BALLET IN THE 1900

IMPORTANT PEOPLE

• Marie Taglioni was basically forced into dance by her father who
• was an instructor. He arranged for her to fly out to Vienna of a year.
• Pierre Gardel was a French ballet dancer and instructor. He also
• Entered the school of Opèra de Paris in 1774 and he studied under his
• brother.

IMPORTANT PEOPLE

• Marius Petipa was a French/Russian dancer. He is
• considered to be one of the most influential ballet master
• and choreographers.
• Carlo Blasis was an Italian dancer. He was well known for his
• rigorous dance classes that sometimes lasted 4 hours.

SIGNIFICANT BALLETS

• * Coppelia- This ballet, Coppélia is a comic ballet originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon
• to the music of Léo Delibes, with libretto by Charles Nuitter. Coppélia concerns an inventor, Dr
• Coppelius, who has made a life-size dancing doll. It is so lifelike that Franz, a village swain,
• becomes infatuated with it and sets aside his true heart's desire, Swanhilde. She shows him his folly by
• dressing as the doll, pretending to make it come to life and ultimately saving him from an untimely end.

SIGNIFICANT BALLETS

• * Swan Lake- The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells
• the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse.

SIGNIFICANT BALLETS

• * Sleeping Beauty- The Sleeping Beauty (Russian: Спящая красавица / Spyashchaya krasavitsa)
• is a ballet in a prologue and three acts, first performed in 1890. As the ballet begins,
• baby Princess Aurora is being christened. The evil Carbosse storms in and curses the baby, as her in
• invitation to the event had been overlooked. The curse states that on her 18th birthday, the princess will prick
• prick her finger and die. However, the Lilac Fairy weakens the curse.

Ballet- Romantic Era

• Art and literature influenced ballet
• Started early early 1800's and declined around 1870
• Pointe shoe- Angelic look
• Made ladies the focal point instead of the men
• "Flowery" tutus that were usually white, layered with fabric, knee length

BALLET- ROMANTIC ERA

• Robert Le Diable: first romantic ballet performance
• Middle class wanted to change things up after French Revolution

IMPERIAL RUSSIAN BALLET

• 1870-1903
• Russian styled
• Focused on lots of training
• Charles-Louis Didelot- "Father of Russian Ballet"
• Changes of scenery and free movement

POINTE SHOES

• They started out as heels and eventually transformed into flats
• They had pleats under the toes that allowed dancers to fully extend their feet and be able to jump
• and turn. The first dancers to rise up on their toes during this time did so with the help of an invention Charles
• Didelot in 1759; his "flying machine" lifted dancers upward allowing them to stand on their toes before
• Leaving the ground.

POINTE SHOES CONT...

• Though the tip of the shoes are hard they are simple made
• of glue and satin- not metal or steel.