dance history

dance is an art-form performed by individuals or groups of human beings, existing in time, space, force, and flow which the human body is the instrument and movement is the medium

movement is stylized and the entire work is characterized by the form and structure

dance is commonly performed to musical or other rhythmic accompaniment and has primary purpose of expression of inner feelings and emotions, although it is often performed for social ritual, entertainment, or other purposes

as an art form and means of human expression

social pastime to go to theatrical performances

religious rite

fitness related activity

to establish social unity and provide a means of collective strength and purpose

many different interpretations of what dance is or can be

physical, cultural, social, psychological, economic, political, communicative

boroqe era: Louis XIV understood influence ballet had and used it to portray power, etiquette, and to bring society together

when medieval church resisted dancing, they eventually incorporated pagan rituals/movements to make it more appealing to the masses

cave paintings, egyptian hieroglyphics, description of ancient olympic games, old testament

institutional need for emotional expression, assuring continuation of traditional ways of living, honor gods and each other, affirm tribal identities, to ask gods for a fertile crop and bountiful harvest

*To deal with their limitations in making sense of their terrifying environment. *Stamping into the earth to attract attention of a deity to ask for intervention in human concerns. *Making contact with spirits in trance-inducing dances was a means for early people to calm fears and gain control over the course of their lives .

*ideals of art *emphasis placed on harmony and proportion, connection with nature, sense of line * Greeks performed rituals based on gods * Idea of being processed by God * ideals of perfection in philosophy, art, science

general education, festival games, military training, theatrical entertainment

irrational, passionate, and wildly sensual nature. God of wine

name of song and dance to honor dionysis

*Greeks regarded songs accompanied by gestures as a form of dance. *In greek damas highly trained chorus of masked performers supported an unfolding plot of riveting human experience by visibly responding in song, dance, and gesture to the speech of the actors

*performed only by men in the realm of myth, considers private vs. public self. * chatharsis- emotional aspect of tragedy--theater acts out of pity, fear people are feelings, way to purge emotions.

chance for more freedom of speech. things drawn from everyday life, rather than higher religious question

* birth of theater * ideals of democracy * purpose of art * creation of tragedy, comedy, satire * art as conversation between the state and individual--dance becomes the voice, where individuals can speek--origin of change. * sense of line, which is seen today in dance in ballet, in ensembles, and in choruses

* art as strictly entertainment * shift in idea of art * idea of pantomime * size, spectacular performance * dancers as second class citizens--not connected with being well education

*Arts as source of entertainment, violent spectacles *artists as greek slaves * arts started catering to public expectations

constructed with 4 or 5 scenes portrayed by 1 performer in episodes that were separated by musical interludes. Pantomime artist wore a mask with closed mouth to signify story without words. Gestures, symbolic movements, and cape tricks would convey nuances of the story.

* intellectual and cultural center for learning * Growing Christian culture, shaped by deeply spiritual writings of St. Augustine * Life as a preparation for the next world * All human pleasures as distractions to contemplating holy thoughts * Human body and dancing considered evil temptations *Theatrical dance lost its showcase for thousands of years

* fall of roman empire * europe emerges as cultural unit * dark ages of lawlessnes * Christian church becomes unifying force of ideals, philosophies, and art * Focus on Church and God--about suffering and gaining rewards in heaven * obsession with strangeness, myths, folklore * famine and plague throughout Europe

Body is the vessel for the soul

*Realization that dancing could not be suppressed because natural proclivity for self-expression through the activity of movement was too obvious. *Simple pleasure that people took in village dances for religious celebration seemed harmless. * dance in honor of God--people would go in processions through town * The only theater allowed was acting out story

maypole dance carole: basic form of folkdance ahselrotten( flirtations) gimplegampel and springelantz (leaps and skips) hoppaldei (couples rushed about with shoulders heaving and arms waving) houbelschotten (sliding movements, head shaking, and shoulder shrugging)

*envisioned god in his heavenly throne surrounded by dancing "round of angels" *dancing was the principal pastime for the saints in heavenly regions * church incorporated small amounts of highly disciplined and formalized dance in its most profound religious services, preserving and sanctifying the presence f dance in medieval culture

* important in tracing dance's evolution because of its various expressions are indicative of the church-dominated medieval mentality. took on the form of a dialogue between its characters and a skeletal death figure. stories meant to be stern warnings of humanity's worldly end and that death comes to every man

* large numbers of people, often, entire town populations dancing until they collapsed or died of exhaustion. * result of witchcraft, bite of the tarantula, spider, or intervention of the devil * result of group hypnosis, sexual excitement, contaminated food, or hysterical symptoms of merriment

*poets and songwriters who flourished from 110-1244 * passionate poetry had enormous social influence because it created around the ladies of the court

*parades of elaborate platforms constructed by the trade guilds. *most direct relationship to ballet is that the richly decorated floats were forerunners of theatrical scenery.

o Is a dance form not directly related to the theatrical performance of ballet o Represents the continued human interest in dance as diversion and recreation even when it wasn't sanctioned by the medieval Church

folk dancing and court dancing as social customs dance presented as spectacles

o specifically re-enacted miraculous interventions by the saints o often took the form of processional dancing to commemorate the miracles

o drew its subject from scriptures, dramatized biblical stories, the major form of medieval drama, characters are biblical or saintly o illustrated the nonrational aspects of Christian dogma called "mysteries" o held in huge cathedrals o sense of spectacle

*birth of ballet *rebirth of intellect, culture, arts, going back to classical ideas/reawakening *humanism * human centered, human ability * awakening of questioning and challenging * invention of the printing press--> spread of info * shift from religious matters to worldly matters

Medieval people were God centered, ignoring values of faith, hope, and love--renaissance human centered. Wanted to escape the darkness and harshness of a semi-barbarous world into heavenly reward promised by christian creed

people centered rather than god centered, univers called attention to a person's physical nature as well as the pragmatic advantages of the physical over the spiritual

Ballrooms with audience sitting on 3 sides all around. Often performed at large functions such as weddings.

• choreography emphasized the elaborate floor patterns created by lines and groups of dancers

o Used to celebrate great occasions o Mediated religious quarrels o used to show wealth and power o Used to demonstrate to foreigners that France wasn't totally ruined b/c of wars, internal politics, and religious conflicts People dancing were people of the court, not professional dancers

o Misuro - ability to keep time o Memoria - the ability to precisely memorize the steps and their sequential ordering o Partire del terreno - the skill to gauge the movement in its allotted space o Aiere - the dexterity of the upward lift of the body with its corresponding settling down o Maniera - the connection f the footwork to the rise and fal of aiere o Movemento corporeo - the graceful, modest, and sweet comportment of the dancer

each pattern represented a moral virtue or an eternal truth echoing the spiritual side of man. Transitions could be abrupt, moving quickly from serious to playful qualities. One after another, forming, breaking, and reforming of shapes symbolized the endless succession of birth and death

small books on sale at ballets, which explained the story scene by scene

o Chiefly concerned with discussions of dance steps and notated rhythms and 23 versions of the branle • While these were originally social dance forms, their steps and rhythms were absorbed into theatrical dance as the forms continued to develop o Many practical hints for solving technical difficulties were incorporated into Arbeau's instructions for executing the steps, positions, and dances

o Made her Italian legacy of court ballet a permanent part of French culture when she married into the French royal family

Court dance master in charge of training dancers and organizing and producing royal entertainments

o Created hybrids of Itallian dance and French masquerades o Precursors of the French court ballets

Polish ballet that focused on impressing its elite audience of french courtiers and polish diplomats. This earned Catherine's dance master title of "founder of French Court ballet"

Considered first ever ballet for its 5 hour long plot centered on one theme

Used Ballet to show power, established dance academy in France. Responsible for shift from amateur to professionalism in ballet dancers

ballet where Louis XIV played apollo, the sun King lasted half a day with diverse elements of nighttime connecting the theme of 45 entrances of danced configurations

Main dance master in Boroque era, established 5 main positions of ballet aas wella s plie and relevet

composer who was the artistic personality during the reign of Louis XIV. Intimate knowledge of the problems of composing music for ballet. Understood the bodys natural rhythmic flow

model institution for dance established within the Academi Royale de Musique. Schooled dancing that required instruction of a teacher to impart its classical rules

Royal Academy of Dance established by King Louis XIV. Established dance as important as the military

allowing body to be more open and expressive to the audience

enabled perspective

dance becomes professional art, technique is codified, France as the epicenter of ballet, Questioning of power, enlightened monarch instead of absolute monarch (concerned about people, not only on personal power), virtuosity vs. expression. Enlightenment= liberation, freedom, individualism, emphasis on science and reason

"i think therefore i am"-Decart, questioning authority, humanistic power is limited, reasoning and idealism over tradition and absolutism. Freedom and change replace power and community

focus on and advancement of technique--not really about the story o The molding of the individual dancer as a performing artist → advancement in the dancer's technique o The art of choreography was raised to new heights of expressive possibilities by examining the nature of human experience in relation to theatrical dance itself

o Worked with Beauchamp to invent the comedie-ballet o Comedie ballet -- a genre of French drama which mixes a spoken play with interludes containing music and dance o Moliere, Lully, and Beauchamp assimilated elements of the Italian commedia dell'arte into their joint work

o Most important technical writing to emerge from the first years of professional dance o Dancing master, served as grammarian in Beauchamp's school o His writing was essentially a technical manual, serving to stabilize the French ballet terminology o Systematically arranged existing ballet steps, defined the five classic positions, and developed a system of dance notation

o Wrote The Dancing Master o Set down detailed instructions in his book for a courteous demeanor at royal balls, the correct order of proceedings, and the required politeness and reverence between men and women o Concerned mostly with social dances o Emphasized opposition in the movement of the arms and legs o Ultimately he was the foremost dance writer of his day

18th century form of theatrical dance characterized by 3-5 unrelated plots held together by a theme announced in the prologue.

first type of ballet where the plot is advanced through the movement. Idea of how dance can be expressive within itself without theater and singing. First ballet d' action was Loves of Venus and Mars choreographed by Noverre

God of dance during enlightenment

important male dancer in enlightenment

song of Gaetan, heightened the demi-character

teacher of Marie Camargo and Marie Salle, considered one of the first famous female dancers.

o There was much debate as to whether excellent technique (virtuosity) is more important in a dancer as opposed to excellent ability to convey emotions (expression) o Carmargo (virtuosity) vs. Salle (expression)

Famous female dancer in the enlightenment. Very beautiful technical dancer, but lacked expressive qualities. Danced under Prevost and was rivals with Marie Salle. Trained in male style. Known for speed and agility

Famous female dancer in the enlightenment. Very expressive. Rival of Camargo. Student of prevost. Movement more natural

o Based in London o The father of English pantomime o Choreographed The Loves of Mars and Venus o required a significant amount of gestures due to the story not being expressed in any spoken form

documented dances on paper wrote 7 major points to accomplish a more naturalistic style

1. Emphasized correctness in dance technique however must be adapted to individual's anatomy 2. dancer's personality and artistic style is prerequisite to artistic development 3. stressed validity and sincerity of gestural expression w/in dramatic context 4. logical development of plots that are thematically integrated 5. music must be appropriately suited to the dramatic development of the plot 6. costumes, decor, and lighting must be compatible w/ the introduction, plot, and climax 7. get rid of masks and introduced stage make up

Director of Royal Academy

Shared dancing roled with Gaetan Vestris. Danced without masks or wigs. He and Dauberval became Vestris's assistants as dance masters, and later he succeded Noverre

French composer and music theorist of Boroque era. Replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as dominant composer of French Opera. Famous for Treatise on Harmony

classically proportioned male dancer who excels in the strict style of the danse d' ecole

middle ground classification of dancer who commands the dignified bearing of a danseur noble combined with virtuoso technique of danseur comique

danced outside the bounds with the danse d' ecole, exhibiting acrobatic or exagerted elements. Not so good with technique, more comic relief

absolute inwardness, cult of individualism, revolt on emphasis of light and freedom, the darker the better. subjective better than objective, romantic love as birthright of all humans

o believed that the focus on reason and science during the Enlightenment drew away from what was really important - emotion o all about the human heart o emotion > reason o faith > skepticism o intuition > logic o subjectivity > objectivity o night > day

o Artists are the isolated "tragic hero" o absolute originality and artistic inspiration by the individual genius

emotions remistify the world, going completely into oneself to experience darkest of emotions. in the night you leave the false world and enter the real one

ballet for the people, attended by middle class citizens, a social experience

o Ballerinas began dancing on pointe → idea of defying gravity o Pas de deux developed • Supported adagio movements • Assisted leaps and lifts • Helped with pointe work b/c balancing was more difficult so the ballerinas needed the help from the males

o The concept of shifting scenes was perfected with the use of imbedded tracks for sliding decorative panels on and off stage o Trap doors were a major feature b/c evil creatures could "disappear" o The use of gas lighting increased the potential for atmospheric fantasy o Gas illumination made gradual variations in light intensity possible and dependable o House lights were dimmed during the performance

propels plot forward through dancing. whole story told through ballet. dance is the subject. how the dancers can be expressive and tell a story. o Beyond technique - creating atmosphere and characterizations

focus on the female dancer, males are the accessories and only support the story and women as if they were the barre

pointe work and cultivation of female dancer

focus on female ballerina. creating the image of femininity on the stage. o Usurped the position of the male dancer and as a partner to the ballerina o Women stepped in to roles previously filled by men

anecdotes surrounding the ever present young swains who dallied with ravishing danses the quality of integrity of the opera were lost in the new ballets

o Giselle • a milestone in establishing the choreography as the central means for communicating a narrative o La Sylphide • breakthrough in the evolution of the port de bras Exquisitely delicate arm movements that appeared to be weightlessly responding to the pressure of the air • Exuberant folk dance steps contrasted with the quality of the ethereal pointe work and soundless ballon • contained the right balance of reality and supernatural

• Choreographed by Filippo Taglioni • Score by Jean-Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer • Danced by Marie Taglioni

choreographed by Jean Coralli

1811-1872 French author who was a prolific and articulate critic of dance who provided choreographers with well-knit plots for their ballets

1777-1781. Choreographer of La Sylphide. italian dance master at the paris opera who coached and choreographed his daughter marie Taglioni

1804-1884. First famous female pointe dancer. most renowned romantic ballerina.

1810-1884 child prodigy who possessed extraordinary dance qualities that were opposite to the ethereal Marie. Praised for her superb acting as well as style of movement

Romantic muse. Italian trained dancer who came from an austrian family of famous and theatrically well-connected opera singers.

1817-1909 one of a cluster of 5 romantic ballerinas who were super famous

1819-1907. actively engaged in shaping new ballet style

1810-1892 Brilliant dancer who commanded great tradition of ballet. dynamic choreography demonstrated a heightened fusion of dance and story line

co-choreographer of Gisele

theorist, choreographer, and teacher. central figure in development of romantic ballet. wrote a book on technique. first to make legs higher and skirts shorter

dancing conveyed melancholy, grace, abandonment, and nonchalant lightness. replaced fanny elssler in paris opera

o Various ballet steps and gestural motifs clearly associated with each character and corresponding to recurring orchestral passages o As the ballet progressed these movement motifs and recurring musical themes accumulated, serving to act as visual and aural reminders of the characters passing from one situation to the next

lack of significant new talent/public understanding of art practical demands of dancers training were ignored classes in pantomime hadn't been taught for some time

dance declined to ballroom dancing product of less talented dhoreographers and libretists failed to measure up to writings of gauthier backstage discipline decreased

france had undergone 5 wars, revolution, napoleans downfall, and 3 different regimes

1845 jules perrot. 4 dancers: taglioni, grisi, cerrito, and grahn

jules perot

jules perrot. non narrative ballet

1870, saint leon's brilliant success. lasting ballet from post-romantic era. combined elements that comprised the repertoire of golden age 30 years earlier reasserted romantic themes, offering a human heroin, realistic characters, and a village location and dark eerie toy shop

marie taglioni's protege. but her dress caught on fire in a dress rehersal so she died

choreographed Coppelia. dancer turned violinist. changed ballet with his music

achieved fame in London and the Paris opera and then went to teach and choreograph for the Royal Danish Opera. Ballet in Denmark flourished under his direction, becoming a national art in spite of its French Origins Recorded his thoughts on dance, memories, reflections, and art in Mit TheatreLiv (3 volume biography)

1. beauty of face and pleasing body proportions 2. development of intellectual qualities 3. grace 4. ability to communicate through gesture 5. proper technique

famous for painting dancers in class reflected the situation of dancers at the time in that they were all of women

Lack of new talent in France influenced decline in dance in France Novelty of tricks wore off Less respectable job to be in the ballet all of these caused decline in dance in France and increase of ballet in Russia Peter the Great (Russian Czar) toured Europe and brought back ideals of art to Russia Czarina Anna commissioned French Ballet paster, Jean Baptise Lande to teach court dances to cadets

Father of classical ballet. (1818-1910) From France • French man came to Russia and really developed dance • Brother of Lucius Petipa who was first man in Gissele • On his way to Russia stopped in Madrid and became very influenced by Spanish dancing • Classical ballet from Romantic era were all done by him (Don Quixote) • ballet vocabulary with Spanish influence • Most crucial artist is someone who tries to please audience and isn't trying • Technique were about fines and use of point work orchestrated principal dancers, groups of soloists, corps de ballet of his ensemble aspirations toward virtuosity marked an inevitable moment in the evolution of ballet

Nutcracker, sleeping beauty, swan lake

Didelot worked to improve technique by refining pirouettes. Excercises to strengthen female dancer's feet for demands of pointe intensified study of mime and music lessons

• "Ballet is a serious art form in which beauty must dominate—the ballet is dying in France, and the ballet in Russia is not dying as long as the Italian influence is felt" • Idea that tricks of flexibility are just showing off • Italian school was advancing technique • Heavy on expression and virtuosity to create firey mood and passion

emerged from Didelot's second period in St. Petersberg. feverish partisanship overtaking avid male enthusiasts from the moment of their initial infection with the art to their acquisition of connoisseurship

Brought pointe to russia presented idea of ballerina occasionally rising on tips of her slippers developed more advanced technology in service of theatrical illusion

where italian opera was presented and Petipa would present his work

• Petipa's assistant • Choreographed nutcracker completely—petipa had idea and began production but then got sick One of the most musical choreographers in history. earliest pioneer of symphonic ballet choreographed acts II and IV of Swan Lake

composer of: • Nutcracker • Swan Lake • Sleeping Beauty • Revolutionary way of using music—score being created after dance, bigger music, symphonic music • Worked with Petipa • Music for ballet wasn't seen as important until him