The Stage and the Dance in Medias Res: An Ethnographic Study of Ideologies Associated with Tradition and Continuity in a French Ballet Academy in the United States Stephanie J. Phillips Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy under the Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2014 © 2014 Stephanie J Phillips All rights reserved. ABSTRACT The Stage and the Dance in Medias Res: An Ethnographic Study of Ideologies Associated with Tradition and Continuity in a French Ballet Academy in the United States Stephanie J Phillips The anthropological study of dance is particularly relevant to scholars who work on theories of embodiment and social practice, as well as those concerned with the production of history and ideologies, for dance concerns the deliberate movement of the body across space and in time, and within a particular socio-cultural context. Based on a year and a half of ethnographic research at a pre- professional ballet school in New York City that specializes in teaching the “classical French” form, this study applies an anthropological understanding of ideologies and processes in education to classical forms of ballet. Its analysis of how the ideological system associated with the aesthetics of ballet is created and recreated, in relation to shifting concepts of tradition, suggests that the process of establishing and maintaining institutional boundaries and “sculpting” the bodies of students in the classroom frames the ways that students are related to, and develop relationships with, the ideologies that they encounter. Both the school, as an institution, and individual students are able to navigate and position themselves within the landscape formulated by these ideologies through the development of social networks, the formulation of individual institutional genealogies, and the development and presentation of choreography in selected venues. These processes illustrate the ways in which ideological systems are articulated, developed, and altered in relation to understandings of the human body. Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................. 2 Outline of the Dissertation ........................................................................................................................ 4 Chapter 1: The Landscape of Ballet .............................................................................................................. 6 Perspectives on Cultural Change and Ideologies in Ballet ........................................................................ 6 The Development and Specialization of Ballet Technique from Europe to the New World .................. 10 Nationalism, Modernism, and Ballet ...................................................................................................... 14 Theory of Social Organization in Relation to Dance History and Politics ................................................ 18 The Structure and Organization of Training and Traditions within the United States ........................... 19 The Structure and Organization of the French Ballet Academy ............................................................. 27 Chapter Two: The Recruitment of Students ............................................................................................... 36 Audition ................................................................................................................................................... 40 Genealogy and Lineage as a basis for Recruitment ................................................................................ 60 Social Bases of School Recruitment ........................................................................................................ 63 Demographic Trends during Year One and Year Two ............................................................................. 65 Family of Origin and Pursuit of Ballet Training ....................................................................................... 72 Chapter Three: Defining Social Positions .................................................................................................... 87 Talking about Auditioning ....................................................................................................................... 88 Institutions and Insider Knowledge ........................................................................................................ 92 Excerpt 1: Briana ................................................................................................................................... 103 Excerpt 2: Mirella .................................................................................................................................. 104 Excerpt 3: Ben ....................................................................................................................................... 105 i Excerpt 4: Angel .................................................................................................................................... 106 Excerpt 5: Sabrina ................................................................................................................................. 106 Ideals and Inclusion/Exclusion .............................................................................................................. 107 Chapter Four: Education and Aesthetics .................................................................................................. 122 Tradition and the Student Body ............................................................................................................ 122 Repetition and Deviation in Teaching and Learning ............................................................................. 127 Language in the Classroom ................................................................................................................... 130 The Disciplining of the Body and the Embodiment of Tradition ........................................................... 132 Categories and the “Joking Relationship “ ............................................................................................ 142 Chapter Five: Classroom Interactions ....................................................................................................... 159 Patterns of Interaction in the Classroom Setting .................................................................................. 159 Student Reflections on Classroom Interactions .................................................................................... 177 Classroom Corrections and Ballet Ideologies ........................................................................................ 182 Chapter Six: Experiential Exercises ........................................................................................................... 193 Between Classroom and Stage.............................................................................................................. 194 Precision, Artistry, and Employment .................................................................................................... 197 Localizing the Collective Repertoire: History and Digital Media ........................................................... 204 Process in Teaching New Choreography ............................................................................................... 210 Between Audience and Dancers: Meaning-Making in Performance .................................................... 213 Chapter Seven: Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 224 Encompassing Ideologies ...................................................................................................................... 224 Curriculum and the Collective ............................................................................................................... 225 Legitimacy, Tradition, and Landscape ................................................................................................... 228 ii The Body as a Site ................................................................................................................................. 229 Discipline and Sculptures ...................................................................................................................... 232 Institutional Choreography ................................................................................................................... 235 Concluding Remarks .............................................................................................................................. 236 Works Cited ............................................................................................................................................... 239 Appendix I: Class Schedules ...................................................................................................................... 248 iii List of Figures Figure 1: Labeled Tendu Derrière ................................................................................................................ 48 Figure 2: Acceptance Letter .......................................................................................................................