Why Is Swan Lake An Importance Of The Ballets Around The World?

The repertoire includes such classics as Tchaikovsky‘s "Eugene Onegin" and "Swan Lake" and works by Mozart, Verdi and Rossini. Other popular productions are Massenet‘s ballet "Manon" and the operas "Don Juan" by Mozart, "War and Peace" by Prokofiev and Wagner‘s "Das Rheingold". The latest productions are Tchaikovsky‘s "The Nutcracker" Puccini‘s "La Boheme" and Verdi‘s "Macbeth". The most famous Russian ballet companies are; Tatchkine, St. Petersburg, Bolshoi companies just to name a few of the most famous.

Ballet’s origin came from the Italian Renaissance courts in the early 15th century. Ballets were performed during wedding celebrations and many other events. In addition to this, only the people of the noble class could attend these “lavish” events were ballets were staged (“A Brief”). Not only was dance important to these events, but also the music. In the 1700s, Opéra-ballet was created. This brand of ballet emphasized singing and dancing, united by a common theme depending on what the production is about (“Ballet”). Ballet became popular over the centuries, in fact, many choreographers across the globe traveled to settle in the United States to teach ballet, including Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova (Rollins). Likewise, Russian choreographer

Martha Graham once said, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul.” The concept that dance moves us, evokes emotions in us and can resonates with us, is undeniably apparent in Swan Lake; a timeless classic that tells a tragic love story that has lasted throughout the decades. Furthermore, the production of Swan Lake took risks and tested society in what is acceptable by raising issues such as feminism, religion and breaking free from conformity. Thus, the traditional version – performed in 1994 by the Australian Ballet, featuring Miranda Coney and Greg Horsman – and the non-traditional interpretation – choreographed in 1995 by Matthew Bourne – exemplify the beauty of Swan Lake through the manipulation of non-movement and movement components that resonate with the audience.

For the history of Russian Classical ballet, it originated in a group of dance academies in Moscow and St Petersburg in the eighteenth century. At first the dancers were from poor backgrounds - usually from orphanages - but the Tsars were particular ballet enthusiasts and so the profile grew. However, in the nineteenth century some of the best French and Italian dancers and teachers went to Russia and ballet developed considerably more than in Western Europe where opera was preferred. It was under this climate that Russian ballet led the way in classical dance with such famous stars as Anna Pavlova, Mikhail Foskine and the legendary Nijinsky, who all trained with the Frenchman Marius Petipa at the St Petersburg Imperial Ballet.

‘Swan Lake' was re-choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov in1895, after initially being choreographed by Julius Reisinger in 1877. The musical score was composed by Pytor Tchaikovsky. ‘Swan Lake' was created towards the end of the romantic period, so the culture and style of romanticism was prominent, with glimpses of the beginning of the classical era. Because of this, it contains elements of both eras. Some of the romantic characteristics include the pursuit of the unattainable, romance, fantasy, focus on the female role, gas lighting and simple sets, pointe work, soft and feminine technique for females and the bell tutu. Some of the classical features include the length of the ballet, the classical tutu and more

As world has changed over the last century or so, the ballet world has been changing with it. There are many people who have helped shape that change. The changes in style were mainly influenced by George Balanchine. George Balanchine, a Russian choreographer and ballet dancer, also known as the father of American ballet, was the man who was said to have changed the style of ballet forever. Along with these changes in style came changes in visual design elements, inspirational figures, and changes in what the ballets themselves tend to rely on. Many of the features given to ballet in Russia in the 15th and 16th century still remain to this day, but many features have been altered to fit . Let’s take a closer look at what features truly

After the Romantic-era ballet had died out in Paris and Russia became the new focus. In 1738, the opening of the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg attracted many great dancers and choreographers such as Marie Taglioni. This school was controlled by an aristocrat named Czar. The most well known 19th century choreographer, Marius Petipa, became the ballet master of the entire school, shaping imperial and classical ballet. Ideas such as increased focus on technique, formulaic choreography, mime and gesture, and lengthy ballets can be seen in Petipa 's most famous ballets. These famous ballets include The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake. In the 20th century, Sergei Diaghilev introduced a traveling ballet company called Ballet Russes. Starting out in Paris, this company brings together Russian and Western ideas with a spark of modernism. This company brought together revolutionary collaborations between choreographers, dancers, composers, artists, and fashion designers. Through the development of Russian ballet, there has been rejection and embracement as well as changes in structure and choreography.

Do you know who the first African American principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre is? She defies physics when you watch her on stage with awe-inspiring routines. Misty Copeland is unlike any other ballerina in the world. While dancing at The American Ballet Theatre, she had the lead role in Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, and The Firebird (McCann, 185). She is the face of Dannon, Estée Lauder, and Under Armour. Misty was on the cover of Time magazine as one of The Top Most Influential People of 2015 (McCann, 187). She got her first formal dance training at the age of 13- most dancers begin at the age of three or four. However, despite the late start into the sport, many said she was a “natural” or a “prodigy” (Copeland-

On February 2, 2017, I was given the opportunity to view Innovative Works, performed by Charlotte Ballet, and created by Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, in the Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance. Charlotte Ballet has been around Charlotte, North Carolina for twenty-five years as a professional company. Bonnefoux created the performance to announce the passion and intensity of each movement the dancer’s performed along with assistance from Mark Diamond, Sasha Janes, Sarah Harkins, and David Ingram. Before viewing the performance, the Dance Department of Coker College was given a tour around the building. During the tour, information was provided about how long the company has existed, we were able to visit the costume design

To prove everyone wrong, an interest was sparked in supporting ballet to show the world that American artists are just as competence as its foreign competitors. Unlike the Russians who have already established their mark in the ballet world, Americans were not commonly associated as talented ballet dancers. Thus, in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower set aside $2,250,00 to fund dance, theatre, music, and sports tours to showcase American talents around the world. One of the funded dance tours was a ballet tour by New York City Ballet’s in Western Europe and the Soviet Union in 1962 (Croft, p. 425). New York City Ballet was a company founded by Balanchine and Kristen so their ballet performances reflected the innovation style of American ballet while maintaining its classical grace. Before their tour in the Soviet Union, the dancers were prepared for criticism and even booing during the performance due to the tensions between the two countries. However, all political differences were pushed aside, as “three thousand Soviet ballet fans rose to their feet to celebrate

I have danced every year of my life since. I am humbled to say, that through long days and nights in the studio, sacrificing time with my friends and family, all of the blood, sweat, and tears, I have accomplished what I have been working for since I was a little girl waddling around swallowed in a big pink tutu. I was chosen for the lead role of Cinderella in the Danscompany of Gainesville’s “Cinderella Ballet.” This accomplishment is a reflection of my consistent and sustained work ethic. This tenacity is reflected in other areas of my life and will be a defining characteristic that I carry to

Ballet is an interesting thing, but have you ever thought about how it started or why. Did you know at first that women were not a big part of ballet. Ballet was a big thing for men not women. Learn more about this exciting journey through time

Every since 1991, Encore Studio has upheld this common thought of love and encouragement for its dancers. The studio is covered with their spirited colors of pink and black, dispersed amongst paintings of ballerinas, to the wallpaper having glimpses of pink, grey, black, and white. No matter if it is Monday night ballet, or Saturday

The history of ballet is rich, complex and full of powerful meanings depending on the time period. Ballet in the 15th century was seen as something that only select individuals could do, whereas, the 20th century ballet can be preformed by anyone. By thinking about how ballet performers have changed, a question may be thought is, have the people attending these ballet performances changed as well as the performers themselves? Today, children from ages two and up start taking ballet and family members come and watch their final recitals. National ballet companies are also an event and often draw attention to the higher-class individuals who have a taste for ballet. The ballet world could be seen as to having a quite array of attendees, events and functions, but that might not have always been the

While watching the video “Ballet, Sweat, and Tears,” I noticed that the Ballet teachers in Russia are more strict and severe than the ones in America. The teachers at the Russia academy yelled a lot and physically touched the students, while here I America that is not allowed. In my opinion a difference that I saw was that the students over at the Vaganova Ballet were not lazy at all. The students from the Russian academy were more focused and traditional. Russian ballet also focuses on moving the body as a “whole,” their moves are more controlled and precise. They also tend to focus on flexibility and endurance as well as the positions of the arms. I also noticed that the students attending the Vaganova academy were more willing to make sacrifices. And example, would be the little girl that stated that she has not been able to watch television for over two months now. Now, the typical student here in the United States tends to be lazy and usually has a careless attitude. I know the students over here in America would not wake up at six in the morning just to keep practicing, especially in today’s generation. While, I also watched some ballet videos from the school of American Ballet I saw that the diet is not as firm as the one from the Vaganova Ballet Academy. Many people have also stated that compared to the Vaganova Ballet Academy the school of American ballet is a breeze. A major difference that I saw was the performance while the Russian ballet performance was precise