Ballet is the art of spiritualized plasticity. What is ballet - dance or flight of the soul What is ballet, what are its characteristic features
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In modern ballet, other dance techniques are widely used (primarily modern and jazz dance), as well as elements of gymnastics, acrobatics, martial arts, and the like.
History of ballet
The birth of ballet
At the beginning - as a dance scene united by a single action or mood, an episode in a musical performance, an opera. Borrowed from Italy, in France it flourishes as a magnificent solemn spectacle - the court ballet. The beginning of the ballet era in France and throughout the world should be considered October 15, 1581, when a performance was held at the French court, which is considered to be the first ballet - “The Comedy Ballet of the Queen” (or “Circe”), staged by an Italian violinist, “the chief intendant of music » Baltasarini de Belgioso . The musical basis of the first ballets was court dances, which were part of the old suite. In the second half of the 17th century, new theatrical genres appeared, such as comedy-ballet, opera-ballet, in which a significant place is given to ballet music, and attempts are made to dramatize it. But ballet becomes an independent type of stage art only in the second half of the 18th century thanks to the reforms carried out by the French choreographer Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810). Based on the aesthetics of the French enlighteners, he created performances in which the content is revealed in dramatically expressive images.
Further development of ballet
Russian ballet
In Russia, the first ballet performance took place on February 8, 1673 at the court of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow. The national identity of Russian ballet began to take shape at the beginning of the 19th century thanks to the work of the French choreographer Charles-Louis Didelot. Didlo enhances the role of the corps de ballet, the connection between dance and pantomime, asserts the priority of female dance. A real revolution in ballet music was made by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who introduced continuous symphonic development, deep figurative content, and dramatic expressiveness into it. The music of his ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, along with the symphonic music, acquired the ability to reveal the inner course of the action, to embody the characters in their interaction, development, and struggle. The beginning of the 20th century was marked by innovative searches, the desire to overcome the stereotypes and conventions of the academic ballet of the 19th century...
Modern dance
Terminology
Initially, ballet terms were borrowed from Italy, but already in the 18th century, ballet vocabulary and the names of dance movements (various pas, temps, sissonne, entrechat etc.) were based on French grammar. Most of the terms directly indicate the specific action performed during the execution of the movement (pull, bend, open, close, slide, etc.), some indicate the nature of the movement being performed ( fondu- melting gargouillade- murmuring gala- solemn), others - to the dance, thanks to which they arose (pas bourre, pas waltz, pas polka). There are also terms whose name contains a certain visual image (for example, cats - pas de chat, fish - pas de poisson, scissors - pas de ciseaux). Stand out are terms such as entrechat royale(according to legend, the authorship of this jump belonged to Louis XIV, after whom he was named "royal") and sissonne, the invention of which is attributed to Francois de Roissy, Count of Sisson, who lived in the 17th century.
Ballet as art
In its evolution, ballet is increasingly approaching sports, losing the dramatic significance of the role along the way, sometimes being ahead in technique, but lagging behind in content.
In Russia, until the 20th century, choreography, music, drama and various applied theatrical professions were taught in one educational institution - the Imperial Theater School. Depending on the success of the children, they were identified or transferred to the appropriate department. After the revolution of 1917, the schools were divided and ballet education began to exist autonomously. At the same time, a mixed repertoire was maintained in many theaters: dramatic performances alternated with operetta and ballet divertissements. So, for example, in addition to productions at the Bolshoi, Kasyan Goleizovsky staged ballet performances at The Bat and at the Mammoth Theater of Miniatures, among which was the production of Les Tableaux vivants, which means “a picture come to life”, since Goleizovsky was primarily an artist . This phenomenon develops in modern ballet as a “picture revived”, “photograph revived” and “sculpture revived”.
Theatrical art
Literature about ballet
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An excerpt characterizing the ballet
“I will give them a military command ... I will oppose them,” Nikolai said senselessly, choking on unreasonable animal malice and the need to vent this anger. Without realizing what he would do, unconsciously, with a quick, decisive step, he moved towards the crowd. And the closer he moved to her, the more Alpatych felt that his imprudent act could produce good results. The peasants of the crowd felt the same way, looking at his quick and firm gait and his determined, frowning face.After the hussars entered the village and Rostov went to the princess, confusion and discord occurred in the crowd. Some peasants began to say that these newcomers were Russians and no matter how offended they were by not letting the young lady out. Drone was of the same opinion; but as soon as he expressed it, Karp and other peasants attacked the former headman.
- How many years have you eaten the world? Karp shouted at him. - You don't care! You will dig a little egg, take it away, what do you want, ruin our houses, or not?
- It is said that there should be order, no one should go from the houses, so as not to take out a blue gunpowder - that's it! shouted another.
“There was a queue for your son, and you must have felt sorry for your baldness,” the little old man suddenly spoke quickly, attacking Dron, “but he shaved my Vanka. Oh, let's die!
- Then we will die!
“I am not a refuser from the world,” said Dron.
- That’s not a refuser, he has grown a belly! ..
Two long men were talking. As soon as Rostov, accompanied by Ilyin, Lavrushka and Alpatych, approached the crowd, Karp, putting his fingers behind his sash, smiling slightly, stepped forward. The drone, on the contrary, went into the back rows, and the crowd moved closer.
- Hey! who is your elder here? - shouted Rostov, quickly approaching the crowd.
- Is that the elder? What do you want? .. – asked Karp. But before he had time to finish, his hat fell off him and his head jerked to one side from a strong blow.
- Hats off, traitors! Rostov's full-blooded voice shouted. - Where is the elder? he shouted in a furious voice.
“The headman, the headman is calling ... Dron Zakharych, you,” hurriedly submissive voices were heard somewhere, and hats began to be removed from their heads.
“We can’t rebel, we observe the rules,” said Karp, and at the same moment several voices from behind suddenly began to speak:
- As the old men murmured, there are a lot of you bosses ...
- Talk? .. Riot! .. Robbers! Traitors! Rostov yelled senselessly, in a voice not his own, grabbing Karp by Yurot. - Knit him, knit him! he shouted, although there was no one to knit him, except for Lavrushka and Alpatych.
Lavrushka, however, ran up to Karp and grabbed him by the arms from behind.
- Will you order ours from under the mountain to call? he shouted.
Alpatych turned to the peasants, calling two by name to knit Karp. The men obediently left the crowd and began to unbelt.
- Where is the elder? shouted Rostov.
Drone, with a frown and pale face, stepped out of the crowd.
- Are you an elder? Knit, Lavrushka! - shouted Rostov, as if this order could not meet obstacles. And indeed, two more peasants began to knit Dron, who, as if helping them, took off his kushan and gave it to them.
- And you all listen to me, - Rostov turned to the peasants: - Now the march to the houses, and so that I don’t hear your voice.
“Well, we didn’t make any offense. We are just being stupid. They’ve only done nonsense… I told you it was disorder,” voices were heard reproaching each other.
“So I told you,” Alpatych said, coming into his own. - It's not good, guys!
“Our stupidity, Yakov Alpatych,” voices answered, and the crowd immediately began to disperse and scatter around the village.
The bound two peasants were taken to the manor's yard. Two drunk men followed them.
- Oh, I'll look at you! - said one of them, referring to Karp.
“Is it possible to speak to gentlemen like that?” What did you think?
“Fool,” another confirmed, “really, fool!”
Two hours later the carts were in the courtyard of Bogucharov's house. The peasants were eagerly carrying out and stacking the master's things on the carts, and Dron, at the request of Princess Mary, released from the locker where he was locked up, standing in the yard, disposed of the peasants.
“Don’t put it down so badly,” one of the peasants said, A tall man with a round smiling face, accepting the casket from the hands of the maid. She's worth the money too. Why are you throwing it like that or half a rope - and it will rub. I don't like that. And to be honest, according to the law. That's how it is under the matting, but cover it with a curtain, that's important. Love!
“Look for books, books,” said another peasant, who was carrying out the library cabinets of Prince Andrei. - You do not cling! And it’s heavy, guys, the books are healthy!
- Yes, they wrote, they didn’t walk! - a tall chubby man said with a significant wink, pointing to the thick lexicons lying on top.
Rostov, not wanting to impose his acquaintance on the princess, did not go to her, but remained in the village, waiting for her to leave. Having waited for Princess Mary's carriages to leave the house, Rostov mounted on horseback and accompanied her on horseback to the path occupied by our troops, twelve miles from Bogucharov. In Jankovo, at the inn, he took leave of her respectfully, for the first time allowing himself to kiss her hand.
“You’re not ashamed,” blushing, he answered Princess Marya to the expression of gratitude for her salvation (as she called his act), “every guard would have done the same. If we only had to fight with the peasants, we would not let the enemy go so far, ”he said, ashamed of something and trying to change the conversation. “I am only happy to have had the opportunity to meet you. Farewell, princess, I wish you happiness and consolation and wish to meet you under happier conditions. If you don't want to make me blush, please don't thank me.
But the princess, if she did not thank him more with words, thanked him with the whole expression of her face, beaming with gratitude and tenderness. She couldn't believe him, that she had nothing to thank him for. On the contrary, for her it was undoubtedly that if he were not there, then she probably would have to die from both the rebels and the French; that he, in order to save her, exposed himself to the most obvious and terrible dangers; and even more undoubted was the fact that he was a man with a lofty and noble soul, who knew how to understand her position and grief. His kind and honest eyes, with tears coming out of them, while she herself, crying, spoke to him about her loss, did not go out of her imagination.
When she said goodbye to him and was left alone, Princess Mary suddenly felt tears in her eyes, and then, not for the first time, she asked herself a strange question, does she love him?
On the way further to Moscow, despite the fact that the situation of the princess was not joyful, Dunyasha, who was traveling with her in the carriage, noticed more than once that the princess, leaning out of the carriage window, smiled joyfully and sadly at something.
“Well, what if I did love him? thought Princess Mary.
No matter how ashamed she was to admit to herself that she was the first to love a man who, perhaps, would never love her, she consoled herself with the thought that no one would ever know this and that it would not be her fault if she didn’t talking about loving the one she loved for the first and last time.
Sometimes she remembered his views, his participation, his words, and it seemed to her that happiness was not impossible. And then Dunyasha noticed that she, smiling, was looking out the window of the carriage.
“And he should have come to Bogucharovo, and at that very moment! thought Princess Mary. - And it was necessary for his sister to refuse Prince Andrei! - And in all this, Princess Mary saw the will of providence.
The impression made on Rostov by Princess Marya was very pleasant. When he thought about her, he felt merry, and when his comrades, having learned about the adventure that had happened with him in Bogucharov, joked to him that he, having gone for hay, had picked up one of the richest brides in Russia, Rostov became angry. He was angry precisely because the idea of marrying a pleasant for him, meek Princess Marya with a huge fortune more than once came to his mind against his will. For himself, Nikolai could not wish for a better wife than Princess Mary: marrying her would make the Countess, his mother, happy, and improve his father’s affairs; and even—Nikolai felt it—would have made Princess Marya happy. But Sonya? And given word? And this made Rostov angry when they joked about Princess Bolkonskaya.
Having taken command of the armies, Kutuzov remembered Prince Andrei and sent him an order to arrive at the main apartment.
Prince Andrei arrived in Tsarevo Zaimishche on the same day and at the same time of the day when Kutuzov made the first review of the troops. Prince Andrei stopped in the village near the priest's house, at which the commander-in-chief's carriage was stationed, and sat down on a bench at the gate, waiting for the Serene Highness, as everyone now called Kutuzov. On the field outside the village, one could hear the sounds of regimental music, then the roar of a huge number of voices shouting “Hurrah! to the new commander-in-chief. Immediately at the gate, about ten paces from Prince Andrei, taking advantage of the absence of the prince and the fine weather, stood two batmen, a courier and a butler. Blackish, overgrown with mustaches and sideburns, a little hussar lieutenant colonel rode up to the gate and, looking at Prince Andrei, asked: is the brightest here and will he be soon?
Prince Andrei said that he did not belong to the headquarters of his Serene Highness and was also a visitor. The hussar lieutenant colonel turned to the well-dressed batman, and the batman of the commander-in-chief said to him with that special contempt with which the batmen of the commanders-in-chief speak to the officers:
- What, brightest? It must be now. You that?
The hussar lieutenant colonel grinned into his mustache at the orderly, got off the horse, gave it to the messenger and went up to Bolkonsky, bowing slightly to him. Bolkonsky stood aside on the bench. The hussar lieutenant-colonel sat down beside him.
Are you also waiting for the commander-in-chief? said the hussar lieutenant colonel. - Govog "yat, accessible to everyone, thank God. Otherwise, trouble with sausages! Nedag" om Yeg "molov in the Germans pg" settled down. Tepeg "maybe and g" Russian talk "it will be possible. Otherwise, Cheg" does not know what they were doing. Everyone retreated, everyone retreated. Did you do the hike? - he asked.
- I had the pleasure, - answered Prince Andrei, - not only to participate in the retreat, but also to lose in this retreat everything that was dear, not to mention the estates and home ... father, who died of grief. I am from Smolensk.
- And? .. Are you Prince Bolkonsky? It’s a hell of a place to meet: Lieutenant Colonel Denisov, better known as Vaska, said Denisov, shaking Prince Andrei’s hand and peering into Bolkonsky’s face with especially kind attention. Yes, I heard, ”he said sympathetically and, after a pause, continued : - Here is the Scythian war. This is all hog "osho, but not for those who puff with their sides. And you are Prince Andg "she Bolkonsky?" He shook his head. "Very hell, prince, very hell to meet you," he added again with a sad smile, shaking his hand.
As in the theatrical performance, the ballet has its own script, only it is called the “libretto”. The libretto is written only for ballet and opera. The author reworks the literary work, makes some changes to it, but without disturbing the course of events and preserving all the characters. When the libretto is ready, the composer writes the music, thus the ballet is obtained. Then professional choreographers stage dances. It remains only for the dancers to learn their parts.
In ballet, as in theater, there are costumes and scenery. All this is intended to make it easier for the viewer to distinguish and recognize characters in the actors.
In the ballet there are the same actors as in the theatrical performance and in the opera, only in the opera the characters sing their monologues and dialogues, and in the ballet everything is conveyed through movement, dance. The characters communicate through dance, tell the viewer about their experiences, share their thoughts…
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Ballet, the highest level of choreography (from the Greek choreia - dance and grapho - I write), in which dance art rises to the level of musical stage performance, arose as a courtly aristocratic art much later than dance, in the 15th-16th centuries. The term "ballet" appeared in Renaissance Italy in the 16th century. and meant not a performance, but a dance episode. Ballet is a synthetic art in which dance, the main expressive means of ballet, is closely connected with music, with the dramatic basis - the libretto, with scenography, with the work of a costume designer, lighting artist, etc. The ballet is diverse: plot - classical narrative multi-act ballet, drama ballet; plotless - ballet-symphony, ballet-mood, miniature. According to the genre, ballet can be comic, heroic, folklore. 20th century brought new forms to ballet: jazz ballet, modern ballet.
Origins of dance.
Dance appeared as a way of expressing feelings through movement, gesture, plasticity and facial expressions and accompanied various aspects of life. ancient man(harvest festival, wedding ceremony, religious worship). From the ancient Greek Dionysian cult, the ancient theater grew up, part of which was the stage dance and its muse Terpsichore . During the Hellenistic era the art of pantomime arose, which developed both in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance (in the comedies dell'arte, harlequinades).
Ballet in the Renaissance, Baroque and Classicism.
The process of theatricalization of dance was especially intensive in Italy, where already in the 14th-15th centuries. the first dance masters appeared and on the basis of folk dance a ballroom dance, a court dance, was formed. In Spain, the plot dance scene was called a sea (Moorish dance), in England - a mask . In the middle of the 16th - early 17th centuries. figured, pictorial dance organized by type of composition geometric shapes(ballo-figurato). Known Turkish women's ballet, performed in 1615 at the court of the Medici dukes in Florence. Mythological and allegorical characters take part in the pictorial dance. From the beginning of the 16th century equestrian ballets are known in which riders pranced on horseback to music, singing and recitation ( Tournament of Winds, 1608,Beauty battle, 1616, Florence). The origins of equestrian ballet go back to the jousting tournaments of the Middle Ages.
The first ballet performance that combined music, word, dance and pantomime, Circe, or the Queen's Comedy Ballet, was staged at the court of Catherine de Medici (Paris) by the Italian choreographer Baltazarini di Belgiojoso in 1581. Since then, the genre of court ballet (masquerades, pastorals, dance divertissements and interludes) began to develop in France. Ballet 16th century was a magnificent spectacle in the Baroque style with the performance of ceremonial Spanish dances - pavanes, sarabandes. During the time of Louis XIV, the performances of the court ballet reached the highest splendor, included stage effects that gave the spectacle the character of an extravaganza. Louis XIV himself was not a stranger to the muse of dance, in 1653 he acted as the Sun in ballet of the night, from then on he was called the "Sun King". In the same ballet, the composer J. B. Lully, who began his career as a dancer, danced.
The dance began to turn into ballet when it began to be performed according to certain rules. They were first formulated by the choreographer Pierre Beauchamp (1637–1705), who worked with Lully and headed the French Academy of Dance in 1661 (the future theater of the Paris Opera). He wrote down the canons of the noble manner of dance, which was based on the principle of turning the legs (en dehors). This position gave the human body the opportunity to move freely in different directions. He divided all the movements of the dancer into groups: squats (plié), jumps (skirts, entrecha, cabriols, jet , ability to hang in a jump – elevation), rotations (pirouettes, fouettes), body positions (attitudes, arabesques). The execution of these movements was carried out on the basis of five positions of the legs and three positions of the hands (port de bras). All classical dance steps are derived from these foot and hand positions. Thus began the formation of ballet, which developed by the 18th century. from interludes and divertissements to independent art.
at the Paris Opera in the 17th century. a special genre of theatrical and musical spectacle was performed - opera-ballets by composers J. B. Lully, A. Kampra, J. F. Rameau. Initially, the ballet troupe included only men. French dancers were famous for their grace and elegance (nobility) of performance. Italian dancers brought a new style of dance to the stage of the Paris Opera - a virtuoso style, a technically complex, jumping dance style. One of the founders of male stage dance was Louis Dupre (1697-1774). He was the first to combine both manners of performance in dance. The complication of dance technique required changes women's costume. In the first third of the 18th century Marie Camargo and Marie Sallet were the first of the ballerinas to perform jumps (entrecha), previously only subject to men, so they abolished heavy tans and panniers, and then shortened their skirts and switched to shoes with lower heels. In the second half of the 18th century the brilliant dancers Gaetan Vestris (1729-1808), Pierre Gardel (1758-1840), Auguste Vestris appeared. Antique style light clothing, which came into vogue on the eve of the French Revolution, contributed to the development of ballet technique. However, the content of the ballet numbers was weakly connected with the plot of the opera and was in the nature of an entre, an exit in a minuet, a gavotte and other dances during an opera performance. The genre of the story ballet performance has not yet developed.
Ballet in the Age of Enlightenment.
The Age of Enlightenment is one of the milestones in the development of ballet. Enlighteners called for the rejection of the conventions of classicism, for the democratization and reform of the ballet theater. J. Weaver (1673–1760) and D. Rich (1691–1761) in London, F. Hilferding (1710–1768) and G. Angiolini (1731–1803) in Vienna, together with the composer, opera reformer V.K. Gluck tried to turn the ballet into a plot performance, similar to a dramatic one. This movement most fully expressed itself in the reform of L. Dupre's student Jean Georges Noverre. He introduced the concept of pas d "action (effective ballet). Noverre likened ballet to a classic drama and promoted a new attitude towards it as an independent performance. Attaching great importance to pantomime, at the same time, he impoverished the vocabulary of dance. Nevertheless, his merit was the development of forms of solo and ensemble dance, the introduction of the form of multi-act ballet, the separation of ballet from opera, the differentiation of ballet into high and low genres - comic and tragic. He outlined his innovative ideas in Letters about dance and ballets(1760). The most famous are Noverre's ballets on mythological subjects: Admet and Alceste,Rinaldo and Armida,Psyche and Cupid,Death of Hercules- all to the music of J.J. Rodolphe; Medea and Jason, 1780,chinese ballet, 1778, Iphigenia in Aulis- all to the music of E. Miller, 1793. Noverre's legacy is 80 ballets, 24 ballets in operas, 11 divertissements. Under him, the formation of ballet as an independent genre of theatrical art was completed.
ballet sentimentalism.
In the second half of the 18th century the age of sentimentality has begun. Unlike the enlighteners, sentimentalists made the character of their works an ordinary person, and not an ancient god or hero. The ballet theater became a public spectacle of the townspeople, and its own type of performance appeared - comedy and melodrama. In the foreground was pantomime, which, pushing the dance into the shadows, turned the ballet into a choreodrama, in connection with which increased interest in the literary basis of the action. The first ballet librettos appeared.
The heroines of the ballets were sylphs and forest spirits of the jeeps, characters of Celtic and German folklore. The image of a dancer in a white tunic, embodying an unearthly creature with a wreath on her head and wings behind her back, was invented by French costume designers I. Leconte, E. Lamy, P. Lormier. Later, the term “white”, “white-tunic” ballet arose. White is the color of the absolute, "white ballet" expressed romantic longing for the ideal, the ballerina in an arabesque became its graphic formula. The role of corps de ballet dance rose, dance and pantomime, solo, corps de ballet and ensemble dance merged into a single whole. Thanks to the development of finger technique, aerial flight of movements has become a new dance style.
Romantic ballet relied more on a literary source ( Esmeralda, 1844, by V. Hugo, Corsair, 1856 by J.G. Byron), Katharina, the robber's daughter, C. Puni, 1846). The role of music, which became authorial, increased, before ballet music was often a team, it served as a background and rhythmic accompaniment to the dance, created the mood of the performance. The ballet music of romanticism itself created dramaturgy and gave figurative musical characteristics to the characters.
The pinnacle of romantic ballet was Giselle(1841), staged at the Paris Opera by J. Coralli and J. Perrot, based on a libretto by T. Gauthier to music by A. Adam. AT Giselle the unity of music, pantomime and dance was achieved. In addition to pantomime, the action of the performance was developed by musical and choreographic leitmotifs, the intonational expressiveness of the melody gave the characters musical characteristics. Adan began the process of symphonizing ballet music, enriching it with an arsenal of expressive means inherent in symphonic music.
M. Taglioni and F. Elsler are the largest representatives and rivals of romantic ballet. Their personalities correspond to two branches of romanticism: irrational (fantastic) and heroic-exotic. The Italian Maria Taglioni represented the first direction, her Sylph became a symbol of romantic ballet, her dance had grace, flight and poetry. The dance of the Austrian ballerina Fanny Elsler was characterized by temperament, swiftness, virtuosity, she represented the heroic-exotic direction of romantic ballet. Being a characteristic dancer, she performed the Spanish dance kachucha, Polish Krakowiak, Italian tarantella. Other prominent dancers of romanticism: Carlotta Grisi, Fanny Cerrito (1817-1909), Lucille Grand (1819-1907). Grisi, the first performer of the role of Giselle, also became famous for her performance of the main role in C. Pugni's ballet Esmeralda. In 1845 Perrault composed the famous divertissement pas de quatre(music by C. Pugni), where Taglioni, Elsler, Grisi, Cerrito performed at the same time.
Standing apart in the history of ballet romanticism is its Danish offshoot, especially in the work of August Bournonville. In 1836 he created his version sylphs to the music of H.S. Levensheld. Danish romantic ballet (Biedermeier style against the background of romanticism) is a more earthy and chamber style with folklore motifs, where pantomime plays a big role and more attention is paid to male dance, less use of finger technique, and female roles are secondary. These features are also characteristic of the Danish ballet of the present. In 1830, Bournoville led the troupe of the Copenhagen Royal Theater and over the course of 50 years he created many ballets. His male dance technique remains one of the leading in Europe.
It is believed that the short period of romanticism was the best period in the entire history of European ballet. If before the symbol of the ballet was Terpsichore, then from the era of romanticism it became the sylph, the jeep. Ballet romanticism existed for the longest time in Russia (swan scenes in swan lake and the dance of the snowflakes in the Nutcracker L. Ivanova, act of shadows in La Bayadère,Daughters of the Pharaoh and Raymond M. Petipa). At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. Romanticism received a new birth in Chopinians M.M. Fokina. It was romanticism of another era - the era of impressionism. The genre of romantic ballet was preserved in the second half of the 20th century. ( Leaves wither E. Tudor to music by A. Dvorak, Dancing at parties J. Robbins to music by F. Chopin).
Ballet in the second half of the 19th century (academism, impressionism, modern).
When realism came to other art forms, European ballet found itself in a state of crisis and decline. It lost its content and integrity and was supplanted by extravaganza (Italy), music hall (England). In France, he moved into the phase of conservation of proven schemes and techniques. Only in Russia did ballet retain the character of creativity, where the aesthetics of grand ballet, academic ballet, a monumental performance with complex dance compositions and virtuoso ensemble and solo parts, developed. The creator of the aesthetics of academic ballet is Marius Petipa, a French dancer who arrived in Russia in 1847. Created by him in collaboration with L.I. Ivanov (1834-1901) and composers P.I. Tchaikovsky and A.K. Glazunov ballets sleeping Beauty(1890), Nutcracker (1892), Swan Lake (1895) Raymond (1898), Seasons(1900) became the peaks of classical symphonic ballet and moved the center of choreographic culture to Russia.
At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. the currents of impressionism and free dance (modern, Duncanism, rhythmoplastic dance) penetrated the choreography. Modern dance originated at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. in the USA and Germany. Modern choreography rejected traditional ballet forms and replaced them with free dance, rhythmoplasty, and intuitive interpretation of music. If the classical school of ballet is built on eversion (en dehors), then modern allows the position of socks inside (en dedans). Modern does not use finger technique, jumps and skids, but actively develops the excesses of the body, the mobility of the shoulders and hips, and the expression of the hands. The ideologists of modernity were the French theorist F. Delsarte (1811–1871), the American dancer Isadora Duncan with her renewed antiquity, and E.J. They declared the undivided dominance of music over dance. Duncanism, in turn, influenced ballet impressionism, represented by the work of the Russian choreographer M.M. Fokin. S.P. Diaghilev's activity became a turning point to a new ballet aesthetics. The Russian Seasons organized by him (1909-1911) and the Russian Ballet troupe (1911-1929) had a huge impact on the development of world ballet.
WORLD BALLET OF THE 20TH CENTURY
History of ballet in the 20th century characterized by the processes of assimilation of the traditions of Russian classical ballet with European ballet companies. The leading trends are metaphor, plotlessness, symphonism, free rhythmoplasty, modern dance, elements of folklore, everyday life, sports, jazz vocabulary. In the second half of the 20th century postmodern is developing, the arsenal of expressive means of which includes the use of cinema and photo projections, lighting and sound effects, electronic music, happening (the participation of spectators in ballet), etc. The genre of contact choreography appeared, when the dancer "contacts" with the objects on the stage and the stage itself. The one-act ballet-miniature dominates (novella, ballet-mood). The countries of the most developed choreographic culture were Great Britain, the USA, France, the USSR. An important role in the development of world ballet was played by dancers of the second wave of Russian emigration (R. Nureyev, N. Makarova, M. Baryshnikov) and dancers of the Russian school who worked in the West under a contract (M. Plisetskaya, A. Asylmuratova (born 1961), N Ananiashvili (b. 1963), V. Malakhov (b. 1968), A. Ratmansky (b. 1968) Expressionist, then postmodernist ballet developed in Germany, Holland, and Sweden.
Ballet competitions have been held since 1964.
France.
In the 1920s and 1930s, France became the center of European ballet art, where Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and the groups that grew out of it worked until 1929. Fokine's traditions were developed by L.F. Myasin, B.F. Nizhinskaya, S.M. Lifar, who headed the troupes of Monte Carlo and Paris. In the second half of the 20th century France gave the ballet such distinctive choreographers as Maurice Béjart and Roland Petit.
J. Balanchine worked in France before leaving for the USA in 1933. In 1932–1933 he organized the Balle rus de Monte Carlo troupe ( Tradesman in the nobility R. Strauss, mozartiana P. Tchaikovsky). After Balanchine's departure, the troupe was headed by V. G. Voskresensky (de Basil), the troupe became known as "Balle rus de Monte Carlo of Colonel de Basil" (from 1939 to 1962 she worked in the USA, in 1938-1948 Myasin served as the choreographer of the troupe, who set his task preservation of Diaghilev's ballets). Lifar in 1944-1947 headed the New Russian Ballet of Monte Carlo, since 1947 it became known as the Nouveau balle rus de Monte Carlo of the Marquis de Cuevas.
In 1930-1959, with a break for the military 1944-1947, the troupe of the Paris Opera was headed by Serge Lifar, who staged 50 ballets there in the neoclassical style, modernizing classical dance and combining it with elements of free, folklore, everyday dance. The most famous ballerinas of that time: Claude Bessy (b. 1932), a student of Lifar, who began her career with Balanchine, in 1972 had a resounding success in Bolero M. Bejart, since the same year - the director of the ballet school at the opera theater, as well as the lyrical dancer Yvette Chauvire ( 1917), famous for her performance of the part of Giselle. Choreographic innovations developed outside the walls of the Opera, although since the 1970s ballets by Balanchine, D. Robbins, G. Tetley, P. Taylor, M. Cunningham, Y. N. Grigorovich have been staged there. In 1983-1989, a native of Russia, the Soviet dancer R.Kh. Nureyev again became the head of the Paris Opera Ballet Company. the dance troupe of the theater, which by that time had turned into a ballet museum. Of the opera dancers, Sylvie Guillem (b. 1965), Isabelle Guérin (b. 1961) gained fame. The eminent classical dancer Patrick Dupont (b. 1957) led the company from 1990–1995.
Maurice Béjart began work in the 1950s with the Ballet Etoile. Since 1960 he has headed the Ballet of the 20th Century, since 1987 - the Ballet Bejart in Lausanne. He creates his own plastic language and solves philosophical problems in ballets, hence his interest in the Eastern world and dances: Bakti, 1968 to Indian music, Our Faust for group music, 1975, Nijinsky, the clown of God to music by P. Henry and P. Tchaikovsky, 1971. The leading dancer of Bejart was the Argentinean Jorge Donn (1947–1992), who passed away early. Bejart dedicated ballets to his memory. priest's house,Ballet for life,Tango, or a rose for Jorge Donna. In 1972 created Songs of the Traveling Apprentice for Nureyev. Béjart's choreography is characterized by plastic metaphor, impetuous rhythm, and the priority of mass male dance. The most famous original editions of ballets Sacred spring(1959) and Firebird I. Stravinsky (1970), Bolero M. Ravel (1961). He organized the "Mudra" school, in which ballet training is based on the study of psychology and modern philosophy.
In 1945-1951 Roland Petit founded the Ballet des Champs Elysées, in 1949-1967 the Ballet de Paris. In list the best works: Youth and death J.S. Bach, 1946, Carmen J. Bizet , 1949, Cathedral of Notre Dame, 1965. Petit works in the genre of dramatic ballet, gravitates towards the dynamism of the plot, vivid imagery and theatricality, skillfully stages mass scenes, uses a combination of classical and jazz dance in his vocabulary. Of his dancers, the following became famous: Zizi Zhanmer (b. 1924, performer of the part Carmen in the ballet of the same name), Jean Babilé (b. 1923, performer of the main role in the cult ballet of the 1950s Youth and death). In 1972, Petit organized the Marseille Ballet ( Light up the stars, 1972, sick rose G. Mahler, staged in 1973 for Plisetskaya, Pink Floyd, 1973, In memory of an angel A. Berg, 1977, own versions of classical ballets Coppelia, 1975 and Nutcracker, 1976). Staged symphonic ballets at the Paris Opera Fantastic symphony G. Berlioz, 1974, enlightened night A. Schoenberg, 1976.
Pierre Lacotte (b. 1932) in 1955-1956 and 1959-1962 - director of the Eiffel Tower Ballet. In 1963–1968 he was the head of the National Ballet of French Musical Youth, then the Monte Carlo Ballet, until 2001 he headed the National Ballet of Nancy, is an expert on the classical heritage of French ballet, masters the subtle art of stylization, reconstruction of the spirit of romantic ballet (films - ballets for television Gallant Europe A. Kampra, restoration of the ballet sylph J. Schneitzhoffer, lady with camellias G. Verdi, 1977). He is called the "ballet archaeologist".
The Art Nouveau movement is represented « The ballet theater of modernity "J. Roussillo (b. 1941), organized in 1972. Among the postmodern troupes, the troupe of A. Preljocaj (b. 1957, troupe - since 1984), a student of M. Cunningham ( white tears, 1985, Memories of our heroes, 1986, soar to the music W.A. Mozart, 1994).
United Kingdom.
English ballet of the 20th century leads a family tree from the school of A. Pavlova and Marie Rambert (1888-1982) and Ninette de Valois who worked for Diaghilev. In 1920, the School of Marie Rambert, a follower of E.J. Dalcroze's system of rhythmoplastic dance, was opened. From her school came F. Ashton, E. Tudor, who created in 1930 the troupe "Ballet Rambert". In 1926, Valois opened the Academy of Choreographic Art in London, from which the troupe Sadler's Wells Ballet left in 1942, and since 1957 the Royal Ballet of Great Britain. Valois was its director until 1983. Since 1935, its leading choreographer of the "Royal Ballet" - Frederic Ashton, who created the style of English classical dance - strict, restrained and poetic. It is based on the school of E. Chechetti, who taught at the Imperial Petersburg Ballet School and brought up such individuals as Pavlova, T. Karsavina, M. Fokine, V. Nizhinsky. For a long time, Ashton's lead ballerina was Margot Fontaine, whose career was unexpectedly reborn in a legendary duet with Nureyev; together they danced a number of classical ballets, as well as a specially choreographed ballet by Ashton Margarita and Arman based on the Ladies with camellias A. Dumas to the music of F. Liszt, 1963. Ashton's productions include: Facade, 1931 W. Walton, A futile precaution , 1960 F. Herold, Undine, 1958 H.W. Henze, A month in the village, 1976 F.Chopin, plotless ballets Symphonic Variations, 1946 S. Frank, monotony, 1965–1966 E. Satie, multi-act Cinderella S. Prokofiev, 1948, with M. Fontaine - Dream, 1964 F. Mendelssohn. In 1970, Ashton created the "New Group" at the theater for avant-garde productions. Anthony Tudor (1908–1987), creator of the psychological drama in ballet, worked in theater until his departure to the USA (1939), staging Lilac Garden to music by E. Chausson, 1936, Dark elegies to music Songs about dead children G. Mahler, 1937.
From 1970–1977 the company was led by Kenneth Macmillan. The emergence of the genre of dramatic ballet is associated with his name. His style is a combination of the Cecchetti school with acrobatics and complex lifts, he is characterized by the sophistication of the choreographic pattern. His ballet Romeo and Juliet(music by Prokofiev, 1965, also created for Fonteyn and Nureyev) became a cult. ballets Manon(1974, to music by J. Massenet), Concert dances Stravinsky 1955, Nora,or Diary of A. Frank, 1958, Anastasia A. Sullivan, 1971, Mayerling F. Liszt, 1978, Isadora R. Bennett, 1981; Prince of Pagodas B. Britten, 1989 were created for Macmillan's leading ballerina - Lynn Seymour (b. 1939), who danced in a duet with Christopher Gable (1940-1998), who later made a career in cinema. Macmillan's ballets featured the virtuoso Anthony Dowell along with Antoniet Sibley, Alexandra Ferry (b. 1967). For contribution to national culture Macmillan was promoted to sir. In the same years, John Cranko worked in the troupe, who is known as the director of many hours of narrative ballets ( lady and jester Verdi, 1954). Since the 1960s, Cranko has worked in Germany, directing the oldest Stuttgart ballet in Europe. After the departure of Macmillan, the ideas of free dance became a priority in the theater. Former dancers of the troupe Norman Morris (b. 1931), Anthony Dowell (led the troupe since 1986), David Bintley (b. 1957) introduced productions by Balanchine, Robbins, Forsyth into the repertoire. The theater's lead dancers also included Beryl Gray (b. 1927), Robert Helpman (1909–1986), Moira Shearer (b. 1926).
Other UK companies include the Birmingham Royal Ballet, the London Ballet Festival, which grew out of a company founded in 1949 by former Diaghilev dancers Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin (1904–1983). The troupe "Valle Rambert" continues to work. At the beginning, original classical ballets were preserved in her repertoire, and since 1966, priority has been given to works in the modern dance style. In 1987, Richard Alston (b. 1948), who developed the ideas of the American modernist choreographer Merce Cunningham, became the leader of the troupe. In 1967, R. Cohen, a student of M. Graham, created the London Theater contemporary dance”, where he staged many of Graham's ballets. The theater is part of the London Center for the Study of Modern Dance.
USA.
The main achievement of American ballet is the work of George Balanchine, a native of Russia, a graduate of the Petrograd Theater School. He created a new direction in choreography - a symphonic plotless ballet of the neoclassical style, a self-sufficient choreographic action (sometimes without a libretto, scenography and costumes). The Danish school of choreography also had a great influence on Balanchine's work, striving for subtlety, lively light footwork (the so-called Bournonville drifts), rapid changes in direction and increasing rhythms of movements. The largest dance theaters in the USA - "New York City Balle" and "American Balle Theater" were born as a result of the interaction of Russian classical and American (modern dance, acrobatic, jazz, everyday vocabulary) traditions. Plotless and metaphoric, chamber one-act ballet remains the leading trend in American ballet.
When Balanchine arrived in the USA in 1933, the leading direction in American choreography was modern dance, which had a folklore color and included motifs of Negro and Indian dances (excesses of the body, rotational movements of the hips, priority of ensemble dance over solo). Modern dance was developed by choreographers Ruth Saint-Denis and Ted Shawn (1891–1972), who founded the Denishawn School of Dance in Los Angeles in 1915. Many American choreographers studied there, including the most prominent ballerina and choreographer Martha Graham, who created her own troupe in 1926 and developed a special dance technique. Choreographers D. Humphrey, H. Limon, A. de Mille, R. Page created genre ballets using Negro and Indian folklore. On the other hand, thanks to Russian emigrant artists, the American public got acquainted with classical ballet: the studios of Russian dancers M. Fokin, A. Bolm, M. Mordkin worked in the USA; B. G. Romanov (1891–1957) headed the ballet troupe of the Metropolitan Opera Theater (1938–1942, 1945–1950), in 1939 the troupe Balle rus de Monte Carlo arrived in the USA (the troupe of V. G. Voskresensky -de Basil), led in 1938–1948 by L.F. Myasin. The fusion of modernity with national and classical traditions formed the Balanchine style. In 1934, together with patron Leonard Kernstein (1907-1996), Balanchine founded the School of American Ballet and based on it - ballet theater"New York City Ballet". In 2004 the theater celebrated the centenary of the birth of its founder and its 70th anniversary. The first ballets were staged on American subjects ( Gas station, 1938 L. Christensen to the music of V. Thomson, Billy's boyfriend Y.Loringa, Spring in Apalachia, Rodeo A. de Mille, music. A. Copland), but soon the theater turned into the Balanchine House, where he staged 50 ballets for the troupe. Basically, these are plotless ballets: Four temperaments P. Hindemith, 1946, Serenade, 1934, baroque concerto J.S. Bach, 1940, Symphony in C major or Crystal Palace J. Bizet, 1947, Love songs- waltzes to the music of I. Brahms, 1960, III suite P. Tchaikovsky, 1970, including American music: Symphonies of the Far West H.Key, 1954, Is it all the same J. Gershwin, 1970. At the heart of Balanchine's neoclassical aesthetics is dance expressiveness, born of the expressiveness of the musical image. Balanchine, like Bejart, was a master of staging a mass dance, but he gave priority to women's dance and said: "Ballet is a woman." His favorite composer was Stravinsky, with whom he had collaborated since his time with Diaghilev. During the period 1925-1972 Balanchine staged 27 ballets by Stravinsky, among them: Agon, 1957, Firebird, 1949, Pulcinella, 1972, Jewelry (Rubies), 1967. An analogue of such a fruitful collaboration between choreographer and composer can be found in Petipa's alliance with Tchaikovsky. Leading dancers Balanchine: André Eglevsky (1917–1977), Édouard Villela, Melisia Hayden (b. 1923), Maria Tolchief, Diana Adams, Tanaquil Le Claire (b. 1929), Violet Verdi, Allegra Kent (b. 1938), Karine von Aroldingen (b. 1941), Patricia McBride, Susan Farrell, Merrill Ashley. Balanchine's student Jerome Robbins (1918-1998) is known as the creator of jazz dance with elements of folklore and everyday vocabulary. Staged ballets: Sailors on the coast L. Bernstein, 1944, Facsimile, 1946, Cell to music Basel Concerto for Strings Stravinsky, 1951, new edition Afternoon of a faun (1953), Concert to music by Chopin, 1956, romantic ballet Dancing at the party to music by Chopin, choreographic version Goldberg variations Bach, 1971, Water Mill to music by T.Ito. His musicals are widely known: funny girl, Fiddler on the roof 1964, West Side Story, 1957. In the 1950s and 1960s, Robbins worked extensively on Broadway. After Balanchine's death in 1983, together with P. Martins, he headed the troupe. Balanchine's successor, Danish dancer Peter Martins, became famous in a duet with S. Farrell; how the choreographer staged the ballets: Night in stage lighting C. Ives, 1978, ecstatic orange, 1987, Black and white, 1986, Echo, 1989, Ash, 1991 M. Thorp. In 1991, Martins staged for the first time completely uncut, accepted in the West, the ballet Sleeping beauty.
"American balle theater" created in 1939 by Lucia Chase, philanthropist and ballerina, student of M. Mordkin. Chase directed the theater until 1980. If the New York City Ballet is an author's theater, then the American Ballet Theater is an international creation of several choreographers. The foundation of the theater was laid by the English choreographer Anthony Tudor, who worked in the theater from the moment it was founded. artistic director(1939–1950 and since 1974). The founder of the so-called. psychological ballet (he was called "the choreographer of human sorrow"), Tudor was interested in the world of the subconscious, when referring to the inner world of a person, he used modern vocabulary ( pillar of fire to music by A. Schoenberg, 1942 with Nora Kay, Undercurrent R. Schuman , 1945, Romeo and Juliet F. Dilius, 1943 with Hugh Lang). In 1975 he staged a plotless romantic ballet for Gelsey Kirkland (b. 1952), recognized as the best performer of the part of Giselle in the USA. Leaves wither to the music of A. Dvorak. Tudor's leading dancers were Nora Kay (1920–1989) and Hugh Lang (1911–1988). K. Macmillan, D. Robbins, modern choreographers Glen Tetley (b. 1926), Birgit Kulberg (b. 1908), Tuyla Tharp (b. 1942) also worked in the theater. The theater's leading dancers over the years have been: Alicia Alonso, John Kriza (1919–1975), Igor Yuskevich (1912–1994) and Alicia Markova; Tony Lander (1931–1985) , Sally Wilson (b. 1932), Bruce Marks (b. 1937), Roy Fernandez (1929-1980), Lupe Serrano (b. 1930) ) , Scott Douglas (1927–1996), Cynthia Gregory, Martina Van Hamel (b. 1945), Fernando Bujones, Natalya Makarova, Rudolf Nureyev, Dane Eric Brun, Carla Fracci (b. 1936), Ivan Nagy (b. 1943), V.A. Malakhov.
In 1980–1989 the artistic director of the troupe was Mikhail Baryshnikov, his deputy was K. Macmillan. During that period, the famous production of M. Morris (b. 1955), a choreographer who won the fame of "The Mozart of Modern Dance", Drink for me only with your eyes to the music of V. Thomson. Macmillan resumed Romeo and Juliet, N. Makarova carried out her editorial bayadere Minkus (1980). At the invitation of Baryshnikov, in 1989 the ballerina of the Kirov Theater I. Kolpakova (b. 1933) worked as a teacher of the troupe.
If in the 19th century American ballet was only in its infancy, then in the second half of the 20th century. the country experienced a ballet boom in the 20th century. and turned into a country of highly developed choreographic culture. In 1945, there were 25 troupes, but soon this number grew to 250. Several troupes operate in New York alone (Tuyla Tharp's modern theaters, Robert Joffrey's Joffrey Balle (b. 1930), Arthur Mitchell's African-American Harlem Dance Theater , « Balle Feld" by Eliot Feld, b. 1942 and others). Large cities have their own ballet troupes: Chicago Balle, founded by Maria Tolchief, San Francisco Balle, Boston Balle, Miami Balle, Littlefield Balle of Philadelphia, etc.
Germany.
Unlike the ballet of others European countries, in German the influence of the Russian dance school is less pronounced. At the beginning of the 20th century in Germany and Austria, expressionism developed in all forms of art. On the basis of modern dance techniques, expressionistic ballet developed, represented by the work of choreographers R. Laban (1879–1958), K. Joss ( 1901-1979), M. Wigman and her students H. Holm (1898-1992), G. Palucchi (1902-1992). They abandoned beautiful movements, replacing them with broken lines and coarsened forms. Most famous work of this style was the anti-war ballet by K. Yoss Green table, 1932. In the 1920s and 1930s, the ideas of the Bauhaus school, which promoted constructivism, were also popular in Germany and viewed the dance as a precisely calculated construction and an acrobatic exercise devoid of emotional overtones. This direction found its expression in the work of V. Skoronel.
In the second half of the 20th century interest in modernity grew in Germany into postmodern experiments. Distinctive feature modern German ballet - the use of choreographic ideas of American, Dutch and Czech choreographers. In 1961, the Stuttgart Ballet was headed by J. Cranko. The style of his ballets was reminiscent of the Soviet choreodrama of the 1930s–1940s, these are multi-act narrative works: Romeo and Juliet (1962) to the music of Prokofiev, Onegin(1965) to the music of Tchaikovsky, arranged by K.Kh.Stolze, The Taming of the Shrew(1969) to music by A. Scarlatti in the same arrangement with the participation of the outstanding duet Marcia Heide (b. 1939) - Richard Craghan (b. 1944). Cranko created an experimental creative workshop from which William Forsyth (b. 1949), John Neumeier (b. 1942), Jiri Kilian grew up. After the death of Cranko, the troupe was headed by the modern choreographer Glen Tetley (b. 1926), a student of Holm, known for staging the ballet dedicated to Cranko Voluntary(1973) F. Poulenc and own editorial Holy Spring Stravinsky. Neumeier, an American choreographer, worked in the Stuttgart Ballet in the 1960s and 1970s and directed the Hamburg and Frankfurt theatres. He is committed to religious and philosophical themes, which he implements in many hours of ballets (a four-hour ballet Matthew Passion, 1981). Other productions include: Separate travel Barbera (1968) Rondo (1970), Romeo and Juliet (1971), Nutcracker (1972), Dust A. Scriabin (1972), sleeping Beauty, Elegy Tchaikovsky (1978), Ariel Mozart, Fourth symphony Mahler (1977). Forsyth is the ideologist of postmodern ballet, director of the Frankfurt ballet, he is often called the Balanchine of the 21st century. His choreography is based on associations; texts, films and photo projections are often included in the dance. Such are the ballets love songs(1979) folk music and In the middle, on some elevation to the music of L. Stuck and T. Willems, which was staged by him at the invitation of Nureyev at the Paris Opera in 1988. Forsythe was one of the first to use Willems' electronic music. Modern choreography cannot be imagined without the work of Pina Bausch (b. 1940), with her Dance Theater (Wuppertal, since 1971), a student of K. Joss, P. Taylor, E. Tudor, who simultaneously develops the expressionist tradition of German ballet and the psychological school of American ( Fragments, 1967; Arias, 1979; Palermo, Palermo, 1989; window washer, 1997; In the country of the meadows, 2000; For the children of yesterday, today and tomorrow, 2002). In 1966–1969, the Berlin Opera Ballet was headed by C. Macmillan, currently (since 2002) its art director and leading soloist is V. A. Malakhov, who develops the classical direction of ballet.
Netherlands.
Before the Second World War, the influence of German free dance was the strongest, and in the second half of the 20th century. The Netherlands became the birthplace of postmodern dance. After the war, the Dutch National Ballet troupe was created in Amsterdam, from 1967 under the direction of Rudy van Dantzig (b. 1933). In his outstanding ballets Monument to the dead youth(1965) and Threads of time(1970) to the music of Y. Berman was danced by Nureyev, who recalled that in these productions he performed the dance for the first time, lying on the floor of the stage. Van Dantzig, like Forsythe, uses the harsh sound of electronic music and the futuristic scenery of the Tour van Scheik. From other works: night island J.C. Debussy (1965), Family circle B. Bartok (1958). In 1959, the Dutch Dance Theater troupe was founded in The Hague under the direction of Hans van Manen (b. 1932). The theater has devoted itself exclusively to contemporary choreography. Since 1973, Manin has been the choreographer of the Netherlands National Ballet. Productions: Symphony in 3 parts Messiaen (1965) Metaphors Lesiura (1965), Five Pieces to the music of Hindemith (1966), Mutations K. Stockhausen (1970) , Sacred spring(1974). In 1978, the head of the "Netherlands dance theater”was Jiri Kilian, who, like Tudor, develops the style of psychological ballet. Kilian uses movements performed while lying on the floor, achieves sculptural poses, composes high lifts and spins ( Return to a foreign country, 1974–1975, symphonietta L. Janachek, 1987; Frequently visited place K. Chavez; Time to sleep Takemitsu. Other troupes of the country: the Dutch "theater 3", the Dutch ballet "Scapino" under the direction of N. Kriste (Rotterdam).
Sweden.
Sweden has also developed alternative forms of ballet to the classical, with Swedish choreographers at the forefront of dance thought. The first Swedish ballet company operated in Paris from 1920–1925 under the daring experimenter Jean Berlin (1893–1930). In 1949-1950 and 1963-1964 he also directed the Royal Swedish Ballet; in 1951-1952 and 1960-1963 this post was held by E. Tudor ( echo trumpets to the music B. Martin, 1963). In 1946–1947 the troupe was directed by Birgit Kuhlberg (born 1908, student of K. Joss and M. Graham). In 1967 she created the troupe Kuhlberg balle, where she staged the famous ballet Freken Julia on music by T.Rangström, as well as ballets Medea Bartok (1950), Romeo and Juliet Prokofiev (1969). Her style is a combination of classical dance and modern, grotesque and pantomime. Mats Ek (b. 1945), son of Kuhlberg, took over the company in 1990 with unconventional postmodern productions of ballets Giselle and Swan Lake. Ek is one of the creators of postmodern aesthetics (theory of allusions, coding, polystylistics). His style is an ironic game with classical plots, quotations, dance canons, which creates the effect of clearing the cliché and a fresh look at the classics.
Denmark.
The Danish Royal Ballet is one of the oldest in Europe. The main task of the Danish choreographers was to preserve the Bournonville school, and thanks to Hans Beck (1861–1952) ( Coppelia, 1896) it was carried out, but, on the other hand, further development stopped. In 1932–1951, during the period of director Harald Lander (1905–1971), Vera Volkova (1904–1975), the greatest expert on the Vaganova system in the West, worked at the theater. During this period, the Danish school came out of isolation, released the famous dancers P. Martins and E. Brun. Eric Brun (1928-1986), was distinguished by a restrained, refined and at the same time masculine manner of dancing. He has danced lead roles in classical ballets in theaters across the United States, Canada and Europe. From 1967 to 1971 he directed the Royal Swedish Ballet and in the 1980s the National Ballet of Canada. Staged classical romantic ballets Little Concert G. G. Gulda (1953), own editions Giselle(1959), sylphs(1964), coppélia (1975).
Canada.
The leading company, the National Ballet of Canada, was founded in Toronto in 1951 by Celia Franca (b. 1921), a ballerina from the English companies Balle Rambert and Sadler's Wells Balle. She created a school of classical dance based on the principles of English. She directed the troupe until 1974, when Brun and Baryshnikov danced in the theater. In 1996, James Kudelka (b. 1955), one of the most interesting choreographers, became the head of the theater. There is a tradition in the theater to invite Russian dancers. Since 1994, V. Malakhov has been working in the National Ballet, A. Ratmansky danced in the troupe of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, founded in 1938. In 1957, the Great Canadian Ballet was created in Montreal.
Other countries.
The ballet of countries with a rich choreographic past (Austria, Italy) is currently on the periphery of ballet ideas. The musical theaters of Vienna and Milan give priority to opera. Although there is a centuries-old school of virtuoso dance in Italy, talented ballerinas, as a rule, realize themselves abroad (Carla Fracci, b. 1936), Alessandra Ferrucci, b. 1963), and Italian ballet is on the verge of survival.
In the second half of the 20th century ballet penetrated into countries where the traditions of folk dance are strong. In Spain, the Ballet Lirico Nacional appeared under the direction of the former artist of the Dutch Dance Theater Nacho Duato (b. 1957), in Latin America there were « National Ballet of Cuba" (1948), created by the ballerina "American Balle" Alicia Alonso, "Argentine Ballet", founded by the dancer of the same theater, Julio Bocca (b. 1967). Ballet troupes appeared in Japan, where both classical ballet and modern dance are popular: Tokyo Ballet (1964), Saburo Teshidawa's KARAS group (1985) are open to all directions, from classical to performance.
Russian ballet.
Ballet in Russia, as in Europe, originated as a court art under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The first Russian ballet is considered Ballet about Orpheus and Eurydice(1673, music by G. Schutz, choreographer N. Lim, Comedy Khoromina in the village of Preobrazhensky, Moscow). In 1738 the St. Petersburg Ballet School (now the Academy of Choreography named after A.Ya. Vaganova) was opened. The choreographers of the school of J. B. Lande and A. Rinaldi staged a ballet divertissement in the opera at the court of Anna Ioannovna in the Hermitage Theater The power of love and hate(1736). In the future, both served as court choreographers. Since the 1760s, Russian ballet has been developing in the mainstream of the European theater of classicism. Austrians and Italians served as choreographers, composers and set designers.
In 1759-1764, the famous choreographers F. Hilferding (1710-1768) and G. Angiolini (1731-1803) worked in Russia, who staged ballets on mythological subjects ( Semira after the tragedy by A.P. Sumarokov, 1772). In 1773, a ballet school was opened and in Moscow a ballet department at the Moscow Educational House, the basis of the future Moscow Academy of Choreography. The Moscow troupe, created as a public one, enjoyed greater independence than the official St. Petersburg troupe. The art of the Petersburg troupe was more courtly, strict and academic, while the Moscow ballet was more democratic and poetic, committed to comedy and genre ballets ( Christmas fun, G. Angiolini, 1767). Differences persisted even later: the Leningrad ballet is still distinguished by classical rigor, academicism, cantileverness of the dance, while the Moscow ballet is distinguished by bravura, a powerful leap, and athleticism. The playwright Sumarokov sought the right to create his own state theater in Moscow, but Catherine II in the same year gave the monopoly on the organization of the theater to Prince P.V. Urusov and his companion, the Englishman M.G. Maddox. From the entreprise organized in 1776 by Maddox and Urusov (Petrovsky Theater), the Moscow Bolshoi Theater leads the pedigree. The Maddox troupe was created on the basis of the previously existing troupe of N.S. Titov (1766–1769), the theater of Moscow University. On the opening day of the Petrovsky Theater on December 30, 1780, the Austrian choreographer L. Paradis, who arrived in Russia with the Hilferding troupe, staged a pantomime ballet magic shop. In the 1780s, choreographers F. Morelli, P. Pinyuchi, J. Solomoni arrived from Italy to Russia. staged at the Petrovsky Theater, as well as in the serf troupes of N.P. Sheremetyev and N.B. Yusupov, luxurious divertissements, performed as an addition to opera or drama. Ballets on national themes were popular: rustic simplicity, rustic painting,Gypsy ballet,Capture of Ochakov(all - 1 third of the 19th century). Among the productions of Solomonini, the most famous choreographer who worked in Vienna with Noverre, the ballet of the latter Medea and Jason, 1800, Petrovsky Theatre, American ballet or defeated cannibals, 1790, Kuskovo, then the Petrovsky Theatre. From 1800 Solomonini served as the chief choreographer of the Petrovsky Theatre. In 1800 he set A vain precaution in the choreography by J. Dauberval under the title Deceived old woman.
In St. Petersburg, the first public Bolshoi Theater (Stone), later the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, opened in 1783. In 1803 its ballet troupe separated from the opera, occupying a privileged position among other theater genres. The ballet enjoyed state subsidies and was subordinate to the directorate of the imperial theaters.
At the turn of the 18-19 centuries. the time has come for the establishment of Russian ballet. Domestic composers A.N. Titov, S.I. Davydov, K.A. Kavos, F.E. Scholz, as well as the first Russian choreographer I.I. Valberkh (1766–1819) appeared. He combined the traditions of Russian folk dance with dramatic pantomime and the virtuosic technique of Italian ballet. Working in line with sentimentalism, Walberg staged the first ballet on a national theme - a melodrama New Werther Titov, 1799. During the war of 1812, popular patriotic divertissements spread, and Valberg staged a ballet in St. Petersburg Love for the Fatherland Kavos, which was based on Russian folk dance. In 1812, the divertissement genre experienced a rise, thanks to which the dancers A.I. Kolosova (1780–1869), T.I. Glushkovskaya (1800–1857), A.I.
The most important event for the Russian ballet was the arrival in Russia of a prominent pre-romantic choreographer Sh. L. Didlo (he worked in St. Petersburg in 1800-1809, 1816-1829). He staged anacreontic ballets Zephyr and Flora (1808), Cupid and Psyche (1809), Acis and Galatea(1816), as well as ballets on historical, comedic, everyday topics: young thrush (1817),Return from India or wooden leg(1821). Didlo became the founder of the genre of anacreontic ballet, named after the ancient poet Anacreon, the creator of the genre of love lyrics. M. I. Danilova (1793–1810), E. A. Teleshova (1804–1857), A. S. Novitskaya (1790–1822) became famous in Didlo’s ballets. Under his leadership, the Russian ballet school began to form, he staged more than 40 ballets, gradually making the transition from mythological themes to modern ones. literary subjects. In 1823 he set Prisoner of the Caucasus based on a poem by A.S. Pushkin, collaborated with the composer Kavos. A. I. Istomina (1799-1848) shone in his performances, whose dance was sung by Pushkin, describing it as “a flight filled with soul”. Istomina's art foreshadowed the beginning of Russian romantic ballet and embodied the originality of the Russian school, focused on emotional expressiveness.
After the expulsion of the French in 1812, the Russian ballet school was headed by A.P. Glushkovsky (1793–1870), a follower of Walberg and Didelot. His activities constituted an epoch in the history of Russian ballet. During the war of 1812 he staged 18 ballets and a large number of divertissements (melodramas, anacreontic ballets, ballets by Scholz Ruslan and Ludmila based on a poem by Pushkin, 1812, and Three belts, or Russian Sandrillon, 1826 based on the ballad by V.A. Zhukovsky). He successfully combined the possibilities of pantomime and dance, became the first theorist and historian of Russian ballet, brought up a galaxy of students: D.S. Lopukhina (1806–1855), I.K. Lobanov (1797–1840) and others. the activities of the choreographer and teacher F. Gyullen-Sor (Richard) (1805–1860), a French ballerina who arrived in Moscow in 1823 ( Zephyr and Flora, 1815,Sandrillon F. Sora, 1825, Celebration of the Muses, 1825). She had a great influence on the formation of the individualities of E.A. Sankovskaya (1816–1878), T.S. Karpakova (1812–1842).
First third of the 19th century - the time when the national ballet school was formed. At the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, on a well-equipped stage, magnificent extravaganzas by A. Blanc and A. Tityus dominated. The performance of ballet scenes in Glinka's operas prepared the Russian ballet for the symphonic development of images. Of great importance were the tours of M. Taglioni in 1834–1842 and F. Elsler in 1848–1851. The 1830s–1840s are the time of romanticism in Russian ballet. In St. Petersburg, E.A. Andreyanova (1819–1857) became the best romantic dancer, in Moscow - E. Sankovskaya, who is considered the first among the great Russian ballerinas. She took drama lessons from M.S. Shchepkin, her best roles: Sylphide, Esmeralda, Ondine (Virgin of the Danube), Elena Wardek (Katharina, the robber's daughter). Contemporaries called her the soul of the Moscow ballet. Petersburg Ballet in 1848–1859 was headed by the leader of romanticism J. Perrot. Romanticism lasted longer in Russia than in the West; Russian ballet enjoyed the patronage of the court for many years and remained a court art. When realism came to other forms of art in the 1860s, Russian ballet retained its already conservative romantic orientation. Petipa began in the style of romanticism (the act of shadows in La Bayadère A. Minkus, 1877, ballets King Candaulus C. Puni, 1868, Don Quixote Minkus, 1869, Pharaoh's daughter Ts.Puni, magic mirror A. Koreshchenko), in which he continued the process of symphonizing the dance. The greatest choreographer of that period was A. Saint-Leon (1821–1870). In 1859-1869 he served in St. Petersburg ( Coppelia L. Delibes, The Little Humpbacked Horse C. Puni). These were the years of dominance of divertissement and staging effects, but at the same time C. Blazis worked in St. Petersburg, improving the technique and vocabulary of Russian ballet. Under him, the dance was finally divided into classical and characteristic. Of the ballerinas who danced in those years, M.N. Muravyova (1838–1879), dancer V.F. Geltser (1840–1908) stand out.
In 1882, the monopoly of the imperial theaters was abolished, as a result, virtuoso Italian ballerinas came to the Russian ballet - Virginia Zucchi (1847-1930), Pierina Legnani (1863-1923), Carlotta Brianza (1867-1930), Antonietta Del Era. They played a big role in establishing the academic ballet and performed the main roles in the ballets staged by Petipa. Arriving in 1847 from France and becoming the chief choreographer of the Mariinsky Theater in 1862, Petipa created classical dance ensembles, approved its canonical forms (adagio, pas de deux, dance suites, grand pas, final coda), developed the principle of symmetry in the construction of a corps de ballet, contrast comparison of mass and solo dance. Petipa continued the process of symphonizing dance and came to collaborate with symphonic composers Tchaikovsky and Glazunov (previously, the choreographers worked with full-time court composers invited from abroad - Czech L. Minkus and Italian Ts. Puni , who still thought in terms of divertissement ballet). The fruitful cooperation resulted in masterpieces of choreographic art, which still form the basis of the repertoire of any ballet theater: sleeping Beauty (1890),Nutcracker(1892),Swan Lake(1895) Tchaikovsky, Raymond(1898), Seasons and Mistress Maid Glazunov, 1900. All these are the pinnacles of ballet symphonism. First production swan lake Czech choreographer V. Reisinger in 1877 was unsuccessful. In the process of preparing these multi-act ballets, a type of large (academic) ballet developed. L. Ivanov, the second choreographer of the Mariinsky Stage, went even further, already beyond the limits of academicism, composing poetic scenes of swans (second and fourth acts swan lake, 1895) and the Snowflake Dance in Nutcracker, 1892). Having developed the corps de ballet dance, Ivanov turned the fairy tale ballet into a philosophical parable. His choreography continued the traditions of the "white" romantic ballet of the early 19th century. and foreshadowed the style of the ballet of the 20th century, its impressionistic and metaphorical imagery. Under Petipa and Ivanov, the performing talent of E.O. Vazem (1848–1937), the brothers N.G. and S.G. Legat (1869–1937), (1875–1905), M. Kshesinskaya, O.I. The Spanish choreographer J.Mendez (1843–1905), who raised the level of the troupe and brought up the individualities of L.A. Roslavleva (1874–1904), the Italian A.A. Dzhuri (1872–1963), E.V. Geltser and her constant partner V.D. Tikhomirov (1876–1956).
By the beginning of the 20th century the Russian school of dance was established, absorbing elements of the French school of Didlo, the Italian school of Blazis, Cecchetti and the Danish school of H. Ioganson. As a result, the Russian ballet school became the best in the world, and the success of the Russian Seasons and Diaghilev's Russian Ballet troupe was proof of this.
At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. in Russian art, the era of modernity reigned, a director's theater appeared. The type of spectacular multi-act performance with pantomime scenes and canonical forms of classical dance is outdated. To match the aesthetic concept of the Silver Age, the ballet needed reforms, the beginning of which was laid by the choreographer Bolshoi Theater A.A. Gorsky, who worked in the theater in 1902–1924. In contrast to the outdated academicism, he put forward a choreographic drama in which the stage action was expressed by dance ( Daughter of Gudula A.Yu.Simon, 1902, Salambo A.F. Arendsa, 1910). In the spirit of choreodrama, Gorsky repeatedly revised Swan Lake, Giselle. Under Gorsky, the personalities of V.A. Karalli (at the same time - stars of silent cinema, 1886-1972), S.V. Fedorova (1879-1963), A.M. Balashova (1887-1979), O.V. Fedorova (1882) –1942), M.M. Mordkin (1880–1944).
The experiments of M.M. Fokin were even more important. He fought against obsolete academicism by introducing elements of free and folklore vocabulary into classical dance. He composed a new type of performance - a one-act ballet with through action, the stylistic unity of music, choreography and scenography and focused on fixing the moment with choreographic methods. The monumental performance was replaced by a one-act miniature ballet. Fokine created ballets for the Mariinsky Stage Evnika, Egyptian nights scene Polovtsian dances in the opera by A. Borodin Prince Igor, ballet Pavilion of Armida N.N. Cherepnina (1907); Chopininana (sylphs) F. Chopin (1908), later for the "Russian Seasons" - Carnival(1910) and butterflies, (1912) to music by R. Schumann, symphonic poem by M.N. Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade(1910), Vision of a rose K. M. Weber (1911), Daphnis and Chloe M. Ravel (1912). Fokin attached great importance to scenography. The artists of the association "World of Art" (L.S. Bakst, A.N. Benois, N.K. Roerich, K.A. Korovin, A.Ya. Golovin), who designed Fokine's productions, became their full co-authors. The success of his ballets was facilitated by the work of dancers: A. Pavlova, T. Karsavina, Nijinsky, Mordkin, A. R. Bolm (1884–1951). The concert number became a symbol of the choreography of impressionism Swan C. Saint-Saens (1907), composed by Fokine for Pavlova. Despite its huge success, ballet impressionism turned out to be a historically limited style: trying to convey the subtlest shades of mood in movement, it lost its content. Fokine's collaboration with Pavlova and Karsavina turned out to be short-lived. In 1909, Pavlova created her own troupe, Karsavina, the “Queen Colombine,” returned to classical ballet.
Ballet seasons of Diaghilev.
Since 1909, the talented businessman S.P. Diaghilev has been organizing the annual tour of the Russian ballet in Paris, called the Russian Seasons. For the Russian Seasons, Fokine moved his productions at the Mariinsky Theater to Paris ( Chopininana called in the Parisian version Sylphs,Egyptian Nights - Cleopatra) and staged Stravinsky's ballets Firebird(1910) and Parsley(1911), which were a resounding success. After Fokine's departure from Diaghilev, Nijinsky staged two more Stravinsky's ballets, ( Afternoon of a Faun, 1912; Sacred spring). As a choreographer, Nijinsky first turned to expressionist forms ( Sacred spring) and plotless ( Games C. Debussy; 1913) ballet. Possessing a phenomenal jump, he returned priority to the male dance ( Vision of a rose K.Weber). In 1911–1929, Diaghilev founded his own troupe, Diaghilev's Russian Ballet, which toured Europe and the United States. Diaghilev's choreographers were L. Myasin (staged the cubist ballet Parade(1917) with decorations by P. Picasso and music by E. Satie on a libretto by J. Cocteau, cocked hat(1919) M. de Falla, plotless ballet Oh yeah to music by N. Nabokov (1928), Women in a good mood D. Scarlatti, Russian tales A. Lyadov); Bronislava Nijinska (staged Stravinsky's ballets Tale about the Fox (1922); wedding(1923); Pulcinella(1920); Mercury E . Satie (1924) Lani F . Poulenc, (1924), steel lope S. Prokofiev, (1927). In 1924, Balanchine joined the troupe, who again turned to Stravinsky's music, composing ballets Fireworks, Song of the nightingale and Apollo Musagete, 1928, as well as Ball AT . Rieti, 1925, Cat A. Sauge, 1927, Prokofiev's expressionistic ballet Prodigal son , 1929. Stravinsky's music for the ballets was a resounding success. sacred spring, painting pictures of pagan Russia with its daring harmonies and rhythms. Nijinsky guessed right musical theme Springs, translating it into en dedans (“closed” position of the legs: socks and knees are brought together). dodecaphony Stravinsky opened new stage in world music. In 1916 he continued the Petrushka theme in A bike about a Fox, a Rooster, a Cat and a Sheep. From the early 1920s, Stravinsky returned to neoclassicism ( Pulcinella, 1919 to the music of G. Pergolesi), from 1950 dodecaphony again prevailed in his music ( Agon, 1957). Diaghilev expanded the range of musical works performed as ballet music, including Stravinsky, Prokofiev, music of the French avant-garde (composers of the so-called "Six": Satie, Fauré, Sauge, Auric, Orff, Poulenc).
Despite the emigration of many outstanding artists, the difficulties of the revolution and civil war, the ballet troupes of Moscow and St. Petersburg retained their repertoire and continued to work (E.V. Geltser, V.V. Kriger (1893–1978), E.P. Gerdt (1891–1975), E.M. Lukom (1891–1968) Ballet schools also functioned.In the 1920s, the famous system of teaching classical dance by Vaganova (1879-1951) began to take shape, which reworked various methods that influenced the Russian school, in the book Basics classical dance revered as a ballet bible. Vaganova's method, based on the study of the natural reactions of the body, requires harmony and coordination of movements, her students were distinguished by the amplitude of movements, a soaring jump and a strong back, which made it possible for them to control the body even in flight, long-term elevation, expressive flexible arms. Although Vaganova herself studied with Ioganson, a representative of the Danish school of choreography, she did not include the Bournonville school in her system. Nevertheless, the Soviet school, along with the Danish one, is considered the best in terms of training male dancers, which is characterized by a powerful soaring jump, dynamic rotations, athleticism, and the ability to perform upper lifts. In 1920, the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theaters received the status academic theaters and were renamed GATOB and SABT.
The 1920s is the time of the Russian avant-garde, experiments and searches in all areas of art. A new generation of choreographers has declared itself. Gorsky continued to work at the Bolshoi Theater ( Swan Lake, 1920;Stenka Razin, 1918;Giselle, 1922;Forever living flowers B. Asafiev, 1922). K.Ya. Goleizovsky, who created the Moscow Chamber Ballet, began his experiments ( Faun C. Debussy, 1922). In 1925 he staged a ballet at the Bolshoi Theater Joseph the Beautiful S. N. Vasilenko in the avant-garde costumes of B. R. Erdman.
Troupe in Petrograd Mariinsky Theater headed by F.V. Lopukhov. He staged a dance symphony The greatness of the universe to the music of Beethoven (1922), an allegorical revolutionary ballet red swirl V.M. Deshevy (1924), ballets by Stravinsky Pulcinella (1926), A story about a Fox, a Rooster, a Cat and a Sheep (1927), Nutcracker Tchaikovsky in the constructivist scenery of V.V. Dmitriev (1929). Lopukhov was an outstanding experimenter and boldly introduced new vocabulary: elements of acrobatics and sports, folk rituals and games. He introduced the upper support of the ballerina on one arm into the male dance. This element has become one of the hallmarks of the Soviet style in ballet.
In democratic Moscow, under the influence of modern Duncan dance, numerous studios of free plastic and rhythmic-plastic dance of L.I. Lukin, V.V. Maya, I.S. Chernetskaya, N.S. Gremina and N.N. Rakhmanov, L.N. AT « Mastfore" by N. Foregger experimented with "machine dances", the studios "Geptakhor", "Young Ballet" by G. M. Balanchivadze (Balanchine) worked in Petrograd. A choreological laboratory was created at the State Academy of Artistic Sciences (GAKhN), which dealt with the theoretical problems of free dance.
A.N. Ermolaev, V.M. Chabukiani, A.F. Messerer became famous in male dance . In women's dance, M.T. Semenova, O.V. Lepeshinskaya, T.M. Vecheslova (1910–1991), N.M. Dudinskaya were in the lead. G.S. Ulanova, K.M. .Sergeev, M.M. Gabovich (1905–1965).
Since 1932, the style of socialist realism has become the only one possible in all forms of art. A multi-act plot performance returned to the ballet ( Red poppy R.M. Glier directed by V.D. Tikhomirov and L.A. Lashchilin, 1927). The Bolshoi Theater became the first ballet theater in the country, the personification of the Soviet ballet style (heroic, cantilever, emotional dance). The Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater (since 1935 named after S.M. Kirov) preserved the academic traditions of classical ballet. The demand for realism in ballet, the tendency towards literary centrism led in the 1930s to the revival of choreodrama or drama ballet, where psychologized or danced pantomime dominated dance. The Soviet choreodrama of the 1930s–1940s is a plot performance with a predominance of characteristic dance, distinguished by staged splendor. Everything that goes beyond realism is declared formalism ( Light stream Lopukhov-Shostakovich, 1935). Choreographers V. I. Vainonen, R. V. Zakharov, L. M. Lavrovsky worked in the genre of drama ballet. The most famous ballets Bakhchisarai fountain, 1934; Lost Illusions, 1935; Bronze Horseman, 1949 directed by Zakharov (the apotheosis of the style was the flood scene when the stage of the Bolshoi turned into a lake); Prisoner of the Caucasus, 1938; Romeo and Juliet, 1940; Cinderella, 1949 S. Prokofiev directed by Lavrovsky; Flames of Paris, 1932 Vainonen; Laurencia, 1939 Chabukiani. Dramballet choreographers abandoned large classical ensembles. Composers-symphonists worked in the field of choreodrama: B. Asafiev, R. Glier, A. Crane, A. Khachaturian. In connection with the increasing role of pantomime, in the 1930s a new school of performance took shape, which is characterized by acting talent, psychological depth, which reached its apogee in Ulanova's work.
In the 1930s–1940s, new ballet theaters arose: the troupe of the Musical Theater named after K.S. Stanislavsky and V.I. Maly Opera Theater (MALEGOT) in Leningrad. New choreographers appeared N.S. Kholfin (1903–1979), V.P. Burmeister (1904–1971), Moscow, B.A. Fenster (1916–1960), Leningrad. An outstanding choreographer was Burmeister, who worked in 1941-1960, 1963-1970 in the Moscow musical theater of Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko ( Tatyana BUT . Kreina, 1947; Beach of happiness A. Spadavecchia, 1948; original edition swan lake, 1953; Esmeralda Puni, 1950; Straussian, 1941; Snow Maiden Tchaikovsky, 1963). Fenster's element was comedic ballet and ballet for children ( The imaginary groom and youth M.I. Chulaki; 1949 Dr. Aibolit, I. Morozova, 1948, MALEGOTH). A new galaxy of dancers appeared V.T.Bovt (1927–1995), M.M. –1998) and others.
Since the 1920s, musical theaters have also been operating in Sverdlovsk, Perm, Saratov, Gorky, Kuibyshev, as well as in the capitals of the Union republics. Since the mid-1950s, ballet schools have emerged at the Perm and Sverdlovsk theaters.
By the early 1950s, there was a need for ballet reforms. In 1956, the first foreign tour of the Bolshoi Ballet Company in London took place, which was a huge success, but at the same time revealed that Soviet choreography lagged behind Western choreography.
The Leningrad choreographers were the first to embark on the path of reforms: Yu.N. Grigorovich ( Stone Flower S.S. Prokofiev, 1957; The legend of love A. Melikov, 1961 in GATOB them. Kirov), I.D. Belsky (b. 1925) staged ballets Shore of Hope A.P. Petrova, 1959; Leningrad Symphony D.D. Shostakovich, 1961; The Little Humpbacked Horse R.K. Shchedrin, 1963), L.V. Yakobson in 1969 created the ensemble "Choreographic Miniatures". They returned danceability to ballet, enriched the vocabulary of dance with acrobatic elements, revived mass dance, previously forgotten genres of one-act, symphonic ballet, and expanded the themes of ballets.
F. Lopukhov and K. Goleizovsky returned to creativity. O.M. Vinogradov (b. 1937) worked in the new aesthetics ( Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, 1964–1965; Assel V.A.Vlasova, 1967, Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre; Goryanka music by M.M. Kazhlaev, 1968; Yaroslavna music by B.I.Tishchenko, 1974, MALEGOT), N.D.Kasatkina (b. 1934) and V.Yu.Vasilev (b. 1934), who created the Moscow Classical Ballet Ensemble in 1977, since 1992 - “ State theater classical ballet" ( Gayane Khachaturian, 1977; world creation Petrova, 1978; Romeo and Juliet Prokofieva, 1998, etc.); G.D. Aleksidze (b. 1941), developing the genre of dance symphonies ( orestea, 1968; Scythian suite Prokofiev, 1969; Theme with variations Brahms; Concerto in F major Vivaldi; in 1966-1968 for the Leningrad Chamber Ballet Theater in 1966-1967 he created ballet programs Aphorisms to the music Shostakovich; Metamorphoses Britten, then revived the ballet Rameau Gallant India; Pulcinella Stravinsky and Prodigal son Prokofiev, both - 1978); B.Ya. Eifman (b. 1946), experimented at the Kirov and Maly Opera Theaters ( Firebird Stravinsky, 1975, Moron to the music Symphony 6 by Tchaikovsky, 1980; The Master and Margarita Petrova, 1987; in 1977 he created the Petersburg Ballet Theatre. Leningrad choreographer D.A. Bryantsev (b. 1947), who began his career at the Kirov Theater, in 1985 headed the ballet troupe of the Musical Theater. Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko ( An optimistic tragedy M. Bronner, 1985; Corsair Adana, 1989; Othello A. Machavariani, 1991). In 1966, in Moscow, I.A. Moiseev organized the "Young Ballet" (since 1971 - "Classical Ballet"), the first choreographic concert ensemble in the USSR.
The leader of the new wave was Grigorovich, the master of dance metaphor in the subject ballet. With his arrival at the Bolshoi Theater in 1964, the theater experienced a take-off, the peak of which was his productions: Nutcracker, 1966 and Spartacus Khachaturian, 1968. For the Bolshoi Theater he composed the original version swan lake(1968), multiple editions sleeping beauty, (1963, 1973), in 1975 staged a ballet Ivan the Terrible, in 1979 – Romeo and Juliet both on music . Prokofiev, Angara A.Eshpay, in 1982 - Golden age Shostakovich. In the ballets of Grigorovich, the duets of N.I. Bessmertnov - L.M. Lavrovsky (b. 1941), E.S. Maksimova - V.V. Vasilyev became famous, the talent of M.E. Sorokina (b. 1942), N.V. Timofeeva (b. 1935). However, by the beginning of the 1980s, new performances by Grigorovich appeared less and less, while ballets by other directors (Plisetskaya, Kasatkina and Vasilev, Vasilyev, Vinogradov, A. Alonso ) made their way to the stage with difficulty. In fact, the Bolshoi Theater was in crisis due to the monopoly of one choreographer, while all the ballet theaters in the country were equal to the Bolshoi. Innovative techniques, having become immutable canons, have become a cliché. If foreign choreography did not penetrate into the Bolshoi Theater, then the Kirov Theater, with O. Vinogradov coming to the leadership (1977), became more open to world trends. Under him, ballets by Balanchine, Robbins and Tudor, Macmillan, Neumeier, Bournonville appeared in the repertoire, an Evening of ancient choreography by P. Lacotte was held from previously unknown fragments of ballets by Perro, Taglioni, Saint-Leon, Petipa.
In 1960–1970, a new wave of talented dancers appeared: Yu.V.Vladimirov (b. 1942), M.V. born 1961), I.A. Kolpakova (b. 1933), N.A. Dolgushin (b. 1938), A.E. Osipenko (b. 1932), F.S. Ruzimatov (b. 1963) , A.I. Sizova (b. 1939), Yu.V. Soloviev (1940–1977). M. Plisetskaya continued to work. For her, A. Alonso created Carmen Suite, R. Petit - The death of the rose Mahler, Béjart Isadora and Bolero. As a choreographer, she staged R. Shchedrin's ballets: Anna Karenina, 1972; Gull, 1980;Lady with a dog, 1984. V. Vasiliev performed as a choreographer: Anyuta, V. Gavrilina, 1986; Romeo and Juliet, 1990; Macbeth K. Molchanova, 1980; Giselle, Swan Lake, 1999.
A new generation of composers appeared: R.K. Shchedrin, Petrov, M.M. Kazhlaev, N.N.N.N. Karetnikov, K.S. Khachaturian, A.B. .Bronner, Eshpai. Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Ural region (Perm, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk) occupy a leading place in the geography of ballet. A strong ballet school has developed in Perm. A graduate of the Perm Choreographic School N.V. Pavlova (b. 1956) in 1973, who received the Grand Prix of the Moscow Ballet Competition, became one of the leading lyrical ballerinas of the Bolshoi Theater, in the post-Soviet period, original modern dance troupes appeared in Perm and Chelyabinsk.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the ensuing economic crisis brought enormous hardships to the ballet companies, which until then had been generously subsidized by the state. Many dancers and teachers left the country to settle in the USA, England, Germany and other Western countries.
With the end of the era of Grigorovich in 1995, the Bolshoi Theater experienced a crisis associated with the ill-conceived personnel and economic policy of the theater. Russian ballet has skipped several generations of the evolution of European choreography and is currently experiencing a shortage of dance ideas. At the same time, the level of the performing school has been preserved. There were bright personalities like N.G.Ananiashvili, M.A.Aleksandrova, A.A.Antonicheva, D.V.Belogolovtsev, A.Yu.Bogatyrev, A.N.Vetrova, N.A.Gracheva, D.K. .Gudanov, S.Yu.Zakharova, Yu.V.Klevtsov, Ilze and Maris Liepa, N.M.Tsiskaridze (Bolshoi Theatre); D.V. Vishnevaya, U.V. Lopatkina, I.A. Nioradze (Mariinsky Theatre); M.S.Drozdova, N.V.Ledovskaya, T.A.Chernobrovkina, V.Kirillov, A.Domashev, G.Smilevsky, V.Dik (musical theater named after Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko).
After 1991, Russian ballet began to master the experience of Western ballet in the field of modern, jazz, and free plastique. The Bolshoi Theater is actively staging ballets by Western choreographers ( sylph edited by E-M. von Rosen, Denmark, 1994; Symphony in C major,Agon,mozartiana Balanchine, 1998–1999; Queen of Spades to the music of Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony, Passacaglia Webern, 1998; Cathedral of Notre Dame Petit, 2003; Pharaoh's daughter Lakotta, 2000; A futile precaution F. Ashton, 2002; A dream in a summer night Neumeier, 2004). Even earlier, the Mariinsky Theater turned to Balanchine's ballets. For staging a ballet Prodigal son S. Prokofiev Theater received the award " golden mask”in 2003. In the same year, for the first time, the theater showed three famous Forsyth ballets: steptext to the music of Bach A dizzying rapture of precision to the music of Schubert and Where golden cherries hang to music by T. Willems and L. Stuk. Popular reconstructions of old productions: sleeping Beauty Tchaikovsky, bayadère Minkus, 1991 in the Bolshoi Theater, Swan Lake at the Mariinsky Coppelia L. Delibes in Novosibirsk, A. M. Liepa's experience in restoring Fokine's ballets, 1999 ( Parsley, scene Polovtsian dances,Scheherazade). On the other hand, Russian and Soviet classics are not only restored, but are subjected to modernized interpretations ( Don Quixote edited by Fadeechev, 1999, Light stream and Bolt Shostakovich in the edition of A. Ratmansky, respectively, 2003 and 2005, Romeo and Juliet R. Poliktaru, 2004, all - Bolshoi Theater, Nutcracker K.A.Simonova, 2002, (director and ballet designer M.M.Shemyakin), Cinderella Ratmansky, 2003, both - Mariinsky Theatre, Romeo and Juliet, 1997 and Nutcracker, 2000, at the Perm Theater "E. Panfilov's Ballet".
The practice of work of dancers and choreographers abroad was legalized. Many dancers have made international careers (I. Mukhamedov, A. Asylmuratova, Ananiashvili, D. Vishneva, Malakhov, V. Derevianko, A. V. Fedotov, Yu. M. Posokhov, I. A. Zelensky, Ratmansky). V. Malakhov, a graduate of the Moscow Academy of Choreography, laureate of ballet competitions, was named the best dancer in the world in 1997, works simultaneously in several foreign ballet companies, since 2002 he has been director of the Berlin Staatstheater Unter den Linden, and realizes himself as a choreographer. D. Bryantsev continues to work ( The Taming of the Shrew M. Bronner, 1996; one-act ballets Bravo,Figaro 1985; Scythians and cowboys D. Gershvin, 1988; The lonely voice of a man Vivaldi, N. Paganini and O. Kitaro, 1990; ghost ball F. Chopin, 1995; Bible legends, Shulamith V. Besedina and Salome P. Gabriel, 1997–1998, lady with camellias Verdi, 2001), since 1994 Bryantsev has simultaneously worked as the chief choreographer of the St. Petersburg troupe Chamber Ballet; The Petersburg Ballet Theater of B.Ya.Eifman acquired the status of a state academic ( Russian Hamlet Beethoven-Mahler, 1999; Requiem Mozart 1998; Karamazov, 1995 to music by Rachmaninov, Wagner, Mussorgsky and gypsy songs, Tchaikovsky, 1995 ("Golden Mask"), Teresa Raken Bach-Schnittke, Don Quixote by Minkus,Red Giselle to the music Tchaikovsky, My Jerusalem, 1998, musical Who is who, 2004.
One of the leading choreographers in Russia was Ratmansky (b. 1968), whom Ananiashvili "discovered" when he was a dancer at the Royal Danish Ballet. He composed ballets for her: Charms of Mannerism to the music of R. Strauss and Dreams about Japan received the Golden Mask. Currently, while continuing to live in Denmark, he works as the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater Ballet ( Light stream Shostakovich, 2002). Staged at the Mariinsky Theater Cinderella, in the Fadeyechev Dance Theater - L. Bernstein's ballet Lea("Golden Mask" -2003). Ananiashvili herself headed her own entreprise, in 2004 she became the artistic director of the Georgian National Ballet and director of the Tbilisi Choreographic School. V. Chabukiani. Moldavian choreographer Radu Poliktaru, who graduated from the Minsk Choreographic School and received the first prize at the competition of ballet dancers named after. Serge Lifar in Kyiv, 2003, staged a postmodern version at the Bolshoi Theater Romeo and Juliet Prokofiev (2004).
Independent private troupes and schools of various directions appeared: the “Dance Theater” under the direction of Fadeyechev (another name is “The Ballet Theater of A. Ratmansky”), the “Imperial Ballet” of G. Taranda, a number of postmodern dance theaters (E.A. Panfilova, G.M. Abramova, A.Yu. Pepelyaeva). The first private ballet theater was the E.Panfilov Experiment Theater in Perm (1987), in 2000 it received the status of a state and modern name: E.Panfilov's Perm Theatre. Panfilov (1956–2002) created an original style, combining classical, modern, jazz, and folklore. He staged 49 ballets and 70 miniatures ( Run to the music A.G. Schnittke, 1988; Mistral to the music of K. Orff, 1993; Man in black, woman in green, to the music Tchaikovsky, 1994; Dead island to the music Rachmaninov, 1991; Fantasies in black and fiery color to the music I.V. Mashukov, Enigma and M. Ravel groups, 1991; Vision of a rose Weber, 1994; Cage for parrots to ballet music Carmen Bizet-Shchedrin, Romeo and Juliet, Prokofiev, 1996; Vision of a rose Weber, Cage for parrots to the music of Bizet's opera Carmen, Habakkuk ... Mystery Dance music by V. Martynov, 1998; Various trams, 2001, Blockade to the music of the blockade symphony by D. Shostakovich, 2003). The Panfilov Theater was a completely original performance, he composed not only the choreography, but also the decoration, costumes, and lighting. In addition to the main troupe, a number of auxiliary ones have been created at the theater, consisting not only of professional dancers (“Tolstoy Ballet”, since 1994, “Fight Club”, since 2000, “Belle corps de ballet”, since 2004). For a performance about the war women, year 1945, performed by the Tolstoy Ballet, the theater was awarded the Golden Mask award in the Best Innovation nomination -2000. Panfilov, who died early, a daring experimenter, was called the second Diaghilev and the choreographer of the 21st century. Since 2002, the artistic director of the theater is S.A. Raynik, one of the leading dancers of the troupe.
From other contemporary dance theaters (Contemporary Dance) - twice winner of the Golden Mask award "Theatre of Contemporary Dance" under the direction of V. and O. Pona, (Chelyabinsk, since 1992; Movie mania or is there life on Mars, 2001; Does the Queen of England know, 2004), laureate of the international dance competition in Paris, group "Provincial Dances" under the direction of T. Baganova, (Yekaterinburg, since 1990, wedding Stravinsky, 1999), Moscow Theater "Class of Experimental Plastics" by G. Abramov, choreographer of the theater A. A. Vasiliev, since 1990, "A. Kukin's Dance Theater" , since 1991, the group "Nota bene" by V. Arkhipov, choreographer of the theater "Satyricon", since 1999. One of the most intellectual dance theaters in Russia - the Moscow group "PO.V.S. Dances" (ballet on the floor body leaves to electronic music, 2003).
CLASSICAL DANCE TECHNIQUE
In classical dance, five positions of the legs are adopted, performed in such a way that the legs are, as it were, turned outward (hence the term "eversion"). This is not about turning only the feet with toes in different directions, the whole leg should be turned starting from the hip joint. Since this is possible only with sufficient flexibility, the dancer must practice daily and for a long time in order to learn to effortlessly assume the required position.
Why do you need retraction.
Firstly, eversion allows you to easily and gracefully perform all lateral movements. The dancer can then move from side to side, remaining facing the viewer. Secondly, when the necessary eversion is developed, the legs move more easily, it is possible to lift the leg into the air much higher without disturbing the balance of the body. When the leg is extended in an eversion position, the hips remain at the same, horizontal level. If the dancer does not have eversion, then he has to raise one hip to give the leg the opportunity to move up, and in this case the balance is disturbed. Thus, eversion gives maximum freedom of movement with maximum balance. Thirdly, due to the eversion, the lines of the body and the general appearance of the dancer become more attractive.
Positions of classical dance.
First position: Feet touching with heels and turned toes outward, forming a straight line on the floor.
Second position similar to the first, but the heels of the eversion legs are separated from one another by the length of the foot (i.e., approximately 33 cm).
third position: the feet are adjacent to one another in such a way that the heel of one foot is in contact with the middle of the other foot (i.e. one foot half covers the other). This position is now rarely used.
fourth position: Turning feet stand parallel to each other at a distance of approximately one foot (33 cm). The heel of one foot should be directly in front of the toe of the other; so the weight is evenly distributed.
Fifth position similar to the fourth with the difference that the feet fit snugly one to the other.
All pas of classical dance are derived from these positions. Initially, the positions are performed with both feet on the floor and with straight knees. Then various options arise: you can bend one or both knees (pliés), tear off one or both heels (when standing on your toes), lift one leg into the air (the knee can be straight or bent), take it off the ground, taking one of the positions in air.
Conclusion.
By the end of the 20th century the problems facing the art of ballet became more and more clear. In the 1980s, when Balanchine, Ashton and Tudor died (in the 1980s), and Robbins retired from active work, a creative vacuum arose. Most of the young choreographers working at the end of the 20th century were not very interested in developing the resources of classical dance. They preferred a mixture of different dance systems, with classical dance appearing depleted, and modern dance lacking originality in revealing bodily capabilities. In an effort to convey what constitutes a being modern life, choreographers use the finger technique as if to emphasize thoughts, but ignore the traditional hand movements (port de bras). The art of support has been reduced to a kind of interaction between partners, when a woman is dragged across the floor, thrown, circled, but almost never supported or danced with her.
Most troupes build their repertoire to include the classics of the 19th century. ( sylph, Giselle, Swan Lake, sleeping Beauty), the most famous ballet masters of the 20th century. (Fokine, Balanchine, Robbins, Tudor and Ashton), popular productions by Macmillan, Cranko, Tetley and Kilian and the work of a new generation of choreographers such as Forsyth, Duato, Koudelki. At the same time, the dancers receive better training, as there are more knowledgeable teachers. The relatively new field of dance medicine has given dancers access to techniques to prevent injury.
There is a problem of introducing dancers to music. Widespread popular music does not know the diversity of styles, in many countries teaching musical literacy is at a low level, phonograms are constantly used when staging dances - all this hinders the development of musicality among dancers.
new phenomenon recent decades ballet competitions began, the first of which was held in Varna (Bulgaria) in 1964. They attract not only prizes, but also the opportunity to show themselves to judges representing the most prestigious organizations. Gradually there were more competitions, at least ten in different countries; some offer scholarships instead of money. In connection with the need for choreographers, competitions for choreographers also arose.
The most famous ballet competitions: Moscow International, Benois de la Dance, Grand Pas, European Festival of Contemporary Dance EDF, (Moscow); Maya, Vaganova prix, Mariinsky, Stars of the White Nights, Exercise Modern (Petersburg), Serge Lifar Ballet Masters Competition in Kyiv. International competitions ballets are also held in Varna (Bulgaria), Paris (France), Lausanne (Switzerland), Osaka (Japan), Rieti (Italy), Jackson (USA). Numerous contemporary dance competitions cause great public outcry (Biennale of Contemporary Dance, Lyon, Pina Bausch Festival of Contemporary Dance (Wuppertal).
Elena Yaroshevich
Literature:
Krasovskaya V. , part 1. Choreographers. L., 1970
Krasovskaya V. Russian ballet theater of the early twentieth century, part 2. Dancers. L., 1972
Karp P. About ballet. M., 1974
Gaevsky V. Divertissement. The fate of classical ballet. M., 1981
Krasovskaya V. Western European ballet theater from its origins to the middle of the 18th century. L., 1983
Krasovskaya V. Western European Ballet Theatre. Noverre era. L., 1983
Krasovskaya V. Western European Ballet Theatre. pre-romanticism. L., 1983
Krasovskaya V. Western European Ballet Theatre. Romanticism. L., 1996
Solway D. Rudolf Nureyev on stage and in life. M., 2000
Ballet is the art of spiritualized plasticity, thought embodied in movement, life shown by means of choreography.
The history of ballet begins in the Renaissance (XV-XVI century) in Italy. It grew out of the solemn performances that were staged for the aristocrats by their servants: musicians and dancers at court. At that time, the ballet was like an inexperienced young man of eighteen: clumsy, but with fire in his eyes. It developed extremely quickly. Like the same young man who was first allowed into the workshop and called an apprentice.
At that time, the ballet fashion was completely different: the costumes corresponded to the time, tutus and pointe shoes simply did not exist, and the audience had the opportunity to participate in it by the end of the performance.
Catherine de Medici becomes a significant figure in the history of the development of ballet. From Italy, she brings this art to France, arranges spectaculi for invited guests. For example, ambassadors from Poland were able to see a grandiose production called Le Ballet des Polonais.
It is believed that the masterpiece Ballet Comique de la Reine was truly close to modern ballet, which kept the audience in suspense for more than five hours. It was placed in 1581.
The 17th century is a new stage in the development of ballet. Separated from simple dance, it turned into an independent art, which was passionately supported by Louis XIV. For him, Mazarin ordered a choreographer from Italy who staged ballets with the participation of the king.
In 1661, Louis created the First Academy of Dances, which taught ballet. The first choreographer of Louis XIV, M. Lully, took the reins of the first ballet school into his own hands. Under his leadership, the Academy of Dances improved and set the tone for the entire ballet world. He did his best to turn ballet from a young and inexperienced youth with fire in his eyes into a stately handsome man who is known and respected everywhere. In 1672, with his support, a dance academy was founded, which to this day is known to the whole world as the Paris Opera Ballet. Another court choreographer of Louis XIV, Pierre Beauchamp, worked on the terminology of the dance.
1681 was another significant year in the history of ballet. For the first time, girls participated in the production of Mr. Lully. 4 beauties burst into the world of dance and paved the way for the rest. From this memorable moment, girls began to be involved in the ballet. 
In the 18th century, ballet continued to win the hearts of fine dance lovers around the world. A huge number of productions, new forms of expressing one's "I" on stage, fame is far from being in narrow court circles. The art of ballet also came to Russia.
In 1783, Catherine II created the Imperial Opera and Ballet Theater in St. Petersburg and the Bolshoi Kamenny Theater in Moscow, and the Imperial Ballet School was opened in St. Petersburg.
The closer the middle of the century was, the brighter the art of ballet became. Europe was fascinated by him, most high-ranking persons were interested in ballet. Ballet schools opened everywhere. Ballet fashion also developed. The girls took off their masks, the styles of their clothes changed. Now the dancers dressed in light clothes, allowing them to perform previously impossible pas.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the theory of ballet was actively developing. In 1820, Carlo Blasis wrote "An Elementary Treatise on the Theory and Practice of the Art of Dance". The transition from quantity to quality begins, more and more attention is paid to details.
And most importantly, what the beginning of the 19th century brings to ballet is dancing at the fingertips. Innovation was perceived with a bang and picked up by most of the choreographers.
In general, these hundred years have given a lot to ballet art. Ballet has turned into an unusually light and airy dance, like a summer wind, which is born in the rays of rising sun. Theory and practice moved hand in hand: many scientific works were published, which are still used in teaching ballet.
The twentieth century passed under the sign of the Russian ballet. In Europe and America, by the beginning of the century, interest in ballet was fading, but after the arrival of masters from Russia, love for ballet art flared up there again. Russian actors organized long tours, giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy their skills.
The revolution of 1917 could not prevent the development of ballet. By the way, the ballet tutu familiar to us appeared around the same time, and the performances became deeper.
In the 20th century, ballet is an art not only for aristocrats and noble houses. The ballet becomes the property of the general public.
In our time, ballet remains the same magical art in which, with the help of dance, they can tell about all human emotions. It continues to develop and grow, changing with the world and without losing its relevance.
Ballet is a kind of art in which the creator's idea is embodied by means of choreography. A ballet performance has a plot, theme, idea, dramatic content, libretto. Only in rare cases do plotless ballets take place. In the rest, by choreographic means, the dancers must convey the feelings of the characters, the plot, the action.
A ballet dancer is an actor who, with the help of dance, conveys the relationship of the characters, their communication with each other, the essence of what is happening on the stage.
From "Giselle" to "Spartacus". Ballets are a must see.
"Giselle"
History: the premiere of the ballet took place on June 28, 1841 in Paris. The Russian public saw the production within the walls of the Bolshoi Theater only two years later. Since then, Giselle has never left the Russian stage for a long time. In the image main character dancers of the first magnitude shone: Pavlova, Spesivtseva, Ulanova, Bessmertnova, Maksimova and others.
Plot: A story of first love and brutal betrayal. Disguised as a peasant, nobleman Albert seduces an unsuspecting village girl. But the deception is quickly revealed. When Giselle learns that her lover already has a bride from high society, she goes crazy and dies.
At night, Albert comes to the girl's grave, where he almost dies at the hands of the jeeps - brides who died before the wedding. Rescues young man It's Giselle.
"Swan Lake"
History: the ballet to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky did not immediately fall in love with the public. The debut ended in complete failure. The audience appreciated "Swan Lake" only after its original choreography was edited by choreographers Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa. The new version of the production was shown to the public in 1895, on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. In Soviet times, it was "Swan Lake" that became the hallmark of the country. The ballet was shown to all high-ranking guests who visited Moscow.
Plot: The production is based on the legend of Princess Odette, who is turned into a swan by the evil sorcerer Rothbart. The one who sincerely loves her and takes an oath of allegiance can save the girl. Prince Siegfried makes such a promise, but breaks it during the ball, when Odile appears on it, like two drops of water similar to Odette. For the swan girl, this means only one thing - she will never be able to return to her former life.
"Romeo and Juliet"
History: The music for the world-famous ballet was written by Sergei Prokofiev back in 1935, but the audience saw the production itself three years later, and not in Moscow or Leningrad, but in the Czech Republic, in the city of Brno. Shakespeare's tragedy was shown in the Soviet Union only in 1940. The legendary Ulanova then shone in the title role. By the way, the dancer (like many others) did not understand the music of the maestro. After the premiere, she made a playful toast: "There is no sadder story in the world than Prokofiev's music in ballet."
Plot: the ballet completely and completely coincides with Shakespeare's interpretation - lovers from warring families get married in secret from their relatives, but die by a tragic accident.
"La Bayadère"
History: La Bayadère is one of the most famous ballets of the Russian imperial stage. The production was first presented to the general public in 1877, on the stage of the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theater. And in 1904, choreographer Alexander Gorsky moved her to the capital. Over time, "La Bayadère" was subjected to numerous alterations, only the scene of "Shadow" performed by the corps de ballet remained unchanged. She is rightfully considered a real decoration of the entire production and a real achievement of choreographer Petipa.
Plot: Love breaks out between Solor and the bayadère (dancer) Nikiya. However, the girl likes not only her chosen one, but also the Great Brahmin, who, having received the refusal of the beauty, decides to take revenge on her. Raja Dugmanta also wants the death of the bayadère, because he dreams of marrying his daughter to Solor. As a result of the conspiracy, the girl dies from a snake bite, which her enemies hide in a bouquet.
The strongest part of "La Bayadère" is the "Shadow" scene. When Solor falls asleep, he sees incredible picture: a dance of shadows descends in a long line along the gorge among the Himalayas dead souls, among them is Nikiya, who calls him to her.
"Spartacus"
History: the premiere of the ballet took place on December 27, 1956 in St. Petersburg, and in 1958 - in Moscow. Perhaps the most famous performers of the main male parts in Soviet period you can name Vladimir Vasiliev and Maris Liepa. Various historical materials and fiction served as the basis for the script.
Plot: In this ballet love line fades into the background against the background of the confrontation between the two main characters Spartacus and Crassus.
Spartacus raises an uprising among the gladiators, he manages to win, but Crassus does not want to give up and begins a new campaign against his enemy. This time luck is on his side. Spartacus fights to the last, but dies in an unequal battle: most of his allies simply chickened out and refused to repulse the enemy.
The most beautiful of all arts, ballet tells stories of love and death in a language understandable to all people on Earth. Enduring values, repeated crimes and miracles of faith, oath and duty find their expression in dances. “In the beginning there was the Word,” the Bible says, but Maya Plisetskaya objects: “In the beginning there was a gesture!” The art of silent movement does not require human language and translation. The beauty of the body in motion, the body as a tool for creating art, now themselves serve as "plots" for plotless dances. Ballet is impossible without the technique of classical dance, without the nature of the body, without sacrifice and unconditional love, without sweat and blood. And yet ballet is a perfect movement that makes you forget about everything petty and earthly.
A Brief History of Russian Ballet.
The first ballet performance in Russia took place on Shrovetide February 17, 1672 at the court of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Preobrazhensky. Before the start of the performance, an actor portraying Orpheus came on stage and sang German couplets, translated to the tsar by an interpreter, in which the beautiful properties of the soul of Alexei Mikhailovich were extolled. At this time, on both sides of Orpheus, there were two pyramids decorated with banners and illuminated with multi-colored lights, which, after the song of Orpheus, began to dance. Under Peter I, dances appeared in Russia in modern meaning of this word: minuets, country dances, etc. were introduced. He issued a decree according to which dancing became the main part of court etiquette, and noble youth were obliged to learn dancing. In 1731, the Land Gentry Corps was opened in St. Petersburg, which was destined to become the cradle of Russian ballet. Since the graduates of the corps in the future had to hold high government positions and needed knowledge of secular manners, a significant place was given to the study of fine arts, including ballroom dancing, in the corps. On May 4, 1738, the French dance master Jean-Baptiste Lande opened the first ballet dance school in Russia - "Her Imperial Majesty's Dance School" (now the Academy of Russian Ballet named after A. Ya. Vaganova).
In specially equipped rooms of the Winter Palace, Lande began training 12 Russian boys and girls. Pupils were recruited from children of simple origin. Education at the school was free, the pupils were fully supported. Ballet in Russia was further developed during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna. Among the cadets of the Land Corps, Nikita Beketov excelled in dancing. Moreover, Beketov, who later became Elizabeth's favorite, enjoyed the special favor of the Empress, who herself dressed the young man, who perfectly performed female roles. In 1742, the first ballet troupe was created from the students of the Lande school, and in 1743, fees began to be paid to its participants. On August 1, 1759, on the empress's name day and on the occasion of the victory over the Prussian troops at Frankfurt, the ballet-drama "Refuge of Virtue" was solemnly staged, which was a huge success.
During the reign of Catherine II, ballet in Russia gained even greater popularity and was further developed. On the occasion of her coronation in the Moscow Palace, a magnificent ballet "Joyful Return to the Arcadian Shepherds and Shepherds of the Goddess of Spring" was given, in which the noblest nobles participated. It is known that the heir to the throne, Pavel Petrovich, often danced in ballet performances in the court theater. From the era of Catherine II, a tradition of serf ballets appeared in Russia, when landlords started troupes made up of serfs. Of these ballets, the ballet of the landowner Nashchokin enjoyed the greatest fame.
In 1766, the choreographer and composer Gasparo Angiolini, discharged from Vienna, adds a Russian flavor to ballet performances - he introduces Russian melodies into the musical accompaniment of ballet performances, which surprised everyone and gained universal praise for himself. At the beginning of the reign of Paul I, ballet was still in vogue. Interestingly, under Paul I, special rules for ballet were issued - it was ordered that there should not be a single man on the stage during the performance, the roles of men were danced by Evgenia Kolosova and Nastasya Berilova.
This continued until Auguste Poirot arrived in St. Petersburg. During the reign of Alexander I, Russian ballet continued its development, reaching new heights. Russian ballet owes its success at this time, first of all, to the invited French choreographer Carl Didelot, who arrived in Russia in 1801. Under his leadership, such dancers and dancers as Maria Danilova, Evdokia Istomina began to shine in Russian ballet. At this time, ballet in Russia reached unprecedented popularity. Derzhavin, Pushkin and Griboedov sang the ballets of Didelot and his students Istomin and Teleshova. The emperor loved ballet performances and almost never missed a single one. In 1831, Didelot left the St. Petersburg stage due to a conflict with the director of theaters, Prince Gagarin. Soon a star began to shine on the Petersburg stage European ballet Maria Taglioni.
She made her debut on September 6, 1837 in the ballet La Sylphide and aroused the delight of the public. Such lightness, such chaste grace, such extraordinary technique and facial expressions have never been shown by any of the dancers. In 1841, she said goodbye to St. Petersburg, having danced more than 200 times during this time.
In 1848, Taglioni's rival Fanny Elsler, famous for her grace and facial expressions, arrived in St. Petersburg. Following her, Carlotta Grisi visited St. Petersburg, who made her debut in 1851 in Giselle and was a great success, showing herself to be a first-class dancer and an excellent mimic actress. At this time, choreographers Marius Petipa, Joseph Mazilier and others consistently staged luxurious ballets and, by attracting talented artists, tried to put forward ballet performances, which were beginning to cool off thanks to Italian opera. Among the ballet critics of that time was Vissarion Belinsky, noted for articles about Taglioni, Guerino and Sankovskaya. In the reign of Alexander II in Russian ballet, the promotion of domestic talents begins. A number of talented Russian dancers and dancers graced the ballet stage. Although great savings were observed in ballet performances, the experience of Mariyca Petipa made it possible to stage elegant ballet performances at low financial costs, the success of which was greatly facilitated by the excellent scenery of the artists. During this period of development of Russian ballet, dances take precedence over plasticity and facial expressions.
During the reign of Alexander III, ballets were given at the Mariinsky Theater twice a week - on Wednesdays and Sundays. The choreographer was still Marius Petipa. At that time, foreign ballerinas were touring in St. Petersburg, among them Carlotta Brianza, who was the first to perform the role of Aurora in the ballet The Sleeping Beauty by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The leading dancers were Vasily Geltser and Nikolai Domashev. In the XX century - A. V. Shiryaev, 1904 A. A. Gorsky, 1906 Mikhail Fokin, 1909. At the beginning of the XX century, the guardians of academic traditions were artists: Olga Preobrazhenskaya, Matilda Kshesinskaya, Vera Trefilova, Yu. N. Sedova, Agrippina Vaganova , Olga Spesivtseva. In search of new forms, Mikhail Fokin relied on contemporary fine art.
Anna Pavlova. Invitation to the Dance aka Invitation to the Valse.
The favorite stage form of the choreographer was a one-act ballet with laconic continuous action, with a clearly expressed stylistic coloring. Mikhail Fokin owns the ballets: Pavilion of Armida, Chopiniana, Egyptian Nights, Carnival, 1910; "Petrushka", "Polovtsian Dances" in the opera "Prince Igor". Tamara Karsavina, Vaslav Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova became famous in Fokine's ballets. The first act of the ballet "Don Quixote", to the music of Ludwig Minkus, reached his contemporaries in the version of Alexander Gorsky.
Russian ballet of the twentieth century.
Galina Ulanova in the ballet "Giselle."
Pas de deux from the ballet "Swan Lake" by Tchaikovsky.
Russian ballet of the XXI century.
Pas de deux from the ballet "Le Corsaire" by Adana.
Pas de deux from Don Quixote by Minkus.
Pas de deux from the ballet "La Bayadère" by Minkus.
Adagio and pas de deux from the ballet "Giselle" by Adam.
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