the
understanding of anatomy as it relates to classical ballet. The goal of this
method is to instill important characteristics for the performance of ballet
into students so that they do not need to rely on imitations of teachers. Important components for this method is the emphasis of
balance, elevations, ballon, poise, and strength.
This method espouses the
importance of recognizing that all parts of the body move together to create
beautiful, graceful lines, and as such cautions against thinking of ballet in
terms of the arms, legs, and neck and torso as separate parts. This method is
well known for eight port de bras that are utilized.[16]
Bournonville
method[edit]
August Bournonville
The Bournonville method
is a Danish method first devised by August Bournonville. Bournonville was
heavily influenced by the early French ballet method due to his training with
his father, Antoine Bournonville and other important
French ballet masters. This method has many style differences that
differentiate it from other ballet methods taught today.[19] A key component is
the use of diagonal épaulements, with the upper body turning towards the
working foot typically. This method also incorporates very basic use of arms,
pirouettes from a low developpe position into seconde, and use of fifth
position bras en bas for the beginning and end of movements.
The Bournonville method
produces dancers who have beautiful ballon ("the illusion
of imponderable lightness"[20]).
Young girls competing at
the Royal Academy of Dancing (London) exams held in Brisbane and Toowoomba,
1938
The
Royal Academy of Dance method (RAD)[edit]
The Royal Academy of Dance method, also referred to as the
English style of ballet, was established in 1920 by Genee, Karsavina, Bedells,
E Espinosa, and Richardson. The goal of this method is to promote academic
training in classical ballet throughout Great Britain. This style also spread
to the United States, and is widely utilized still today. There are specific
grade levels which a student must move through in order to complete training in
this method.[21] The key principle
behind this method of instruction is that basic ballet technique must be taught
at a slow pace, with difficulty progression often much slower than the rest of
the methods. The idea behind this is if a student is to put in a large amount
of effort into perfecting the basic steps, the technique
learned in these steps allow a student to utilize harder ones at a much
easier rate.[16]
Balanchine
method[edit]
Suzanne Farrell and George Balanchine dancing in a
segment of "Don Quixote" at New York State Theater
Developed by George Balanchine at the New York City Ballet. His method draws heavily
on his own training as a dancer in Russia. The technique is known for extreme speed
throughout routines, emphasis on lines, and deep pliés. Perhaps one of the most
well known differences of this style is the unorthodox positioning of the body.[16] Dancers of this
style often have flexed hands and even feet, and are placed in off-balance
positions. Important ballet studios teaching this method are the Miami City Ballet, Ballet Chicago Studio company, and the School of American Ballet in New York.[22]
Costumes[edit]
Anna Pavlova (prima
ballerina); Early materials for ballet costumes were heavy, hindering the
dancer's movements
Ballet costumes play an
important role in the ballet community. They are often the only survival of a
production, representing a living imaginary picture of the scene.[23]
Renaissance
and Baroque[edit]
The roots of ballet go
back to the Renaissance in France and Italy when court wear was the beginning
of ballet costumes. Ballet costumes have been around since the early fifteenth
century. Cotton and silk were mixed with flax, woven into semitransparent gauze[23] to create exquisite
ballet costumes.
Seventeenth
century[edit]
During the seventeenth
century, different types of fabrics and designs were used to make costumes more
spectacular and eye catching. Court dress still remained for women during this
century. Silks, satins and fabrics embroidered with real gold and precious
stones increased the level of spectacular decoration associated with ballet
costumes.[23] Women's costumes
also consisted of heavy garments and knee-long skirts which made it difficult
for them to create much movement and gesture.
Eighteenth
century[edit]
During the eighteenth
century, stage costumes were still very similar to court wear but progressed
over time, mostly due to the French dancer and ballet-master Jean-Georges Noverre (1727–1810) whose
proposals to modernize ballet are contained in his revolutionary Lettres
sur la danse et les ballets (1760). Noverre's book altered the
emphasis in a production away from the costumes towards the physical movements
and emotions of the dancers.
European ballet was
centered in the Paris
Opera.[23] During this era,
skirts were raised a few inches off the ground. Flowers, flounces, ribbons, and
lace emphasized this opulent feminine style, as soft pastel tones in citron,
peach, pink and pistachio dominated the color range.[23]
Nineteenth
century[edit]
Olga Spessiva; Swan Lake
Costume in the twentieth century
During the early
nineteenth century, close-fitting body costumes, floral crowns, corsages and
jewels were used. Ideals of Romanticism were reflected through female
movements.[23] Costumes became
much tighter as corsets started to come into use, to show off the curves on a
ballerina. Jewels and bedazzled costumes became much more popular.
Twentieth
century[edit]
During the twentieth
century, ballet costumes transitioned back to the influence of Russian ballet.
Ballerina skirts became knee-length tutus, later on in order to show off their
precise pointe work. Colors used on stage costumes also became much more vibrant.
Designers used colors such as red, orange, yellow, etc. to create visual
expression when ballet dancers perform on stage.
Ballet as a career[edit]
Professional dancers are
generally not well paid. As of 2017, American dancers (including ballet and
other dance forms) were paid an average of US $14.25 per hour.[24] Choreographers were
paid nearly twice that.[24] The job outlook is
not strong, and the competition to get a job is intense, with the number of
applicants vastly exceeding the number of job openings.[24]
Health effects[edit]
For teenage girls,
intensive training in ballet results in lower bone mineral density in the arms.[25] Ballet dancers are
also prone to stress fractures in the first rib.[26] Eating disorders are common.
Cultural issues[edit]
In the twenty-first
century, ballet has been criticized for being anti-woman and ageist. The complaint about
ageism is because most choreography is written so that it can only be performed
by a relatively young dancer.[27] The structure of
ballet – in which a (usually) male choreographer or director uses (mostly)
women's bodies to express his artistic vision, while ignoring, objectifying, or
silencing the women involved – has been criticized for not respecting women.[27][28]
See also[edit]
·
Western stereotype of the
male ballet dancer
References[edit]
1. ^ Chantrell,
Glynnis (2002). The Oxford Essential Dictionary of Word Histories. New
York: Berkley Books. ISBN 0-425-19098-6.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Liddell, Henry
George; Scott, Robert. "A Greek-English
Lexicon". Perseus Digital Library. Archived from the original
on 2011-06-29.
3. ^ Harper,
Douglas. "Online Etymology
Dictionary". Archivedfrom the original on
2014-04-13.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b Homans, Jennifer
(2010). Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet. New York: Random House.
pp. 1–4. ISBN 978-1-4000-6060-3.
5. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Clarke, Mary;
Crisp, Clement (1992). Ballet: An Illustrated History. Great Britain:
Hamish Hamilton. pp. 17–19. ISBN 0-241-13068-9.
6. ^ "The Art of Power:
How Louis XIV Ruled France ... With Ballet". 2017-03-15. Archived from the original
on 2017-10-02. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
7. ^ Craine, Deborah;
MacKrell, Judith (2000). The Oxford Dictionary of Dance. Oxford University
Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-19-860106-7. It is from this
institution that French ballet has evolved rather than the Académie Royale de
Danse.
8. ^ Jump up to:a b c Greskovic,
Robert (1998). Ballet 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving the
Ballet. New York, New York: Hyperion. pp. 46–57. ISBN 0-7868-8155-0.
9. ^ "Ballet And Modern
Dance: Using Ballet As The Basis For Other Dance Techniques". Student Resources.
2014-08-05. Archived from the original
on 2017-10-02. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
10. ^ Wulff, Helena (1998). Ballet
Across Borders: Career and Culture in the World of
Dancers. Oxford: Berg. p. 44. ISBN 1-85973-998-9.
11. ^ "The ten greatest
ballet dancers of the twentieth century". Classic FM. Archived from the original
on 2017-10-02. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
12. ^ Grant, Gail
(1982). Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet. New York, US:
Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-21843-4.
13. ^ Scholl, Tim
(1994). From Petipa to Balanchine: Classical Revival and the Modernization
of Ballet. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0415756211.
14. ^ Kourlas, Gia
(2016-09-02). "Hiplet: An
Implausible Hybrid Plants Itself on Pointe". The New York
Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original
on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
15. ^ "Ballet Methods:
What Are They? | TutuTix". TutuTix. 2016-05-09. Archived from the original
on 2017-11-11. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
16. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e "Different Ballet
Methods". www.ottawaballetschool.com. Archived from the original
on 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
17. ^ "The Paris Opéra
Ballet School". Dance Spirit. 2010-01-01. Archived from the original
on 2017-11-11. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
18. ^ "Vaganova
Method". ibtacademy.org (in Russian). Archived from the original
on 2017-11-11. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
19. ^ "Bournonville.com". www.bournonville.com. Archived from the original
on 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
20. ^ "Bournonville: The
Danish Way of Dancing - Ballet Position". Ballet Position.
2016-06-17. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
21. ^ "Ballet Training
Techniques - The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) - DANCE VILLAGE - dance portal
and online community". www.dancevillage.com. Archived from the original
on 2016-02-27. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
22. ^ "History of Ballet
Dance - Dance History Articles". dancelessons.net. Archived from the original
on 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
23. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f "Ballet Costume
History - Tutu Étoile". Tutu Étoile. Archived from the original
on 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
24. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Dancers and
Choreographers: Occupational Outlook Handbook". U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
25. ^ Wewege, Michael
A.; Ward, Rachel E. (August 2018). "Bone mineral
density in pre-professional female ballet dancers: A systematic review and
meta-analysis". Journal of Science and Medicine in
Sport. 21 (8): 783–788. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2018.02.006. ISSN 1878-1861. PMID 29526411.
26. ^ Kiel, John;
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Fractures", StatPearls, StatPearls
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Whittet, Ellen (11 October 2018). "Is There Such A
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28. ^ Fisher, Jennifer
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Further reading[edit]
·
Anderson, Jack (1992). Ballet &
Modern Dance: A Concise History (2nd ed.).
Princeton, NJ: Princeton Book Company, Publishers. ISBN 0-87127-172-9.
·
Au, Susan (2002). Ballet & Modern
Dance (2nd ed.). London: Thames & Hudson
world of art. ISBN 0-500-20352-0.
·
Bland, Alexander (1976). A
History of Ballet and Dance in the Western World. New York: Praeger
Publishers. ISBN 0-275-53740-4.
·
Darius, Adam (2007). Arabesques
Through Time. Harlequinade Books,
Helsinki. ISBN 951-98232-4-7
·
Gordon, Suzanne (1984). Off Balance:
The Real World of Ballet. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-023770-0.
·
Kant, Marion (2007). Cambridge
Companion to Ballet. Cambridge Companions to Music (1st ed.). Cambridge,UK: Cambridge
University Press, Publishers. ISBN 978-0-521-53986-9.
·
Kirstein, Lincoln; Stuart, Muriel (1952). The
Classic Ballet. New York: Alfred A Knopf.
·
Lee, Carol (2002). Ballet In Western Culture: A History of its Origins and Evolution.
New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-94256-X.
External links[edit]
|
media Commons has media related to Ballet. |
|
Look up ballet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
·
Chisholm, Hugh,
ed. (1911). "Ballet". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
·
Ballet
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