Dance
Ballet
Court ballet (16th and 17th century)
Putting on extravagant dance performances
- showing off to visiting royalty and nobility how superior your country was
- not only economically but also culturally civilised
The Baroque reign of Louis XIV (the sun king) in France was typical of this
- Louis loved to dance the main roles (apollo the god of arts = the sun)
- The courtiers also danced, but in less important roles than him
- Louis showed his absolute power, even in dance
- He was called the sun king because of his leading role in the ballet called ‘Ballet de
la Nuit’ which lasted from sunset to sunrise
Male dancers danced all the roles, including female roles
- the movements were calm and controlled with arms and legs extended
- The basic patterns were danced
In 1661 the first Royal Academy of dance was founded in Paris
- strict rules: about executing graceful ballet movements
Classical ballet (19th century)
Five basic positions of classical ballet were developed
- the extended arms and straight posture all promote a vertical appearance
- elegant jumps, lifts and dancing with pointed toes
- difficult: pushed dancers to their physical limits
- the music accompanying these ballets were very harmonious
Romanticism
- artists, writers and composers were all about expressing intense emotions and
promoting democracy and personal freedoms
Age of wars, poverty and trying to end slavery
- people wanted escapism
Avant-garde ballet (20th century)
New forms of ballet were being experimented with
- Le Ballets Russes: did not keep to the above Classical ballet rules of movement or
use of music
They broke the rules of the past, created shock waves, fights and outrage when they toured
paris in 1914 with the ballet the rite of spring
- a story about pagan fertility rites in Russian folklore
- storyline was primitive and the dancing style reflected this
- in the scenario a young girl is chosen as a sacrificial victim and dances herself to
death
The dancers had no dancing on toes or classical ballet jumps, lifts or elegant moves
- they move in a way which reflect the primitive storyline
- the music was experimental, not harmonious
, Modern dance (beginning of 20th century)
era of being in experimental in the arts
Western dance performed in theatres
- characterized by their rebellion against the rigid rules of classical ballet
- all modern dance is in some way experimental and striving for new forms of
expression with the body
Extra elements play an important role
- decor, lighting, costumes and music: enhance the atmosphere, drama and concepts
of the choreography
Avant-garde was an influence on modern dance
- experimenting with new dance moves and shapes and focused on the expression of
feelings and emotions
Martha Graham and the Expressionist dance style of the 1920's and 30's
- invented a form of dance: contraction-release which was torso-centered
- contracting the muscles of the torso the relaxing them created a specific way of
movement reflecting pure emotion
- this style was incomplete contrast to the flowing and elegant vertical movements
Expressionist dance concentrated on dance movements as pure expression without being
confined to technical rules set out by classical ballet or expressing well- known stories
In 1936 graham did choreograph a work influenced by the horror of the spanish civil war and
by the poverty caused by the great depression
From the 1950 the trend amongst dancers and choreographers was to concentrate on pure
movement
- how the body moves in a space and the shapes it makes
Choreographer merce cunningham’s minimal dance style incorporated non-dance
movements into his dances
- the choreography can be abstract but can also be thematic
- the movements expressing a theme rather than a storyline
Minimal dance and expressionist dance was also viewed as very experimental in that it
rejected classical rules of dance and telling well-known stories
- they both influenced the emergence in the 1970s of a genre called Dance theatre
- this brought together forms of dance and theatre in order to connect more with reality
- the role of music, decor and use of voice were integrated into this new
interdisciplinary form of expression
The german choreographer Pina Bausch is the founder on dance theatre
- when she became the artistic director
- she was particularly influenced by german expressionist dance of the early 20th
century
- her works are characterised as intense, shocking, raw and innovatory
- she pushed her dancers to extreme boundaries of physicality and emotions on stage
Contemporary modern dance: a continuation of the experimentation and exploration into
what is possible in dance
- beginning of the 21st century
- choreographers experiment with different styles of dance with one piece of
choreography, mixing technically different classical ballet steps with more modern
ways of moving and usually expressing a theme of emotion rather than a storyline
Ballet
Court ballet (16th and 17th century)
Putting on extravagant dance performances
- showing off to visiting royalty and nobility how superior your country was
- not only economically but also culturally civilised
The Baroque reign of Louis XIV (the sun king) in France was typical of this
- Louis loved to dance the main roles (apollo the god of arts = the sun)
- The courtiers also danced, but in less important roles than him
- Louis showed his absolute power, even in dance
- He was called the sun king because of his leading role in the ballet called ‘Ballet de
la Nuit’ which lasted from sunset to sunrise
Male dancers danced all the roles, including female roles
- the movements were calm and controlled with arms and legs extended
- The basic patterns were danced
In 1661 the first Royal Academy of dance was founded in Paris
- strict rules: about executing graceful ballet movements
Classical ballet (19th century)
Five basic positions of classical ballet were developed
- the extended arms and straight posture all promote a vertical appearance
- elegant jumps, lifts and dancing with pointed toes
- difficult: pushed dancers to their physical limits
- the music accompanying these ballets were very harmonious
Romanticism
- artists, writers and composers were all about expressing intense emotions and
promoting democracy and personal freedoms
Age of wars, poverty and trying to end slavery
- people wanted escapism
Avant-garde ballet (20th century)
New forms of ballet were being experimented with
- Le Ballets Russes: did not keep to the above Classical ballet rules of movement or
use of music
They broke the rules of the past, created shock waves, fights and outrage when they toured
paris in 1914 with the ballet the rite of spring
- a story about pagan fertility rites in Russian folklore
- storyline was primitive and the dancing style reflected this
- in the scenario a young girl is chosen as a sacrificial victim and dances herself to
death
The dancers had no dancing on toes or classical ballet jumps, lifts or elegant moves
- they move in a way which reflect the primitive storyline
- the music was experimental, not harmonious
, Modern dance (beginning of 20th century)
era of being in experimental in the arts
Western dance performed in theatres
- characterized by their rebellion against the rigid rules of classical ballet
- all modern dance is in some way experimental and striving for new forms of
expression with the body
Extra elements play an important role
- decor, lighting, costumes and music: enhance the atmosphere, drama and concepts
of the choreography
Avant-garde was an influence on modern dance
- experimenting with new dance moves and shapes and focused on the expression of
feelings and emotions
Martha Graham and the Expressionist dance style of the 1920's and 30's
- invented a form of dance: contraction-release which was torso-centered
- contracting the muscles of the torso the relaxing them created a specific way of
movement reflecting pure emotion
- this style was incomplete contrast to the flowing and elegant vertical movements
Expressionist dance concentrated on dance movements as pure expression without being
confined to technical rules set out by classical ballet or expressing well- known stories
In 1936 graham did choreograph a work influenced by the horror of the spanish civil war and
by the poverty caused by the great depression
From the 1950 the trend amongst dancers and choreographers was to concentrate on pure
movement
- how the body moves in a space and the shapes it makes
Choreographer merce cunningham’s minimal dance style incorporated non-dance
movements into his dances
- the choreography can be abstract but can also be thematic
- the movements expressing a theme rather than a storyline
Minimal dance and expressionist dance was also viewed as very experimental in that it
rejected classical rules of dance and telling well-known stories
- they both influenced the emergence in the 1970s of a genre called Dance theatre
- this brought together forms of dance and theatre in order to connect more with reality
- the role of music, decor and use of voice were integrated into this new
interdisciplinary form of expression
The german choreographer Pina Bausch is the founder on dance theatre
- when she became the artistic director
- she was particularly influenced by german expressionist dance of the early 20th
century
- her works are characterised as intense, shocking, raw and innovatory
- she pushed her dancers to extreme boundaries of physicality and emotions on stage
Contemporary modern dance: a continuation of the experimentation and exploration into
what is possible in dance
- beginning of the 21st century
- choreographers experiment with different styles of dance with one piece of
choreography, mixing technically different classical ballet steps with more modern
ways of moving and usually expressing a theme of emotion rather than a storyline
