What do you think about the evolution of ballet, particular 19th century ballet compared to modern ballet?
>>901647
I don't know much about it other than that Balanchine is the guy who's pinned as being totally responsible for the whole thing. I do know that ballerinas have very ambivalent opinions on whether or not the transition was an overall good for the art form. Most of the negatives seem to come from the new, rather extreme body types (and feet) required for professional ballet. This is just me making observations from the 2 (professional) ballerinas I've dated.
I'd be interested in seeing a thread with people more knowledgeable than I, but this is 4chan. Here's your reply for starting a thread on an interesting topic.
>>902753
I would say the transition can't necessarily be called bad or good. I do think the changes from late 19th century ballet/early 20th century to modern ballet includes losses and gains. We've pretty much lost these really fantastic terre à terre steps they used to do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAQs_rlyCKo (by the way I highly recommend all the Ballet Evolved videos, very very interesting look at the history and evolution of ballet) yet modern ballet dances can do far more fouettes/pirouettes/other turns than before because of the changes in shoes and different standards for ballet training. Modern dancers can also balance for longer period.
In modern ballet, legs are lifted higher and straighter and there is much more emphasis on achieving a specific aesthetic with the body--achieving a line or arc at a certain moment, and making sure every thing looks "clean," each step and jump measured to perfectionist. Modern ballet requires you to be an athlete, and also as you said, requires or expects a more extreme body type. Whereas in the past, the emphasis was more on those little details--their feet movements, leg movements, arm movements, all creating stories and drama and reactions. You had to have great strength in your feet and legs--more so because the shoes of yore provided almost no support--but it wasn't nearly as intensive, physically.
Compare this old pas de deux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YNpnbGmM5M or Ellen Price dancing La Sylphide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7xkcl0I6zA and you can get a better idea of it.
>>902961
(continued)
There's been a lot of buzz since last year because of Ratmansky's new production of The Sleeping Beauty, which is largely based on the original Petipa of 1890. Ratmansky painstakingly transcribed Petipa's original notations, adding some things where the notations were unclear and to add a bit of modern sensibility to certain pieces, but overall it's meant to evoke the feel of the late 19th century/early 20th century ballets, costumes and sets included.
Here's a short sample of a few dances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVQTJFPqvjE
Personally, I disagree with those that dislike modern ballet as a whole, merely because modern ballet can theoretically be anything. You can recreate the original 1890 Sleeping Beauty as meticulously as you want, or you can re envision Sleeping Beauty with vampires and gothic elements, or you can take the music scored for Sleeping Beauty and use it to tell the story of the fall of the Romanov family. Be free!
bump
>However, there was a serious planned assault on the opera's reception by members of the wealthy and aristocratic Jockey Club. Their custom was to arrive at the Opéra only in time for the Act II ballet, after previously dining, and, as often as not, to leave after the close of the ballet, some of whose dancers were romanced by members of the Jockey Club. They objected to the ballet coming in Act I, since this meant they would have to be present from the beginning of the opera.
Ballet is the cancer ruining /opera/
There was a ballet thread a while back with an ex ballerina guy taking questions, bumping in hope he sees this one.
Why did ballet change? Was it audience demand or dancers and choreographers wanting to be more avant garde?
>>902976
>There's been a lot of buzz since last year because of Ratmansky's new production of The Sleeping Beauty
It's funny that you mention that, because I'm literally going to that on Friday. Can you tell me more about the production, what to look for/appreciate?
>>904779
Wouldn't it be ballerino
>>904578
Opera and ballet have been performed together for a long-ass time, pretty much since the beginning of both of the forms. Opera has tended to be the less-loved of the two. But it's necessary to intertwine them. Movement in early opera was basically nonexistent, and as we've moved into more flashy productions, we've noticed that opera singers are very bad movers for two reasons:
1) they're trying to maintain proper singing technique, which limits how much and in what ways they can physically move
2) with all the training they do in all the areas involved in opera performance, they often don't develop the essential skills to move in a reasonable way, although exceptions exist, probably the most notable example in my mind being Graham Clark as Loge in the Barenboim Bayreuth ring, and as Bégearss in Corigliano's flop, The Ghosts of Versailles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u9gngS14qg
So, most operas do include a ballet element, because otherwise they end up with really awkward operatic singers clomping about or extremely minimal, very static movement that most find boring. There is a third, worse, option but instead of describing it to you I'll just link you a video of the result so you can see it in all its glory (warning: it involves A LOT of cirque du soleil rejects, man-operated cranes and Loge on a segway):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnQ8VCufs2Q
>>904931
I'm going Saturday! Small world.
I would definitely recommend going to the talk before the show! Usually the ballet talks will have several of the dancers as well as others involved in the production to give you a brief history, things to watch for, and other information that will help you through the show. The talk will be at 6:30 (or an hour before the performance, I'm not sure when Friday starts) just ask the ushers and they will direct you where to go.
These two articles do more in depth than I ever could about the show:
I recommend reading this article for sure: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/ratmanskys-beauty-wakes-up
It talks about how Ratmansky created this production, his work using the early notations, and talks more in-depth about how Ratmansky has reintroduced the mime/hand-talk into the show, which is almost completely eliminated from the modern productions--in its place are just random/pointless dances, whereas the original and Ratmansky version used hand-talk and mime to develop and show character.
This article is great as well, it goes into a bit more detail about specific things in the show such as the footwork: http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/sep/30/alexei-ratmansky-the-sleeping-beauty-la-scala
Also how lucky that you get to see Sarah Lane as Aurora! She was the dancer who did almost all the stunt work for the main role in Black Swan.
>>904931
By the way, assuming you live in the state, did you catch the 2016-2017 Dance Season announcement? I'm excited to see A Cinderella Story but it's more of a dance show than a ballet show, shame we aren't getting a grand production of a classic story as we have for the past 2 years.
>>907396
http://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/03/29/mot-46-season-opera/82385636/
Silent Night seems interesting. Have you ever seen the BalletMet Columbus Nutcracker? Families seem to love it but once was enough for me.
>just stuff for inexpensive tickets
Lucky! I bought my tickets for Sleeping Beauty the hour they went on sale, so I thankfully got to avoid the price jump later on.
Anyway, more on topic.This is one of the few extensive history books on ballet, although it's not as great as it should be. A general lack of discussion regarding ballet movements, and the author things ballet is "dying" and hates modern choreographers.
