DOCSLIB.ORG

Ballet D'action to Ballet-Pantomime

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ballet D'action to Ballet-Pantomime BALLET D’ACTION TO BALLET-PANTOMIME: DANCE, TEXT, AND NARRATIVE IN FRENCH BALLET, 1734-1841 by Olivia Sabee A dissertation submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, Maryland March 2015 © 2015 Olivia Sabee All Rights Reserved Abstract My dissertation, “Ballet d’Action to Ballet-Pantomime: Dance, Text, and Narrative in French Ballet, 1734-1841,” examines the relationship between literary text, narrative structure, pantomime, and dance in the context of French ballet from the last decades of the Ancien Régime to the July Monarchy. Early modern ballet was deeply narrative, and thus tied to the concept of action, expressed in ballet through pantomime. This relationship was analyzed at length in articles from Denis Diderot’s and Jean le Rond d’Alembert’s Encyclopédie, especially those written by librettist and historian Louis de Cahusac. Action was then emphasized as an element of ballet by Jean Georges Noverre in his Lettres sur la danse (1760). Following what Théophile Gautier would later aptly call the ballet d’action, Noverre’s most famous works attempted to translate French classical tragedy to the ballet stage, but both his work and that of his student Charles Le Picq showed that ballet was becoming a very specific genre related to, but distinct from, the traditional theater. With the rise of the Romantic ballet, ballet d’action evolved into something more explicitly called ballet-pantomime. In this form of ballet, balletic structure shifted to include long sequences of danced action that alternated with narrative pantomime and expressive dance of the ballet d’action. One of the resulting shifts in understanding these works is due to critics such as Gautier’s promotion of the doctrine of “art for art’s sake,” which shifted values toward ballet libretti that promoted pure dance. Despite this shift, however, a wide variety of ballet narratives still continued to exist, a fact that Gautier’s criticism and the historical narrative he created obscures even to this day. My dissertation therefore aims to reevaluate these anachronisms and to demonstrate ballet’s historical complexity as a cultural product within the greater framework of its contemporary theater and performance practices. ii First Reader: Wilda Anderson Second Reader: Lynn Garafola Third Reader: Jacques Neefs iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For their guidance, time, and careful reading and critique of my work I would like to thank Professors Wilda Anderson and Jacques Neefs of the French section of the Department of German and Romance Languages and Literatures, Lynn Garafola of the Department of Dance at Barnard College, Columbia University. I would also like to thank Walter Stephens and Andrew Daniel for serving on my defense committee, and Eugenio Refini and Derek Schilling for being prepared to do so. Others that have generously provided feedback and encouragement include Joellen Meglin, Judith Chazin- Bennahum, and Jeffrey Brooks. Finally, I would like to thank the staffs of the Bibliothèque de l’Opéra, the Biblioteca San Pietro di Majella, the Archivio di Stato in Naples, and the Bibliothèque municipale in Bordeaux. I am indebted to the Mellon Foundation and the Council for European Studies for the Dissertation Completion Fellowship that allowed me to focus my undivided attention on completing my dissertation since May of 2014. A grant from the Singleton Center at Johns Hopkins allowed me the opportunity to consult primary sources in Naples and Venice, as did my exchange with the École normale supérieure for sources housed in Paris. I am also grateful to the Besterman Centre and the French sub-faculty at Oxford University for providing me with the time and space in which the dissertation’s first chapter came together. Finally I would like to express my gratitude to my husband Sasha and to my family for their support of this project over the years. iv Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………1 Ballet’s Aristocratic Roots…………………………………………………………….1 Bringing Galatea to Life………………………………………………………………5 Dance and Narrative…………………………………………………………………..7 Ties Between Theater and Dance……………………………………………………10 Theatrical Reforms…………………………………………………………………...17 Chapter 1: Distinguishing Ballet from Dance in the Enlightenment………………..23 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..23 Dance and Gesture within Theatrical Reforms………………………………………28 Chorégraphie and the Danse d’École………………………………………………..34 Writing Dance Histories, Rewriting Dance Practices………………………………..38 Defining “Ballet” and “Action in the Encyclopédie…………………………………42 Character in the Ballet d’Action……………………………………………………..49 Toward a “Poësie Muette”…………………………………………………………...52 The Article “Geste”…………………………………………………………………..56 The Twofold Approach in the Encyclopédie Méthodique…………………………...58 Chapter 2: Poetic Convention in Noverre’s Ballet d’Action…………………………67 Noverre as a Reader of Cahusac……………………………………………………..67 Putting Reforms Onstage…………………………………………………………….69 Noverre’s Les Horaces et les Curiaces and its Preface……………………………...71 Unities in the Ballet d’Action………………………………………………………..74 Noverre and Angiolini’s Quarrel…………………………………………………….77 Verisimilitude in the Ballet d’Action………………………………………………...79 Programs for the Ballet d’Action…………………………………………………….84 Advancing the Ballet d’Action’s Evolution………………………………………….93 Chapter 3: The Action Ballet in Italy………………………………………………...107 Ballet d’Action and Ballo Pantomimo……………………………………………...107 Charles Le Picq in Naples…………………………………………………………..113 The Danza Alta……………………………………………………………………..116 Alessandro e Campaspe in Naples………………………………………………….121 Ange Goudar, Detractor of the Ballet d’Action…………………………………….125 The Neapolitan Ballet d’Action: A New, Distinct Practice………………………...132 Chapter 4: Dancing the Social Contract: The Ballet Blanc and the French Revolution……………………………………………………………………………...139 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………139 Citoyennes and Revolutionary Fêtes………………………………………………..148 Theories of the General Will………………………………………………………..155 The Revolution’s Aftermath on the Stage………………………………………….159 Representations of Muteness……………………………………………………….162 Giselle’s Second Act………………………………………………………………..168 v Chapter 5: Art for Art’s Sake………………………………………………………..181 Introduction………………………………………………………………………...181 Librettist, Composer, Choreographer………………………………………………183 Writing About the Romantic Ballet………………………………………………..191 Subject Material for the Ballet-Pantomime………………………………………...196 Political Alternatives………………………………………………………………..202 L’Art Pour l’Art…………………………………………………………………….206 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………..221 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………….……..225 Curriculum Vitae…………………………………………………………...…………243 vi List of Figures 1-1. François Chauveau, Scene from Isis, tragédie en musique (1677) by Lully and Quinault………………………………………………………………………………31 1-2. Scene from Jason et Médée, ballet tragique (1763) by Noverre and Rodolphe……32 1-3. Pierre Rameau, Le Maître à danser (1725)…………………………………………35 1-4. Pierre Rameau, Le Maître à danser (1725)…………………………………………35 1-5. Raoul-Auger Feuillet, Chorégraphie, ou l’art de décrire la dance (1713)…………36 1-6. Cross-References for the Article “Ballet.” Image by Sasha Fornari…………..……45 1-7. Cross-References for Web of Ballet-Related Articles. Image by Sasha Fornari……56 4-1. La Fête de l’Etre suprême (1794)………………………………………………….150 4-2. Jean-Simon Berthélemy, costume sketch for Achille à Scyros, ballet-pantomime en trois actes (1804) by Gardel and Cherubini…………………..…………….………161 4-3. Jean-Simon Berthélemy, costume sketch for Proserpine, ballet pantomime en trois actes (1818) by Gardel and Schneitzhoeffer, fils………………………...…………161 5-1. Jean Aumer, Notes for Aline, reine de Golconde, ballet-pantomime en trois actes (1823)……………………………………………………………………………….186 5-2. Jean Aumer, Notes for Aline, reine de Golconde, ballet-pantomime en trois actes (1823)……………………………………………………………………………….186 5-3. Jean Aumer, Notes for Aline, reine de Golconde, ballet-pantomime en trois actes (1823)……………………………………………………………………………….187 5-4. “Valse favorite de Giselle” (1841)………………………………………………...192 5-5. Scene from La Péri, ballet en deux actes et trois tableaux by Gautier, Coralli, and Burgmüller………………………………………………………………………….213 5-6. Scene from Giselle, ballet-pantomime en deux actes (1849) by Gautier, Coralli, Perrot, and Adam…………………………………………………………………...213 vii THIS PAGE IS INTENDED TO BE BLANK viii Introduction Il faut, dit Lucien, que le Pantomime ait le secret d’exprimer les passions & les mouvemens de l’ame que la Rhetorique enseigne. —Ménestrier, Des ballets anciens et modernes selon les regles du theatre (1682) Vous me direz peut-être que les Comédiens ont sur les Danseurs l’avantage de la parole, la force & l’energie du discours. Mais ces derniers n’ont-ils pas les gestes, les attitudes, les pas & la musique que l’on doit regarder comme l’organe & l’interprete des mouvements successifs du Danseur? —Noverre, Lettres sur la danse, et sur les ballets (1760) BALLET’S ARISTOCRATIC ROOTS What modern Anglophone audiences call ballet actually refers to two things that have become synonymous with one another: first, the theatrical performance genre, ballet, and second, the academic dance form that has become the principal tool for its choreographic creation. Court ballet was originally formulated as a fusion of the arts of music, drama, dance, and décors—dance represented only one of the many elements. Indeed, the term “ballet” designated what we might today call a grandiose and multi-layered multimedia
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 103 the Music Library of the Warsaw Theatre in The
    A. ŻÓRAWSKA-WITKOWSKA, MUSIC LIBRARY OF THE WARSAW..., ARMUD6 47/1-2 (2016) 103-116 103 THE MUSIC LIBRARY OF THE WARSAW THEATRE IN THE YEARS 1788 AND 1797: AN EXPRESSION OF THE MIGRATION OF EUROPEAN REPERTOIRE ALINA ŻÓRAWSKA-WITKOWSKA UDK / UDC: 78.089.62”17”WARSAW University of Warsaw, Institute of Musicology, Izvorni znanstveni rad / Research Paper ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 32, Primljeno / Received: 31. 8. 2016. 00-325 WARSAW, Poland Prihvaćeno / Accepted: 29. 9. 2016. Abstract In the Polish–Lithuanian Common- number of works is impressive: it included 245 wealth’s fi rst public theatre, operating in War- staged Italian, French, German, and Polish saw during the reign of Stanislaus Augustus operas and a further 61 operas listed in the cata- Poniatowski, numerous stage works were logues, as well as 106 documented ballets and perform ed in the years 1765-1767 and 1774-1794: another 47 catalogued ones. Amongst operas, Italian, French, German, and Polish operas as Italian ones were most popular with 102 docu- well ballets, while public concerts, organised at mented and 20 archived titles (totalling 122 the Warsaw theatre from the mid-1770s, featured works), followed by Polish (including transla- dozens of instrumental works including sym- tions of foreign works) with 58 and 1 titles phonies, overtures, concertos, variations as well respectively; French with 44 and 34 (totalling 78 as vocal-instrumental works - oratorios, opera compositions), and German operas with 41 and arias and ensembles, cantatas, and so forth. The 6 works, respectively. author analyses the manuscript catalogues of those scores (sheet music did not survive) held Keywords: music library, Warsaw, 18th at the Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych in War- century, Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski, saw (Pl-Wagad), in the Archive of Prince Joseph musical repertoire, musical theatre, music mi- Poniatowski and Maria Teresa Tyszkiewicz- gration Poniatowska.
    [Show full text]
  • Cesare Pugni: Esmeralda and Le Violon Du Diable
    Cesare Pugni: Esmeralda and Le Violon du diable Cesare Pugni: Esmeralda and Le Violon du diable Edited and Introduced by Robert Ignatius Letellier Cesare Pugni: Esmeralda and Le Violon du diable, Edited by Edited and Introducted by Robert Ignatius Letellier This book first published 2012 Cambridge Scholars Publishing 12 Back Chapman Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2XX, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2012 by Edited and Introducted by Robert Ignatius Letellier and contributors All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-4438-3608-7, ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-3608-1 Cesare Pugni in London (c. 1845) TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................................................... ix Esmeralda Italian Version La corte del miracoli (Introduzione) .......................................................................................... 2 Allegro giusto............................................................................................................................. 5 Sposalizio di Esmeralda ............................................................................................................. 6 Allegro giusto............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Biomechanics of the Tendu in Closing to the Traditional Position, Pli#233
    University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School January 2013 The iomechB anics of the Tendu in Closing to the Traditional Position, Pli#233; and Relev#233; Nyssa Catherine Masters University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Engineering Commons Scholar Commons Citation Masters, Nyssa Catherine, "The iomeB chanics of the Tendu in Closing to the Traditional Position, Pli#233; and Relev#233;" (2013). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4825 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Biomechanics of the Tendu in Closing to the Traditional Position, Plié and Relevé by Nyssa Catherine Masters A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering College of Engineering University of South Florida Major Professor: Rajiv Dubey, Ph.D. Stephanie Carey, Ph.D. Merry Lynn Morris, M.F.A. Date of Approval: November 7, 2013 Keywords: Dance, Motion Analysis, Knee Abduction, Knee Adduction, Knee Rotation Copyright © 2013, Nyssa Catherine Masters DEDICATION This is dedicated to my parents, Michael and Margaret, who have supported me and encouraged
    [Show full text]
  • Incorporare Il Fantastico: Marie Taglioni Elena Cervellati ([email protected])
    * Incorporare il fantastico: Marie Taglioni Elena Cervellati ([email protected]) Il balletto fantastico e Marie Taglioni Negli anni Trenta dell'Ottocento in alcuni grandi teatri istituzionali europei fioriscono balletti in grado di raccogliere e fare precipitare in una forma visibile istanze che percorrono, proprio in quegli anni, diversi ambiti della cultura, della società, del sentire, consolidando e facendo diventare norma un certo modo di trovare temi e personaggi, di strutturare tessuti drammaturgici, di costruire il mondo in cui l'azione si svolgerà, di danzare. Mondi altri con cui chi vive sulla terra può entrare in relazione, passaggi dallo stato di veglia a sogni densi di avvenimenti, incantesimi e malefici, esseri fatti di nebbia e di luce, ombre e spiriti impalpabili, creature volanti, esseri umani che assumono sembianze animali, oggetti inanimati che prendono vita e forme antropomorfe trovano nello spettacolo coreico e nel corpo danzante di quegli anni un luogo di elezione, andando a costituire uno dei tratti fondamentali del balletto romantico. Il danzatore abita i mondi proposti dalla “magnifica evasione” 1 offerta dal balletto e ne è al tempo stesso creatore primo. È capace di azioni sorprendenti, analoghe a quelle dell’acrobata che “poursuit sa propre perfection à travers la réussite de l’acte prodigieux qui met en valeur toutes les ressources de son corps”2. Lo stesso corpo * Il presente saggio è in corso di pubblicazione in Pasqualicchio, Nicola (a cura di), La meraviglia e la paura. Il fantastico nel teatro europeo (1750-1950) , atti del convegno, Università degli Studi di Verona, Verona, 10-11 marzo 2011. 1 Susan Leigh Foster, Coreografia e narrazione , Roma, Dino Audino Editore, 2003, p.
    [Show full text]
  • 18Th Century Dance
    18TH CENTURY DANCE THE 1700’S BEGAN THE ERA WHEN PROFESSIONAL DANCERS DEDICATED THEIR LIFE TO THEIR ART. THEY COMPETED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THE PUBLIC’S APPROVAL. COMING FROM THE LOWER AND MIDDLE CLASSES THEY WORKED HARD TO ESTABLISH POSITIONS FOR THEMSELVES IN SOCIETY. THINGS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD IN 1700’S A. FRENCH AND AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS ABOUT TO HAPPEN B. INDUSTRIALIZATION ON THE WAY C. LITERACY WAS INCREASING DANCERS STROVE FOR POPULARITY. JOURNALISTS PROMOTED RIVALRIES. CAMARGO VS. SALLE MARIE ANNE DE CUPIS DE CAMARGO 1710 TO 1770 SPANISH AND ITALIAN BALLERINA BORN IN BRUSSELS. SHE HAD EXCEPTIONAL SPEED AND WAS A BRILLIANT TECHNICIAN. SHE WAS THE FIRST TO EXECUTE ENTRECHAT QUATRE. NOTEWORTHY BECAUSE SHE SHORTENED HER SKIRT TO SEE HER EXCEPTIONAL FOOTWORK. THIS SHOCKED 18TH CENTURY STANDARDS. SHE POSSESSED A FINE MUSICAL SENSE. MARIE CAMARGO MARIE SALLE 1707-1756 SHE WAS BORN INTO SHOW BUSINESS. JOINED THE PARIS OPERA SALLE WAS INTERESTED IN DANCE EXPRESSING FEELINGS AND PORTRAYING SITUATIONS. SHE MOVED TO LONDON TO PUT HER THEORIES INTO PRACTICE. PYGMALION IS HER BEST KNOWN WORK 1734. A, CREATED HER OWN CHOREOGRAPHY B. PERFORMED AS A DRAMATIC DANCER C. DESIGNED DANCE COSTUMES THAT SUITED THE DANCE IDEA AND ALLOWED FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT MARIE SALLE JEAN-GEORGES NOVERRE 1727-1820; MOST FAMOUS PERSON OF 18TH CENTURY DANCE. IN 1760 WROTE LETTERS ON DANCING AND BALLETS, A SERIES OF ESSAYS ATTACKING CHOREOGRAPHY AND COSTUMING OF THE DANCE ESTABLISHMENT ESPECIALLY AT PARIS OPERA. HE EMPHASIZED THAT DANCE WAS AN ART FORM OF COMMUNICATION: OF SPEECH WITHOUT WORDS. HE PROVED HIS THEORIES BY CREATING SUCCESSFUL BALLETS AS BALLET MASTER AT THE COURT OF STUTTGART.
    [Show full text]
  • Dance Program Handbook 2020-2021
    Bethel College Academy of Performing Arts Dance Program Handbook 2020-2021 DANCE HANDBOOK CONTENTS GUIDE Contact Information 1 General Policies 2 Dance Department Expectations 4 Dress Code 5 Class Requirements 7 Ballet 6 Pointe 10 Jazz 11 Tap 12 Modern 13 Irish 13 Hip Hop 14 Adult Classes 14 Company Requirements 14 IMPORTANT CONTACTS Bethel College Academy of Performing Arts (316) 283-4902 EMAIL: [email protected] 300 E 27th Street, North Newton KS 67117 WEBSITE: www.bcapaks.org Lisa Riffel, Operations Manager (316) 283-4902 [email protected] Haylie Berning, Director of Dance (316) 619-7580 [email protected] Molly Flavin, Instructor (316) 283-4902 [email protected] Emily Blane, Instructor (316) 283-4902 [email protected] Resa Marie Davenport, Instructor (316) 283-4902 [email protected] Aviance Battles, Instructor (316) 283-4902 [email protected] Cathy Anderson, Instructor (316) 283-4902 [email protected] 1 GENERAL INFORMATION AND POLICIES Please read the current registration packet for a complete list of BCAPA’s policies and safety precautions. Keep in mind that some of the below policies may be affected by COVID policies put in place by BCAPA and Bethel College. 1. Communication Methods and Response Time. The best way to contact BCAPA’s dance director is by phone message at (316) 283-4902 or by email at [email protected]. Current students can find important information on upcoming events, workshops, and other announcements at our website, www.bcapaks.org or our Facebook page. 2. *Drop-Off Expectations. In the interest of safety, students must be accompanied to and from their classes by an adult.
    [Show full text]
  • Le Cinesi. Revised Libretto by PIETRO METASTASIO, First Set by Nicola Conforto (1751 Aranjuez)
    Le cinesi. Revised libretto by PIETRO METASTASIO, first set by Nicola Conforto (1751 Aranjuez). The scene represents a room in the house of Lisinga, decorated in the Chinese manner, with a table and four chairs. Lisinga, Sivene, and Tangia sit together drinking tea in an attitude of total preoccupation. Silango, listens unseen from the partly open door. Lisinga, after observing each of her companions for some time, finally breaks the silence. Bored, three young Chinese women ponder how they might amuse themselves in a manner that would be enjoyable, innocent, and different. Tangia has fleeting thoughts on the matter but they come to nothing. Much to their chagrin, Silango enters to offer his opinion, but since this is a room strictly off-limits to men, reputations are at stake and he must leave – but best to delay until darkness offers its cover. Meanwhile, in spite of his recent travels in Europe, he must realize that he is no longer in France or Italy and must readjust to the customs of his native China. Lisinga suggests that as a group, they perform a dramatic piece. All three agree, but in turning to such a European pastime, each one favours a different genre. Lisinga opts for an heroic drama, while Sivene would have a pastoral and Tangia a comedy. Thus Silango proposes that each one perform a scene in her preferred style and they will adopt the one they consider to be the best. Since her companions hesitate, Lisinga takes the lead and as Andromache, widow of Hector, plays out a scene in which the life of their child, Astyanax, is threatened by Pyrrhus, unless she agree to marry him.
    [Show full text]
  • Romantic Ballet
    ROMANTIC BALLET FANNY ELLSLER, 1810 - 1884 SHE ARRIVED ON SCENE IN 1834, VIENNESE BY BIRTH, AND WAS A PASSIONATE DANCER. A RIVALRY BETWEEN TAGLIONI AND HER ENSUED. THE DIRECTOR OF THE PARIS OPERA DELIBERATELY INTRODUCED AND PROMOTED ELLSLER TO COMPETE WITH TAGLIONI. IT WAS GOOD BUSINESS TO PROMOTE RIVALRY. CLAQUES, OR PAID GROUPS WHO APPLAUDED FOR A PARTICULAR PERFORMER, CAME INTO VOGUE. ELLSLER’S MOST FAMOUS DANCE - LA CACHUCHA - A SPANISH CHARACTER NUMBER. IT BECAME AN OVERNIGHT CRAZE. FANNY ELLSLER TAGLIONI VS ELLSLER THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TALGIONI AND ELLSLER: A. TAGLIONI REPRESENTED SPIRITUALITY 1. NOT MUCH ACTING ABILITY B. ELLSLER EXPRESSED PHYSICAL PASSION 1. CONSIDERABLE ACTING ABILITY THE RIVALRY BETWEEN THE TWO DID NOT CONFINE ITSELF TO WORDS. THERE WAS ACTUAL PHYSICAL VIOLENCE IN THE AUDIENCE! GISELLE THE BALLET, GISELLE, PREMIERED AT THE PARIS OPERA IN JUNE 1841 WITH CARLOTTA GRISI AND LUCIEN PETIPA. GISELLE IS A ROMANTIC CLASSIC. GISELLE WAS DEVELOPED THROUGH THE PROCESS OF COLLABORATION. GISELLE HAS REMAINED IN THE REPERTORY OF COMPANIES ALL OVER THE WORLD SINCE ITS PREMIERE WHILE LA SYLPHIDE FADED AWAY AFTER A FEW YEARS. ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR BALLETS EVER CREATED, GISELLE STICKS CLOSE TO ITS PREMIER IN MUSIC AND CHOREOGRAPHIC OUTLINE. IT DEMANDS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF TECHNICAL SKILL FROM THE BALLERINA. GISELLE COLLABORATORS THEOPHILE GAUTIER 1811-1872 A POET AND JOURNALIST HAD A DOUBLE INSPIRATION - A BOOK BY HEINRICH HEINE ABOUT GERMAN LITERATURE AND FOLK LEGENDS AND A POEM BY VICTOR HUGO-AND PLANNED A BALLET. VERNOY DE SAINTS-GEORGES, A THEATRICAL WRITER, WROTE THE SCENARIO. ADOLPH ADAM - COMPOSER. THE SCORE CONTAINS MELODIC THEMES OR LEITMOTIFS WHICH ADVANCE THE STORY AND ARE SUITABLE TO THE CHARACTERS.
    [Show full text]
  • Ballet Master James Jordan Accepts Post As Ballet Master for Sarasota
    Devon Carney, Artistic Director FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT : Ellen McDonald 816.444.0052 [email protected] For Tickets: 816.931.2232 www.kcballet.org Ballet Master James Jordan Accepts Post as Ballet Master for Sarasota Ballet Jordan to stay through 2013-14 Season and will return to stage The Nutcracker next season Kansas City, MO (April 10, 2014)— Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director Devon Carney today announced Ballet Master James Jordan has accepted a post as Ballet Master for Sarasota Ballet in Florida. Jordan will remain at Kansas City Ballet through the 2013-14 season and will return for the final year of Todd Bolender’s The Nutcracker this coming December. Jordan has dedicated nearly 30 years of service to Kansas City, first as a member of the Company from 1981-1987 and then as Ballet Master from 1991 to the present. “James has a national reputation as a stager for the ballets of Antony Tudor, working with companies around the country. His recent work with The Sarasota Ballet, which has a deep commitment to the Tudor works, afforded them the opportunity to see his value and shared passion for the historical works of Tudor and others. It was clear that the artistic values both Jordan and The Sarasota Ballet artistic leadership share, provided a natural progression for both parties,” stated Carney. “That said, he will be dearly missed. While technically the role of the Ballet Master is to assist with scheduling and the rehearsals for the Company, James was so, so much more than that. He truly was the ‘glue’ that held us all together.
    [Show full text]
  • The Use of the Polish Folk Music Elements and the Fantasy Elements in the Polish Fantasy on Original Themes In
    THE USE OF THE POLISH FOLK MUSIC ELEMENTS AND THE FANTASY ELEMENTS IN THE POLISH FANTASY ON ORIGINAL THEMES IN G-SHARP MINOR FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA OPUS 19 BY IGNACY JAN PADEREWSKI Yun Jung Choi, B.A., M.M. Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2007 APPROVED: Adam Wodnicki, Major Professor Jeffrey Snider, Minor Professor Joseph Banowetz, Committee Member Graham Phipps, Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Music James C. Scott, Dean of the College of Music Sandra L. Terrell, Dean of the Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies Choi, Yun Jung, The Use of the Polish Folk Music Elements and the Fantasy Elements in the Polish Fantasy on Original Themes in G-sharp Minor for Piano and Orchestra, Opus 19 by Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Doctor of Musical Arts (Performance), May 2007, 105 pp., 5 tables, 65 examples, references, 97 titles. The primary purpose of this study is to address performance issues in the Polish Fantasy, Op. 19, by examining characteristics of Polish folk dances and how they are incorporated in this unique work by Paderewski. The study includes a comprehensive history of the fantasy in order to understand how Paderewski used various codified generic aspects of the solo piano fantasy, as well as those of the one-movement concerto introduced by nineteenth-century composers such as Weber and Liszt. Given that the Polish Fantasy, Op. 19, as well as most of Paderewski’s compositions, have been performed more frequently in the last twenty years, an analysis of the combination of the three characteristic aspects of the Polish Fantasy, Op.19 - Polish folk music, the generic rhetoric of a fantasy and the one- movement concerto - would aid scholars and performers alike in better understanding the composition’s engagement with various traditions and how best to make decisions about those traditions when approaching the work in a concert setting.
    [Show full text]
  • Iphigénie En Tauride
    Christoph Willibald Gluck Iphigénie en Tauride CONDUCTOR Tragedy in four acts Patrick Summers Libretto by Nicolas-François Guillard, after a work by Guymond de la Touche, itself based PRODUCTION Stephen Wadsworth on Euripides SET DESIGNER Saturday, February 26, 2011, 1:00–3:25 pm Thomas Lynch COSTUME DESIGNER Martin Pakledinaz LIGHTING DESIGNER Neil Peter Jampolis CHOREOGRAPHER The production of Iphigénie en Tauride was Daniel Pelzig made possible by a generous gift from Mr. and Mrs. Howard Solomon. Additional funding for this production was provided by Bertita and Guillermo L. Martinez and Barbara Augusta Teichert. The revival of this production was made possible by a GENERAL MANAGER gift from Barbara Augusta Teichert. Peter Gelb MUSIC DIRECTOR James Levine Iphigénie en Tauride is a co-production with Seattle Opera. 2010–11 Season The 17th Metropolitan Opera performance of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Iphigénie en This performance is being broadcast Tauride live over The Toll Brothers– Metropolitan Conductor Opera Patrick Summers International Radio Network, in order of vocal appearance sponsored by Toll Brothers, Iphigénie America’s luxury Susan Graham homebuilder®, with generous First Priestess long-term Lei Xu* support from Second Priestess The Annenberg Cecelia Hall Foundation, the Vincent A. Stabile Thoas Endowment for Gordon Hawkins Broadcast Media, A Scythian Minister and contributions David Won** from listeners worldwide. Oreste Plácido Domingo This performance is Pylade also being broadcast Clytemnestre Paul Groves** Jacqueline Antaramian live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on Diane Agamemnon SIRIUS channel 78 Julie Boulianne Rob Besserer and XM channel 79. Saturday, February 26, 2011, 1:00–3:25 pm This afternoon’s performance is being transmitted live in high definition to movie theaters worldwide.
    [Show full text]
  • White, Women and the World of Ballet
    White, women and the world of ballet Greek fashion, muslin The ballet paintings, drawings and sculptures Muslin was washable and it fell gracefully like the cloth and combustible of the French artist Edgar Degas are known to us all. folds of the costumes on the Greek statues that ballerinas – Michelle His dancers are captured in the studio, in the wings, were unearthed when the ruins of the ancient city Potter takes you backstage, on stage. We see them resting, practising, of Pompeii were excavated. White clothing also through the history of taking class, performing. They are shown from many indicated status. A white garment was hard to keep the innocent white tutu angles: from the orchestra pit, from boxes, as long clean so the well-dressed woman in a pristine white shots, as close-ups. They wear a soft skirt reaching outfit was clearly rich enough to have many dresses just below the knee. It has layers of fabric pushing in her wardrobe. Since ballet costuming at the time it out into a bell shape and often there is a sash followed fashion trends, white also became the at the waist, which is tied in a bow at the back. colour of the new, free-flowing ballet dresses. Most of his dancers also wear a signature band Soon the white, Greek-inspired dress had given of ribbon at the neck. The dress has a low cut bodice way to the long, white Romantic costume as worn with, occasionally, a short, frilled sleeve. More often by the Sylphide and her attendants in La Sylphide.
    [Show full text]