Lecture 3 Flashcards
diaghilev
an impresario, not a dancer or choreographer
impersario
presenter of artists
what did diaghilev bring together
the greatest artists of his day: dancers, choreographers, composers, painters, fashion designers
ex of best composers
stravinsky ravel debusssy satie prokofiev
ex of best painters
picasso
matisse
miro
braque
ex of best fashion designers
coco chanel
what did diaghilev develop his artistic vision around the concept of
theatrical synthesis, or total theatre
diaghilev’s theatrical synthesis
- perfect ballet is the fusion of dancing, painting, music
- all the arts in ballet should be unified
- no artist should be subservient to any other
- each artist should complement the work of the other
what performance marked the beginning of the diaghilev era
the ballets russes
where did the ballets russes premier
paris opera house
what were the 5 principles that fokine based his philosophy of dance and choreography
- creating new movements
- dramatic action
- gestures
- corps de ballet
- artistic equality
creating new movements principle that fokine based his philosophy of dance and choreography
creating new movement for each dance by relating it to the subject matter, time period, and geographic location rather than using established movements from classical ballet
dramatic action principle that fokine based his philosophy of dance and choreography
dancing should express the dramatic action of the ballet
- should not be used merely as entertainment without a connection to the dramatic development of the ballet
gestures principle that fokine based his philosophy of dance and choreography
- mime used only when required by the style of the ballet (classical)
- all other styles expressive gestures of the body should replace gestures of the hands
corps de ballet principle that fokine based his philosophy of dance and choreography
groups of dancers should not be used for ornamentation
- corps de ballet should be expressive as well as the soloists
artistic equality principle that fokine based his philosophy of dance and choreography
each artist working on the ballet should have artistic equality
what were the 3 innovative characteristics of fokine’s choreography
- freer movement of the torso
- expressive use of the arms
- movement which emphasized expressiveness over virtuosity
two of fokine’s ballets
dying swan and spectre de la rose
dying swan ballet
fokine
- solo choreographed for anna pavlova
spectre de la rose ballet
fokine
- “the spirit of the rose
- duet
- male role for nijinsky (to reestablish a central role for males in the ballet)
how many works did nijinsky choreograph for diaghilev
3
- afternoon of a faun
- games
- rite of spring
rite of spring ballet, music and set design
huge scandal, only 4 performances in paris and 8 total before it was taken out
- music: stravinsky
- set: roerich
what was nijinsky’s approach to choreography
very radical, was a complete departure from classical ballet
what did massine like in his ballets
comedy satire farce pantomime drama
what did one of massine’s ballets mark the beginning of
this new innovative phase of ballets russes
- parade
costumes and scenery for parade
picasso
parade ballet
multi-media spectacle
- described as first cubist inspired ballet
- caused huge scandal in paris
who developed cubism
picasso and georges braque
satie’s music
innovative
- incorporated non-melodic sounds like a ships siren, pistol shots, typewriters, etc
what was the third strand added to modernism
abstractionism
abstraction
moving away from the literal representation (can’t recognize things immediately anymore)
- extracting the essence of something and representing it in was that are not literally
who used abstraction
nijinska
nijinska
nijinsky’s sister
what is nijinska’s most well known work
noces (the wedding)
noces ballet
based on the theme of an ancient russian wedding ceremony
what was considered the companion piece to nijinsky’s rite of spring
nijinska’s noces
why was noces considered the companion piece to rite of spring
- similar movements
- use of russian folklore and ritual
- music by stravinsky
similar movements reason noces was considered the companion piece to rite of spring
jumping and tucking legs underneath them
use of russian folklore and ritual reason noces was considered the companion piece to rite of spring
rite of spring: chosen sacrificial virgin and marriage with the sun god
noces: ancient russian wedding
what is different about noces from the rite of spring
use of modern abstraction
decor in najinska’s noces
bare, simply, reduced to essentials, stark
the motif of what was used in najinska’s noces
hair braids and hair braiding
- arms curved like braids
- crossing legs and bodies
- pyramid of bodies where heads are laid one on top of the other to look like a braid
- bruges with extremely long braids
what were the 3 major contributions of diaghilev, everyone that surrounded him and the ballets russes
- transformed the ballet
- nurtured a generation of dancers and choreographers
- brought together the greatest artist of his time
transformed the ballet major contribution of diaghilev, everyone that surrounded him and the ballets russes
transformed it from a classical form to a modern art form
- huge metamorphosis
nurtured a generation of dancers and choreographers major contribution of diaghilev, everyone that surrounded him and the ballets russes
they contributed to the development of ballet in the 20th century
- continued with his ideas
- many started own companies and ballets
brought together the greatest artists of his time major contribution of diaghilev, everyone that surrounded him and the ballets russes
wouldnt have risen to the same kind of prominence without him
video about the search for nijinsky’s rite of spring
reconstruction of the rite of spring
- how do you reconstruct a ballet that there’s no video of and only one person alive that remembers
what was nijinsky’s lost ballet
rite of spring
how many acts in rite of spring
2 acts
video on nijisnka’s choreography
extremely long braids, long arm movements, pointe work, pyramid of faces
phase 1
fokine
nijinsky
phase 2
massine
modernism
nijinska
phase 3
balachine
