Dance in the Contemporary American Musical Theater: What Has Become of the Dream Ballet?
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UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2000 Dance in the contemporary American musical theater: What has become of the dream ballet? Phoebe Ellen Newsted University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Newsted, Phoebe Ellen, "Dance in the contemporary American musical theater: What has become of the dream ballet?" (2000). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 1127. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/w6wh-i6nl This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. 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DANCE IN THE CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATER WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE DREAM BALLET? by Phoebe Ellen Newsted Bachelor of Arts Simon Fraser University, British Columbia 1994 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree Department of Theatre CoDege of Fine Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas M ay 2000 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number 1399900 Copyright 2000 by Newsted, Phoebe Ellen All rights reserved. UMI' UMI Microform1399900 Copyright 2000 by Bell & Howell Information and Leaming Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Beil & Howell information and Leaming Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by Phoebe Ellen Newsted 2000 All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Thesis Approval TJN iy The Graduate College UMV University of Nevada, Las Vegas March 29 ^20 00 The Thesis prepared by Phoebe Ellen Newsted Entitled Dance in tdie Contemporary American Musical Theater. What has become of tdie Dream Ballet? is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Mëister of Arts tion Committ Dean of the Graduate College hK<i JL Committee Member Graduate College Faculty tatrae PR/lOir-53/I-OO Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Dance in the Contemporary American Musical Theater. What Has Become of the Dream Ballet? by Phoebe Ellen Newsted Jeffrey Keep, Ph D. Examination Committee Chair Dean of Fine Arts University of Nevada, Las Vegas The dream ballet is defined. The discussion explains the inception, subsequent rise and eventual disappearance of the dream ballet. The research follows the development of the dream ballet and identifies its contributions to the American musical theater. The thesis specifically examines the amplification of the emotional realm of character and plot development, as elicited by the dream ballet. The study evaluates the void left today by the absence of the dream ballet in relation to an examination of the climate of contemporary American musical theater. The analysis explores the correlation between the decline of the dream ballet and the decline of the caliber of American musical theater. The conclusion recommends the need for the re-inclusion of the conunand and the dynamic of the dream ballet. in Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................... iü CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................1 CHAPTER n REVIEW OF RELATED UTERATURE................................................10 Agnes de Mille .............................................................................................................10 Edward Denby............................................................................................................. 21 Jerome Robbins........................................................................................................... 27 Bob Fosse.....................................................................................................................36 Michael Bennett.......................................................................................................... 44 Summary ......................................................................................................................51 CHAPTER m METHODS.............................................................................................53 CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS............................................................................................58 CHAPTER V SUMMARY.............................................................................................74 Recommendations....................................................................................................... 74 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 86 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................................ 89 VITA................................................................................................................................ 93 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION For the choreographer of Broadway musical theater: The real failing, the killing off, is not in taking risks but choosing some work beneath his capacities and in doing it in a slick and routine fashion pinrely for recompense. This hurts the whole field of work, dirties and dulls down the audience, and destroys the individual. (De Mille, And Promenade Home 191) Agnes de Mille ( 1905-1993) voiced this warning concerning the creative work ethic of the choreographer in 1951. These words of wisdom hold true today and seem especially poignant when examining the role of dance in contemporary musical theater. In recent years, the Broadway dance community has lent its talent to efficient well-packaged musicals while their ingenuity and creative energy has lost momentum. De Mille advises that this is unacceptable and potentially destructive to the integrity of the field of work. Today critics have noticed an absence of fiiesh, original and innovative choreography to explain the plots of musicals. There has been a decrease in the use of innovative dramatic dance in musical theater. Dance is not as tightly connected to the plot of a show as it once was. Dance has become more of an accessory and less of a visceral element firmly married to the dramatic action of the story. 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 Agnes de Mille highlighted the dramatic use of dance in her dream ballets starting in 1943 with Oklahoma!. Subsequently, choreographers such as Jerome Robbins, Michael Bennett and Bob Fosse buüt on what de Mille articulated in her initial dream ballets. This discussion will explore how these choreographers collectively brought dance to a new dramatic level and how today’s choreographers are struggling to keep dance alive in musical theater. Today there does not seem to be enough original dance ingenuity in Broadway musicals except for that