Reflections Chapter Fourth: Bugaku and Ballet, from the Royal Courts to Theatrical Dance.
The author, Harriet Lihs begins explaining that It is very difficult to separate religious dance and court dance. because the linking of dance to the courts of nobility has been inevitable in history of the sacred role of the highest authority. So there's for two reasons, firstly dance vividly provided displays of power, and secondly dance seeks patrons.
So Court dance is related to folk dance, dance demonstrated hierarchy in relationships, demonstration of power, dance for the king, emperor, monarch, sultan, etc.
Court Dances explores dance in the royal courts of the world and shows how its function lives on in European ballet, Japanese Bugaku, and the dance of the Asante kings of Ghana (West Africa).
Bugaku
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The Empress Catherine the Great brought ballet to Russia, founding the Imperial Ballet (the KIROV) in St Petersburg.
Classical Ballet : Sleeping Beauty
Set during the time period in France of LOUIS XIV, (Created in Russia) By Marius Pepita (French) Moved to russia in 1847 as a dancer, FIRST ballet for the composer Tchaichovsky, Rose Adagio. Other Classical Ballets by Petipa: Cinderella, Swan Lake, Baydeare, The Nutcracker
Characteristics of Classical Ballet:
Technical Virtuosity. Choreography has form and structure, harmony and order, repetition and symmetry. Similar to court dance. For example: The Swan Lake has 32 Fouetes, Shortened toutus support virtuosity movement, pointe shoes got harder and wider, pas d'action becomes only a small part. Narrative tells about Good vs Evil, Hierarchical form.
Characteristics of Romantic within Classical
Narrative: Good vs Evil, Costumes appropriate for era, Village and Forest scenes transfer to Castle and Nature scenes, Sylphs and Willis become Enchanted Snowflakes and Swans, Love of the Ballerina.
Century 20th : Serge Diaghilev and the Russian Ballet Company (Ballet
As the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines cour de ballet as, “a type of ballet performed as part of a celebration for the French royal court in the 16th and 17th centuries.” Cour de ballet’s literal translation is ballet court. The ballet usually performed was what we call Classical Ballet. Catherine de Medici really changed dance, because before her, dance was usually folk.
This chapter takes a broad look at the relationship between human movement, framed as dance, and important identities such as religion, ethnicity, gender, and social status. While not specifically focused on issues of identity in America, this chapter will provide an important foundation in understanding the broader scope of how dance can be seen as a representation of cultural values, which will underlie the remainder of our coursework.
Classical Ballet is the epitome of class and sophistication, it is known for its meticulous techniques
Ballet is a formalized and elegant form of dance with a fitting origin that traces back to Italian Renaissance courts during the 15th and 16th centuries. This style of dance quickly spread from Italy to France with the assistance of the aristocratic influence that came from Catherine de' Medici, who succeeded in helping ballet develop even further. For example, Catherine helped develop ballet further by having her own piece of work, 'Le Paradis d' Amour', be presented at her daughters wedding, where Marguerite de Valois was wedded to Henry of Navarre. Naturally, with ballet having an aristocratic background, aristocratic money was responsible for the dance styles initial stages of development in court ballet. Royalty was what dictated the literature, music, and ideas that was incorporated into ballet at the time.
Then in 1892, a choreographer named Marius Petipa sought Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky to write music which would become one of the most popular ballets of the world.
Ilyich Tchaikovsky and brought to life with the art of ballet by E.T.A. Hoffmann.Since then, the
Whether we look at a romantic ballet like La Sylphide or a classical ballet such as Sleeping Beauty, audiences are constantly mesmerized by the gracefulness and weightlessness of the ballet dancers. They seem to defy the laws of physics, which is greatly possible due to the use of the pointe shoe. However, many masterworks that were created in the Romantic era did not solely rely on the pointe shoe to help convey messages. Instead, the choreography, dancers, scenic elements, subject matter, and music all helped shaped masterworks such as La Sylphide, Napoli, and Giselle. Similarly, in the Classical era, these elements all played a role in shaping famous ballets like La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. But once we take a closer look at these ballets from the Classical era, we can see how much ballet evolved. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the Romantic era was the stepping stone for this pure art form that we have been able to preserve for more than 160 years.
After the Romantic-era ballet had died out in Paris and Russia became the new focus. In 1738, the opening of the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg attracted many great dancers and choreographers such as Marie Taglioni. This school was controlled by an aristocrat named Czar. The most well known 19th century choreographer, Marius Petipa, became the ballet master of the entire school, shaping imperial and classical ballet. Ideas such as increased focus on technique, formulaic choreography, mime and gesture, and lengthy ballets can be seen in Petipa 's most famous ballets. These famous ballets include The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake. In the 20th century, Sergei Diaghilev introduced a traveling ballet company called Ballet Russes. Starting out in Paris, this company brings together Russian and Western ideas with a spark of modernism. This company brought together revolutionary collaborations between choreographers, dancers, composers, artists, and fashion designers. Through the development of Russian ballet, there has been rejection and embracement as well as changes in structure and choreography.
Dance was an integral part of the lifestyle in the Elizabethan Era. Not only did the noble class enjoy it, but also the lower class. Dance was used in celebrations and parties, and often, just for leisure. Prestigious dancing masters taught these dances. These dances included unique forms and one-of-a-kind styles (Hall 81).
Petipa made his initial appearance at the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre in 1847 in Paquita and staged his first original ballet, Un Mariage sous la régence (“A Regency Marriage”), there in 1858. For his wife, the ballerina Mariya Surovshchikova, he created Le Marché des Paris (1859; “Parisian Market”; staged as Le Marché des innocents, 1861). His first outstanding success was La fille du pharaon (1862; “The
The first type of ballet is Story ballets. Story ballet is exactly how it sounds it’s a form of ballet that tells a story. Most of these productions use full sets and costumes. Story ballets were mainly performed in the 19th century. Most of the known performances are Swan Lake, and the sleeping beauty. Another type is plotless ballet. Plotless ballet have no story line, they create an Image or express an emotion. Classical ballet is a style of ballet that is a flowing movement telling a story. Neo-classical on the other hand is increases speed, non-narrative and off balance feel. This was introduced in the 20th century. Lastly contemporary ballet is influenced by modern dance. Greater range of movement and body line is used. It’s the most
The repertoire includes such classics as Tchaikovsky‘s "Eugene Onegin" and "Swan Lake" and works by Mozart, Verdi and Rossini. Other popular productions are Massenet‘s ballet "Manon" and the operas "Don Juan" by Mozart, "War and Peace" by Prokofiev and Wagner‘s "Das Rheingold". The latest productions are Tchaikovsky‘s "The Nutcracker" Puccini‘s "La Boheme" and Verdi‘s "Macbeth". The most famous Russian ballet companies are; Tatchkine, St. Petersburg, Bolshoi companies just to name a few of the most famous.
French Ballet began in the 17th century. It was a flamboyant entertainment presented in front of the aristocracy and royalty in the courts. French Ballet was also performed when they were celebrating marriages and showing off the wealth and power of the ruler. Besides, Ballet was called “la belle danse”, and it means “the beautiful dance.” In order to help the audience to recognize the characters in the story, dancers usually wore extravagant costumes. Moreover, the idea of different ballet movements was based on the social dance of royal courts, like beautiful arm and upper body movements and floor patterns were included. Also, in the beginning, only men were allowed to dance ballet, and women played the first ballet with parts until 1681.
Dance began as a form of communication and storytelling. Thousands of years ago dancing served as a way for people to tell a story and helped distract themselves of the hardships they faced. Furthermore, dance was a form of storytelling through communication, which then turned into using storytelling through dance as entertainment. According to the History World, many dancers during the BC time danced in front of only a few people to get a story across. That later turned into hundreds of thousands of people as dance was used by many. Today, dance is also a form of entertainment and storytelling, but in a modern sense. However, today perfection and technique are stressed more than they were in the past. Yet, the passion for dance has not changed. Many dancers who share this passion also have many of the same qualities. Among a discourse community of trained dancers, one expects to find individuals who are healthy and active athletes, expect perfection from themselves through competition, and religiously attend dance performances.
Dance has been a part of human history since the earliest records of human life. Cave paintings found in Spain and France dating from 30,000 -10,000 BC. have vivid drawings of dancing figures in association with ritual illustrating the pesents of dance in early human society. Many people around the world see life as a dance from the movements of the heavens and the turn of the seasons to the unique dance of every creature. The history of dance reflects the changes in the way people see the world, relate to their bodies and experience the cycles of life. In India