Performing Arts - (15% of Exam) Flashcards
Key Figure
Details
Aeschylus
Time Period: Ancient Greece
Contribution: Father of Greek tragedy, known for The Oresteia.
Sophocles
Time Period: Ancient Greece
Contribution: Playwright of Oedipus Rex and Antigone, introducing painted scenery and a third actor.
Euripides
Time Period: Ancient Greece
Contribution: Greek tragedian known for Medea and The Bacchae, bringing psychological depth to characters.
Aristophanes
Time Period: Ancient Greece
Contribution: Master of Old Comedy, satirizing Athenian society in plays like Lysistrata and The Clouds.
William Shakespeare
Time Period: Renaissance
Contribution: English playwright known for Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet, shaping modern drama.
Molière
Time Period: 17th Century
Contribution: French playwright known for satirical comedies like Tartuffe and The Misanthrope.
Henrik Ibsen
Time Period: 19th Century
Contribution: Father of modern drama, known for A Doll’s House and Hedda Gabler, tackling social issues.
Anton Chekhov
Time Period: 19th Century
Contribution: Russian playwright known for The Cherry Orchard and Uncle Vanya, pioneering realism.
Konstantin Stanislavski
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Developed the ‘Stanislavski Method’ of acting, emphasizing psychological realism.
Bertolt Brecht
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: German playwright and theorist, creator of Epic Theatre, known for Mother Courage and Her Children.
Tennessee Williams
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: American playwright known for A Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie.
Arthur Miller
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: American playwright known for The Crucible and Death of a Salesman.
Samuel Beckett
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Absurdist playwright known for Waiting for Godot and Endgame.
Eugene O’Neill
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: American playwright known for Long Day’s Journey into Night and The Iceman Cometh.
August Wilson
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Chronicled African American experiences in Fences and The Piano Lesson.
Bob Fosse
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Choreographer and director known for Cabaret, Chicago, and Pippin.
Martha Graham
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Pioneer of modern dance, creating the Graham technique.
Alvin Ailey
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Choreographer known for Revelations, blending modern dance and African American culture.
Isadora Duncan
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Revolutionary dancer known for free, expressive movement and rejecting ballet formalism.
Rudolf Laban
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Theorist who developed Labanotation, a system for recording dance movements.
Merce Cunningham
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Avant-garde choreographer who explored chance in dance composition.
Pina Bausch
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: German choreographer blending dance and theater in Tanztheater.
George Balanchine
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Founder of the New York City Ballet, shaping neoclassical ballet.
Jerome Robbins
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Choreographer of West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof.
Charlie Chaplin
Time Period: Early Film
Contribution: Silent film actor and director known for The Great Dictator and City Lights.
Sergei Eisenstein
Time Period: Early Film
Contribution: Soviet filmmaker who pioneered montage theory in Battleship Potemkin.
Orson Welles
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Director of Citizen Kane, revolutionizing cinematography and storytelling.
Alfred Hitchcock
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Master of suspense, known for Psycho, Rear Window, and Vertigo.
Stanley Kubrick
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Visionary director of 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining.
Akira Kurosawa
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Japanese director known for Seven Samurai and Rashomon.
Ingmar Bergman
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Swedish director known for The Seventh Seal and Persona.
Federico Fellini
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Italian director known for La Dolce Vita and 8½.
Francis Ford Coppola
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Director of The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now.
Steven Spielberg
Time Period: Contemporary Film
Contribution: Blockbuster director known for Jaws, E.T., and Schindler’s List.
Martin Scorsese
Time Period: Contemporary Film
Contribution: Director known for Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and The Irishman.
Quentin Tarantino
Time Period: Contemporary Film
Contribution: Director known for Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and Django Unchained.
Hayao Miyazaki
Time Period: Contemporary Film
Contribution: Animator known for Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro.
Spike Lee
Time Period: Contemporary Film
Contribution: Director of Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X, focusing on race and culture.
Ava DuVernay
Time Period: Contemporary Film
Contribution: Director known for Selma and When They See Us.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Time Period: Contemporary Theater
Contribution: Composer and playwright of Hamilton and In the Heights.
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Time Period: Contemporary Theater
Contribution: Composer of The Phantom of the Opera and Cats.
Julie Taymor
Time Period: Contemporary Theater
Contribution: Director of The Lion King on Broadway, known for innovative staging.
Peter Brook
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Theatrical director known for minimalist and experimental approaches.
Robert Wilson
Time Period: Contemporary Theater
Contribution: Avant-garde theater director known for Einstein on the Beach.
Kenneth Branagh
Time Period: Contemporary Film/Theater
Contribution: Actor and director of Shakespeare adaptations and Hollywood films.
Tyler Perry
Time Period: Contemporary Film/Theater
Contribution: Creator of Madea films and a major influence in African American cinema and theater.
Title
Details
The Oresteia
Creator: Aeschylus
Time Period: Ancient Greece
Synopsis: A trilogy of Greek tragedies exploring justice and revenge.
Oedipus Rex
Creator: Sophocles
Time Period: Ancient Greece
Synopsis: A tragedy about fate and self-discovery.
Lysistrata
Creator: Aristophanes
Time Period: Ancient Greece
Synopsis: A comedic play where women withhold sex to end war.
Hamlet
Creator: William Shakespeare
Time Period: Renaissance
Synopsis: A prince seeks revenge for his father’s murder.
Macbeth
Creator: William Shakespeare
Time Period: Renaissance
Synopsis: A Scottish nobleman’s ambition leads to tragedy.
Tartuffe
Creator: Molière
Time Period: 17th Century
Synopsis: A comedy satirizing religious hypocrisy.
A Doll’s House
Creator: Henrik Ibsen
Time Period: 19th Century
Synopsis: A woman challenges societal norms and leaves her husband.
The Cherry Orchard
Creator: Anton Chekhov
Time Period: 19th Century
Synopsis: A Russian aristocratic family loses their estate.
Mother Courage and Her Children
Creator: Bertolt Brecht
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A woman profits from war but suffers personal loss.
Waiting for Godot
Creator: Samuel Beckett
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: An absurdist play about two men waiting for a mysterious figure.
A Streetcar Named Desire
Creator: Tennessee Williams
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A Southern woman’s illusions clash with harsh reality.
Death of a Salesman
Creator: Arthur Miller
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A critique of the American Dream through a struggling salesman.
Fences
Creator: August Wilson
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A drama about race, family, and generational conflict.
West Side Story
Creator: Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A musical retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in New York.
The Phantom of the Opera
Creator: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A mysterious figure haunts an opera house.
Hamilton
Creator: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Time Period: Contemporary
Synopsis: A musical about the life of Alexander Hamilton, blending hip-hop and history.
The Nutcracker
Creator: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Time Period: Romantic
Synopsis: A ballet about a magical Christmas journey.
Swan Lake
Creator: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Time Period: Romantic
Synopsis: A tragic ballet about a princess cursed to be a swan.
Rite of Spring
Creator: Igor Stravinsky
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A ballet that caused a riot with its avant-garde music and choreography.
Revelations
Creator: Alvin Ailey
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A modern dance work exploring African American spirituals and history.
Battleship Potemkin
Creator: Sergei Eisenstein
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A revolutionary silent film using montage techniques.
Citizen Kane
Creator: Orson Welles
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A film exploring the rise and fall of a newspaper tycoon.
Psycho
Creator: Alfred Hitchcock
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A psychological thriller featuring the iconic shower scene.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Creator: Stanley Kubrick
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A philosophical sci-fi film exploring evolution and artificial intelligence.
Seven Samurai
Creator: Akira Kurosawa
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A film about samurai defending a village from bandits.
La Dolce Vita
Creator: Federico Fellini
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A film exploring excess and celebrity culture.
The Godfather
Creator: Francis Ford Coppola
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A crime epic about a mafia family’s rise and conflicts.
Schindler’s List
Creator: Steven Spielberg
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A film about a businessman saving Jews during the Holocaust.
Pulp Fiction
Creator: Quentin Tarantino
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A nonlinear film blending crime, humor, and pop culture.
Spirited Away
Creator: Hayao Miyazaki
Time Period: 21st Century
Synopsis: A young girl is trapped in a spirit world and must find her way home.
Do the Right Thing
Creator: Spike Lee
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A film exploring racial tensions in Brooklyn on a hot summer day.
Selma
Creator: Ava DuVernay
Time Period: 21st Century
Synopsis: A historical film about Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights march.
Madea’s Family Reunion
Creator: Tyler Perry
Time Period: 21st Century
Synopsis: A blend of comedy and drama focusing on family and faith.
Einstein on the Beach
Creator: Robert Wilson, Philip Glass
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: An avant-garde opera with minimalist music and abstract storytelling.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Creator: Richard O’Brien
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A cult musical blending sci-fi and horror elements.
Cabaret
Creator: Bob Fosse
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A musical set in pre-WWII Berlin’s cabaret scene.
Chicago
Creator: Bob Fosse
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A satirical musical about crime and fame.
Fiddler on the Roof
Creator: Jerome Robbins
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A musical about Jewish life and change in pre-revolutionary Russia.
The Lion King
Creator: Julie Taymor
Time Period: 21st Century
Synopsis: A stage adaptation of Disney’s film using innovative puppetry.
Moulin Rouge!
Creator: Baz Luhrmann
Time Period: 21st Century
Synopsis: A film musical blending contemporary pop songs with a 19th-century setting.
The Irishman
Creator: Martin Scorsese
Time Period: 21st Century
Synopsis: A crime film exploring mob history and aging.
The Truman Show
Creator: Peter Weir
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A film about a man unknowingly living inside a reality show.
Avatar
Creator: James Cameron
Time Period: 21st Century
Synopsis: A sci-fi epic set on the alien world of Pandora.
Black Panther
Creator: Ryan Coogler
Time Period: 21st Century
Synopsis: A Marvel superhero film celebrating African culture and identity.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Creator: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Time Period: 21st Century
Synopsis: A genre-bending film about multiverses, family, and identity.
Movement
Details
Greek Tragedy
Definition: Ancient Greek dramatic form focusing on human suffering and fate.
Key Works: Oedipus Rex (Sophocles)
Key Figures: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides
Greek Comedy
Definition: Ancient Greek plays using satire and humor to critique society.
Key Works: Lysistrata (Aristophanes)
Key Figures: Aristophanes
Commedia dell’Arte
Definition: A form of Italian theater using masked characters and improvisation.
Key Works: Various stock characters and scenarios
Key Figures: Unknown performers
Elizabethan Drama
Definition: English Renaissance theater characterized by poetic dialogue and complex characters.
Key Works: Hamlet (Shakespeare)
Key Figures: William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe
Neoclassical Theater
Definition: A movement in 17th-century France emphasizing order, reason, and unity.
Key Works: Tartuffe (Molière)
Key Figures: Molière, Pierre Corneille, Jean Racine
Realism (Theater)
Definition: A movement in the 19th century focusing on everyday life and social issues.
Key Works: A Doll’s House (Ibsen)
Key Figures: Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekhov, August Strindberg
Naturalism (Theater)
Definition: A movement emphasizing a more extreme version of realism, portraying life without idealization.
Key Works: Miss Julie (Strindberg)
Key Figures: Émile Zola, August Strindberg
Epic Theater
Definition: A theatrical style aimed at making audiences think critically rather than become emotionally involved.
Key Works: Mother Courage and Her Children (Brecht)
Key Figures: Bertolt Brecht
Theater of the Absurd
Definition: A movement rejecting logical storytelling, focusing on existential themes.
Key Works: Waiting for Godot (Beckett)
Key Figures: Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco, Jean Genet
Modern Dance
Definition: A reaction against ballet, emphasizing freedom of movement.
Key Works: Lamentation (Martha Graham)
Key Figures: Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham
Postmodern Dance
Definition: A movement rejecting traditional dance structures, often incorporating improvisation.
Key Works: Rainforest (Merce Cunningham)
Key Figures: Merce Cunningham, Pina Bausch
Romantic Ballet
Definition: A ballet movement emphasizing ethereal, supernatural themes.
Key Works: Giselle (Adam)
Key Figures: Marie Taglioni, Marius Petipa
Neoclassical Ballet
Definition: A blend of classical ballet and modern innovations.
Key Works: Apollo (Stravinsky/Balanchine)
Key Figures: George Balanchine
Experimental Theater
Definition: A movement breaking conventions in staging and performance.
Key Works: Einstein on the Beach (Wilson/Glass)
Key Figures: Peter Brook, Robert Wilson
Musical Theater
Definition: A form blending dialogue, music, and dance.
Key Works: West Side Story (Bernstein)
Key Figures: Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber
Bebop
Definition: A jazz subgenre known for fast tempos and improvisation.
Key Works: Ko-Ko (Parker)
Key Figures: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie
Jazz Dance
Definition: A dance style influenced by jazz music, Broadway, and African American dance traditions.
Key Works: Sweet Charity (Fosse)
Key Figures: Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins
Swing Dance
Definition: A dance style developed in the 1920s alongside swing jazz.
Key Works: Lindy Hop
Key Figures: Frankie Manning
Silent Film
Definition: Early cinema without synchronized sound, using intertitles and exaggerated acting.
Key Works: The General (Keaton)
Key Figures: Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton
German Expressionist Cinema
Definition: A visually stylized film movement using distorted sets and lighting.
Key Works: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Key Figures: Fritz Lang, F.W. Murnau
Soviet Montage
Definition: A film editing theory using rapid cuts to create meaning.
Key Works: Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein)
Key Figures: Sergei Eisenstein, Dziga Vertov
Golden Age of Hollywood
Definition: A period of highly structured, studio-produced films from the 1930s-50s.
Key Works: Gone with the Wind
Key Figures: Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles
Italian Neorealism
Definition: A post-WWII film movement focusing on real locations and non-professional actors.
Key Works: Bicycle Thieves (De Sica)
Key Figures: Vittorio De Sica, Roberto Rossellini
French New Wave
Definition: A movement rejecting Hollywood formulas, using innovative editing and storytelling.
Key Works: Breathless (Godard)
Key Figures: Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut
New Hollywood
Definition: A wave of young American directors in the 1960s-70s experimenting with style and narrative.
Key Works: Taxi Driver (Scorsese)
Key Figures: Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola
Anime
Definition: A Japanese animated film and television style characterized by colorful art and fantastical themes.
Key Works: Spirited Away (Miyazaki)
Key Figures: Hayao Miyazaki, Osamu Tezuka
Postmodern Film
Definition: A genre blending multiple styles, self-awareness, and intertextuality.
Key Works: Pulp Fiction (Tarantino)
Key Figures: Quentin Tarantino, David Lynch
Documentary Film
Definition: A nonfictional motion picture documenting reality.
Key Works: Fahrenheit 9/11 (Moore)
Key Figures: Michael Moore, Werner Herzog
Reality Television
Definition: A TV format depicting real-life situations with unscripted participants.
Key Works: Survivor, Big Brother
Key Figures: Various producers
Experimental Film
Definition: A movement rejecting traditional narratives and techniques.
Key Works: Un Chien Andalou (Buñuel)
Key Figures: Luis Buñuel, Maya Deren
Virtual Reality Theater
Definition: A modern movement integrating immersive technology in storytelling.
Key Works: The Under Presents
Key Figures: Various VR developers
Performance Art
Definition: A live art movement blending theater, dance, and visual art.
Key Works: Rhythm 0 (Abramović)
Key Figures: Marina Abramović, Yoko Ono
Puppetry Theater
Definition: A traditional storytelling form using puppets as main performers.
Key Works: War Horse
Key Figures: Jim Henson, Julie Taymor
Motion Capture Performance
Definition: The use of digital technology to capture actor movements for CGI characters.
Key Works: Avatar (Cameron)
Key Figures: Andy Serkis, James Cameron
Term
Definition
Blocking
Definition: The precise movement and positioning of actors on stage or in a film scene.
Fourth Wall
Definition: The imaginary wall between actors and the audience, often ‘broken’ when actors directly address viewers.
Proscenium Stage
Definition: A traditional stage with a large frame separating the audience from the performers.
Thrust Stage
Definition: A stage that extends into the audience, allowing viewing from three sides.
Black Box Theater
Definition: A flexible, small performance space where seating and staging can be rearranged.
Site-Specific Performance
Definition: A production staged in a non-traditional venue chosen for its relevance to the play.
Cue
Definition: A signal for an actor or technician to perform an action.
Improvisation
Definition: Unscripted, spontaneous performance used in acting and dance.
Method Acting
Definition: A technique emphasizing emotional memory to create realistic performances.
Tableau
Definition: A silent, still scene with actors posed to tell a story or evoke an emotion.
Choreography
Definition: The design and composition of dance and movement sequences.
Pantomime
Definition: A performance technique using exaggerated gestures and expressions instead of words.
Ensemble
Definition: A group of performers working together as a cohesive unit.
Monologue
Definition: A long speech delivered by a single character, often revealing inner thoughts.
Soliloquy
Definition: A type of monologue in which a character speaks alone on stage, sharing inner thoughts.
Aside
Definition: A brief remark made by a character to the audience, unheard by other characters.
Dramatic Irony
Definition: A literary device where the audience knows something the characters do not.
Catharsis
Definition: The emotional release experienced by an audience at the climax of a tragedy.
Denouement
Definition: The resolution or conclusion of a story, play, or film.
Exposition
Definition: The introduction of background information in a narrative or play.
Climax
Definition: The turning point or most intense moment in a dramatic work.
Antagonist
Definition: The character or force opposing the protagonist in a story or play.
Protagonist
Definition: The main character in a story, play, or film.
Genre
Definition: A category of artistic composition, such as tragedy, comedy, or horror.
Suspension of Disbelief
Definition: The audience’s willingness to accept fictional elements as real for the sake of storytelling.
Diegetic Sound
Definition: Sound that originates within the world of a film (e.g., dialogue, footsteps).
Non-Diegetic Sound
Definition: Sound that does not exist within the world of the film (e.g., background music, narration).
Jump Cut
Definition: An abrupt transition between scenes or shots that creates a jarring effect.
Match Cut
Definition: A film editing technique that seamlessly connects two shots based on similar visual or thematic elements.
Montage
Definition: A sequence of short shots edited together to condense time or convey meaning.
Long Take
Definition: A continuous shot lasting a long duration without cuts.
Close-Up
Definition: A tight frame showing a character’s face or an important detail.
Establishing Shot
Definition: A wide shot used at the beginning of a scene to show location and setting.
Dutch Angle
Definition: A tilted camera shot used to create a sense of unease or tension.
Tracking Shot
Definition: A shot where the camera moves smoothly to follow the action.
Film Noir
Definition: A cinematic style featuring dark themes, high contrast lighting, and crime-driven narratives.
Method Acting
Definition: A technique where actors deeply immerse themselves in their character’s experiences and emotions.
Mime
Definition: A performance art where actors use only body movements and expressions to tell a story.
Slapstick
Definition: A form of comedy featuring exaggerated physical humor and pratfalls.
Commedia dell’Arte
Definition: A form of improvisational theater featuring stock characters and comedic situations.
Tragic Flaw (Hamartia)
Definition: A weakness or error in judgment that leads to a character’s downfall.
Epic Theater
Definition: A theatrical movement emphasizing social issues and preventing audience emotional attachment.
Metatheater
Definition: A form of self-referential theater that acknowledges its artificiality.
Vaudeville
Definition: A variety show featuring comedy, music, dance, and novelty acts.
Burlesque
Definition: A theatrical entertainment style featuring parody, satire, and exaggerated humor.
Table Read
Definition: A rehearsal where actors read through the script together before staging.
Stage Directions
Definition: Written instructions in a script indicating movement, setting, and actor behavior.
Blocking Rehearsal
Definition: A rehearsal focused on mapping out actors’ movements and stage positions.
Cue-to-Cue
Definition: A technical rehearsal focusing on light, sound, and scene transitions without full performances.
Term
Definition
Marius Petipa
Time Period: 19th Century
Contribution: French-Russian choreographer known for defining classical ballet with The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and The Sleeping Beauty.
Jean-Georges Noverre
Time Period: 18th Century
Contribution: Ballet reformer who emphasized expressive movement in Letters on Dancing and Ballets.
Sergei Diaghilev
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Founder of the Ballets Russes, which revolutionized ballet with collaborations between choreographers, composers, and designers.
Vaslav Nijinsky
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Dancer and choreographer known for innovative ballets such as The Rite of Spring.
George Balanchine
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Founder of New York City Ballet, known for neoclassical ballet works like Apollo.
Rudolf Nureyev
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Russian dancer who modernized ballet technique and expanded male dancer roles.
Margot Fonteyn
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: British prima ballerina who partnered with Rudolf Nureyev in famous performances of Romeo and Juliet.
Anna Pavlova
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Russian ballerina famous for The Dying Swan, a solo choreographed for her.
Alicia Alonso
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Cuban ballerina known for her interpretations of Giselle and founding the Cuban National Ballet.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Russian-American dancer known for his extraordinary technique and performances in classical and contemporary ballet.
Swan Lake
Choreographer: Marius Petipa & Lev Ivanov
Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Synopsis: A tragic ballet about Odette, a princess transformed into a swan by a sorcerer’s curse.
The Nutcracker
Choreographer: Marius Petipa & Lev Ivanov
Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Synopsis: A holiday ballet where a young girl’s toy nutcracker comes to life.
The Sleeping Beauty
Choreographer: Marius Petipa
Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Synopsis: A ballet about Princess Aurora, cursed to sleep for 100 years until awakened by true love’s kiss.
Giselle
Choreographer: Jean Coralli & Jules Perrot
Composer: Adolphe Adam
Synopsis: A ballet about a peasant girl who dies of a broken heart and joins the vengeful spirits of jilted women.
Coppélia
Choreographer: Arthur Saint-Léon
Composer: Léo Delibes
Synopsis: A comedic ballet about a young man who falls in love with a mechanical doll.
La Sylphide
Choreographer: Filippo Taglioni
Composer: Jean-Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer
Synopsis: A ballet about a Scottish farmer who falls in love with an unattainable sylph (spirit).
Les Sylphides
Choreographer: Michel Fokine
Composer: Frédéric Chopin
Synopsis: A plotless, romantic ballet emphasizing ethereal movements and emotions.
Apollo
Choreographer: George Balanchine
Composer: Igor Stravinsky
Synopsis: A neoclassical ballet depicting the Greek god Apollo and his muses.
The Firebird
Choreographer: Michel Fokine
Composer: Igor Stravinsky
Synopsis: A Russian fairy tale ballet about a prince, a magical bird, and an evil sorcerer.
The Rite of Spring
Choreographer: Vaslav Nijinsky
Composer: Igor Stravinsky
Synopsis: A controversial ballet depicting a pagan ritual where a maiden dances to death.
Romantic Ballet
Definition: A ballet style emphasizing emotion, supernatural themes, and delicate movements.
Key Works: Giselle, La Sylphide
Key Figures: Marie Taglioni, Jules Perrot
Classical Ballet
Definition: A style known for strict technique, structured narratives, and grand pas de deux.
Key Works: Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty
Key Figures: Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov
Neoclassical Ballet
Definition: A 20th-century movement blending classical technique with modern sensibilities.
Key Works: Apollo, Agon
Key Figures: George Balanchine
Contemporary Ballet
Definition: A fusion of classical ballet with modern dance influences, allowing greater freedom of movement.
Key Works: In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated
Key Figures: William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián
Ballets Russes
Definition: An early 20th-century ballet company that revolutionized ballet with innovative choreography, music, and design.
Key Works: The Firebird, The Rite of Spring
Key Figures: Sergei Diaghilev, Vaslav Nijinsky
Postmodern Ballet
Definition: A reaction against traditional ballet narratives, incorporating non-traditional movement and staging.
Key Works: Artifact (Forsythe)
Key Figures: William Forsythe
Pointe Work
Definition: The technique of dancing on the tips of the toes using specially designed pointe shoes.
Pas de Deux
Definition: A dance duet typically performed by a male and female dancer in classical ballet.
Grand Pas
Definition: A structured dance sequence in classical ballet featuring solos, duets, and ensemble sections.
Ballet Mime
Definition: A gestural language used in ballet to convey emotion and narrative elements.
Arabesque
Definition: A ballet pose where one leg extends behind the dancer while balancing on the supporting leg.
Pirouette
Definition: A ballet turn performed on one foot.
Jeté
Definition: A jump in which a dancer leaps from one foot to the other.
Assemblé
Definition: A jump in which both feet meet in the air before landing.
Plié
Definition: A bending of the knees, fundamental to ballet technique.
Relevé
Definition: A movement where the dancer rises onto the balls of their feet or pointe.
Chassé
Definition: A ballet step where one foot chases the other across the floor.
Glissade
Definition: A gliding step where the dancer moves smoothly from one foot to another.
Bourrée
Definition: A series of small, quick steps performed on pointe or demi-pointe.
Corps de Ballet
Definition: The ensemble of dancers who perform as a group in ballet productions.