Ballet

The ballet is a dramatic kind whose action is illustrated by Pantomime S and Danse S.

According to the times, the countries and the currents, the choreographic spectacle can integrate music, song, text, decorations, even of the machineries.

Like the opera, it can be organized in two manners, either in a succession of “numbers” or “entries”, or “uninterrupted”. The structure of the ballet “at entries” is oldest: dances are connected the ones with the others like as many distinct episodes.

General information

The ballet exists as an autonomous part, but can be also intercalated between the scenes of an opera or a part of Théâtre, as entertainment. The Ballet of court French, at the same time instrumental and vocal, is contemporary first tests of dramatic Monodie to Florence (“interludes”, at the end of the 16th century). It is tradition of the ballet of court that the opera ballets result and the comedy-ballets of Lully and Molière.

The intercalated ballet inserted in an opera becomes then a specificity of the French lyric art. One can see it while attending representations of the lyric tragedies of Lully and Rameau. The reform of Noverre (Ballet of action) and that of Gluck also preserve this practice. The 19th century, the French and Italian public always expects to see one or more danced episodes when it goes to the opera.

The modern ballet includes/understands a succession of episodes which are connected in a continuous way. This type of ballet develops at the end of the 19th century within an autonomous framework. Indeed, the Wagnerian designs make null and void the practice of the ballet intercalated.

At the 20th century, the ballet can be the place of all the experiments. Thus, the May 29th 1913, the Rite of Spring of Igor Stravinski, on a choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky, causes one of the greatest scandals of the history of the music and the dance.

The modern ballet can rest however on a more traditional language (Maurice Ravel, the Waltz , 1920), even on the stylization of an older material by then taking again the designs of the traditional ballet “at entries” (Richard Strauss, continuation of dances of the Bourgeois gentleman ; Igor Stravinski, Apollo musagète ).

Ballet of court

aritcle principal

Ballet of action

Romantic Ballet

Traditional Ballet

Heiress of the “beautiful dance” practiced in Western Europe since the 17th century, the ballet dancing has as principles founders “outwards” and the balance, the rigor and clearness. Its technicality did not cease developing since the royal Académie of Dance and its vocabulary grew rich unceasingly, always in French. With the Sylphid (1832), a great turning takes place: the romantic ideal submerges the scene and the dance becomes air, specifies, elaborate, and primarily female. This impression of lightness comes from the use of the named ballet shoes “Pointes” (used for the first time in 1801) and whose reinforced end makes it possible the dancer to be held on her points of feet. She is then in the center of all the romantic ballets, the male partners serving more of “development” and “carriers”. The balance, the step of two and rise symbolize new technical qualities of them. The “traditional” word makes its appearance with the Russian Ballets (1910) and will not leave any more the dance.

Contemporary Ballet

Uses of dancer

Since the end of the 17th century, the ballet is organized in a hierarchical way, have regard with the technical quality and the seniority of the dancer in the troop. Each one holds to with it a determined row, a particular function.
  • Ballet master : director of the troop of the dancers, charged with the Choreography, the repetitions, the organization of the troop, sometimes even of the music of the ballets. This function changed considerably since, nowadays, the term does not indicate any more that the daily repeater, the remainder of work being often entrusted to a “artistic director”.
  • Dancer (dancer) star : supreme title granted to the best first dancers of the Opera of Paris since 1938.
  • First dancer, first dancer : roles of soloist. At the 18th century, one distinguishes the first dancers “noble”, “half-character” and “comic” (see Ballet of action).
  • Coryphée : Greek term appointing the chief of the choruses. Dancer or dancer of the corps de ballet, to which one entrusts a role of soloist temporarily, then which returns in the rows of the chorus.
  • Dancer appearing : member of the corps de ballet, not having any role of soloist, but who emphasizes this one.
  • supernumerary Dancer : dancer in excess, i.e. which appearing is not established yet.
  • Squares : together of eight or sixteen dancers observers.

See too

Simple: Ballet

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