History of Ballet
The following is a rough list of those chronological periods from the XV century till the present time:
XV - XVI centuries: court dances or pre-classical dance history.
XV - XVI centuries: court dances or pre-classical dance history.
XVI - XVII centuries: court balet and baroque dance history.
End of XVIII century - XIX century: romantic ballet history.
Second half of XIX century: classical, academic and/or imperial ballet history.
XX century - present time: modern, neoclassical and/or contemporary ballet history.
XV-XVI centuries: court dances or pre-classical dance history.
Scientific experiments prove that the earth turns around the sun, opposing to what was commonly thought for centuries. People start believing that they are responsible for their lives and that they can improve their existence by their own mean.
Monarchy is the sociopolitical system. A king has power over everything in his territory, whose administration he delegates to courtiers: princes, dukes, marquises, counts, viscounts, barons, knights…
All these people and their families meet from time to time in the royal palace. Those gatherings are used to celebrate or have big parties, where dancing becomes a privileged way of entertainment and socializing. A new collective ‘rite’ is born: the Court Dance.Courtiers dance short choreographic pieces. They correspond to musical fragments that share the same name.
XVI –XVII centuries: Court ballet history and baroque dance history.
The custom of dancing in the court turns with time into an arranged act. It is performed to please the king or surprise and welcome foreign visitors.
It is in France where this type of events gains most of their magnificence. They are sponsored by Catalina de Medici, an Italian noble who marries Henry II (second son of the king of France), and moves with her court to that country.
This performances are called ‘ballets’ although they differ a lot from what we understand today as such.
According to ballet history, all European courts copy the Court Ballet model. It’s in the middle of this social environment that the most powerful supporter of dance that has ever existed is born: LOUIS XIV.
End of XVIII century – XIX century: romantic ballet history.
• Two acts: a first one that is about the real world and a second one that is about the unreal.
• Expression of the soul.
• Made for the lightness of the ballerina, which represents ethereal beings.
• Major figures are women. The ballet is created for the female ‘stars’.
• The use of pointes is established. The ballerina reaches the highest level in space.
Second half of XIX century: classical dance history, academic ballet history and/or imperial ballet history.
Till here, our ballet story happens in France. Now is the time for a new removal, as the Russian empire starts to assign enormous budgets for ballet shows and its practice.
Ballet history recognize the pieces of the time for including the choreographic vocabulary from the French school and the technical achievements of the Italians. Ballet reaches an academic peek that displays extreme technical virtuosity.
The end of the XIX century in Russia is a golden age for ballet. But, like everything in culture, it evolves to follow new or better adapted to society paths. Dancers that were educated during this period will lead their knowledge to new frontiers.
XX century – present time: modern ballet history, neoclassical ballet history and/or contemporary ballet history.
The XX century is a time when Russian ballet returns to its European home.
The XX century is a time when Russian ballet returns to its European home. From the hand of an art producer called Serge Diaghilev (1872 – 1929), classical dance comes back with its established repertory and innovative offerings.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario