ROMANTIC BALLET
FANNY ELLSLER, 1810 - 1884
SHE ARRIVED ON SCENE IN 1834, VIENNESE BY BIRTH, AND WAS
A PASSIONATE DANCER.
A RIVALRY BETWEEN TAGLIONI AND HER ENSUED.
THE DIRECTOR OF THE PARIS OPERA DELIBERATELY
INTRODUCED AND PROMOTED ELLSLER TO COMPETE WITH
TAGLIONI.
IT WAS GOOD BUSINESS TO PROMOTE RIVALRY.
CLAQUES, OR PAID GROUPS WHO APPLAUDED FOR A
PARTICULAR PERFORMER, CAME INTO VOGUE.
ELLSLER’S MOST FAMOUS DANCE - LA CACHUCHA - A SPANISH
CHARACTER NUMBER. IT BECAME AN OVERNIGHT CRAZE.
FANNY
ELLSLER
TAGLIONI VS ELLSLER
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TALGIONI AND
ELLSLER:
A. TAGLIONI REPRESENTED SPIRITUALITY
1. NOT MUCH ACTING ABILITY
B. ELLSLER EXPRESSED PHYSICAL PASSION
1. CONSIDERABLE ACTING ABILITY
THE RIVALRY BETWEEN THE TWO DID NOT
CONFINE ITSELF TO WORDS.
THERE WAS ACTUAL PHYSICAL VIOLENCE IN THE
AUDIENCE!
GISELLE
THE BALLET, GISELLE, PREMIERED AT THE PARIS OPERA IN
JUNE 1841 WITH CARLOTTA GRISI AND LUCIEN PETIPA.
GISELLE IS A ROMANTIC CLASSIC.
GISELLE WAS DEVELOPED THROUGH THE PROCESS OF
COLLABORATION.
GISELLE HAS REMAINED IN THE REPERTORY OF COMPANIES
ALL OVER THE WORLD SINCE ITS PREMIERE WHILE LA
SYLPHIDE FADED AWAY AFTER A FEW YEARS.
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR BALLETS EVER CREATED,
GISELLE STICKS CLOSE TO ITS PREMIER IN MUSIC AND
CHOREOGRAPHIC OUTLINE. IT DEMANDS THE HIGHEST LEVEL
OF TECHNICAL SKILL FROM THE BALLERINA.
GISELLE COLLABORATORS
THEOPHILE GAUTIER 1811-1872
A POET AND JOURNALIST HAD A DOUBLE INSPIRATION - A BOOK
BY HEINRICH HEINE ABOUT GERMAN LITERATURE AND FOLK
LEGENDS AND A POEM BY VICTOR HUGO-AND PLANNED A BALLET.
VERNOY DE SAINTS-GEORGES, A THEATRICAL WRITER, WROTE
THE SCENARIO.
ADOLPH ADAM - COMPOSER. THE SCORE CONTAINS MELODIC
THEMES OR LEITMOTIFS WHICH ADVANCE THE STORY AND ARE
SUITABLE TO THE CHARACTERS.
CICERI - SCENERY. HE DID SCENERY ALSO FOR LA SYLPHIDE.
CREATED RUSTIC VILLAGE AND MOONLIT FOREST SETTING.
PAUL LORMIER - COSTUMES.
JEAN CORALLI - CHOREOGRAPHY. BALLET MASTER OF PARIS
OPERA BALLET. JULES PERROT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR GISELLE'S
CHOREOGRAPHY. HE WAS COACH, CHOREOGRAPHER AND
LOVER TO CARLOTTA GRISI, THE STAR OF GISELLE.
CARLOTTA GRISI
1819 TO 1899. ITALIAN BORN.
SHE MET JULES PERROT, 9 YEARS OLDER, AND WAS
HIRED BY PARIS OPERA.
LUCIEN PETIPA, BOTHER OF MARIUS, BECAME GRISI’S
REGULAR PARTNER.
GRISI WAS PRAISED IN THE ROLE OF GISELLE AND IT
BECAME HER SIGNATURE WORK.
JULES
PERROT AND
CARLOTTA
GRISI
PAS DE QUATRE
PERROT BECAME BALLET MASTER AT HER MAJESTY’S
THEATRE IN LONDON.
HE CREATED PAS DE QUATRE IN 1845.
BALLERINAS IN PAS DE QUATRE:
CARLOTTA GRISI-GISELLE FAME
MARIE TAGLIONI-LA SYLPHIDE FAME
LUCILLE GRAHN - DANISH DANCER WHO INFURIATED
FANNY ELLSLER WITH HER GOOD REVIEWS
FANNY CERRITO-MARRIED TO ARTHUR SAINT LEON AND
BECAME FAMOUS WITH THIS BALLET
LUCILLE GRAHN
FANNY
CERRITO
DANCERS’ QUALITIES
GRAHN-CONTROLLED LIGHTNESS
GRISI-SHARP VIBRANCY
CERRITO-DARTING TURNS
TAGLIONI-SOARING LEAPS
FAMOUS LITHOGRAPH OF PAS DE QUATRE PRESERVES
THE FINAL TABLEAUX.
THIS BALLET HIGHLIGHTED COMPETITIVE EGOTISM OR
ARTISTIC TEMPERAMENT.
THE ORIGINAL CHOREOGRAPHY DOES NOT SURVIVE.
PAS DE QUATRE
ENRICO CECCHETTI
1850 1928
HE WAS AN ITALIAN BALLET DANCER, FOUNDER OF THE
CECCHETTI METHOD.
AFTER AN ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER AS A DANCER IN EUROPE, HE
WENT TO DANCE FOR THE IMPERIAL BALLET IN ST.
PETERSBURG, RUSSIA WHERE HE FURTHER HONED HIS SKILLS.
BY 1888, HE WAS WIDELY ACCEPTED AS THE GREATEST BALLET
VIRTUOSO IN THE WORLD.
SOME OF HIS STUDENTS INCLUDED OTHER NOTABLE DANCERS
OF THE IMPERIAL BALLET, SUCH AS: ANNA PAVLOVA,
LÉONIDE MASSINE, AND VASLAV NIJINSKY
CECCHETTI'S PRESENCE IN DIAGHILEV'S BALLETS RUSSES WAS
VERY IMPORTANT.
HE WAS THE LINK BETWEEN THE PAST AND THE PRESENT,
CONTRIBUTING TO THE BIRTH OF MODERN CLASSICAL BALLET.
CECCHETTI COACHING
ANNA PAVLOVA IN 1920
AUGUST BOURNONVILLE
1805-1879
HE DESERVES FULL CREDIT FOR SHAPING ROYAL DANISH BALLET
INTO AN OUTSTANDING COMPANY AND CONTRIBUTING A
TECHNICAL METHOD AND REPERTORY THAT ARE BOTH ALIVE
TODAY.
HE WAS BORN IN DENMARK AND BROUGHT UP IN THE BALLET
TRADITION BY HIS FATHER.
AUGUST VESTRIS WAS HIS MENTOR AND TEACHER.
BOURNONVILLE BECAME DIRECTOR OF ROYAL BALLET OF
COPENHAGEN IN 1830 AND CONTINUED 50 YEARS.
THE LA SYLPHIDE THAT WE HAVE TODAY IS BOURNONVILLE’S
VERSION WITH DIFFERENT MUSIC FROM THE ORIGINAL.
HE GAVE A MORE BALANCED TREATMENT TO THE SEXES WHICH
HE GOT FROM VESTRIS’ INFLUENCE OF THE MALE VIRTUOSO
DANCER.
AUGUST
BOURNONVILLE
BOURNONVILLE BALLETS
A FOLK TALE -IN PRAISE OF MARRIAGE AND DOMESTIC
HARMONY
FLOWER FESTIVAL IN GENZANO-PAS DE DEUX EXISTS;
ILLUSION OF JOYFUL LIGHTNESS
NAPOLI-A VIBRANT PICTURE OF NEAPOLITAN STREET
LIFE MIXED WITH SUPERNATURAL IMAGERY.
BOURNONVILLE TECHNIQUE USES DELICATE AND
FLEETING TRANSITION STEPS AND UNEXPECTED
CHANGES OF DIRECTION THAT MAKE DANCERS LOOK
LIKE THEY SPRING THROUGH SPACE AND SKIM OVER
THE STAGE.
IT IS LESS FLASHY THAN THE RUSSIAN STYLE.
FLOWER FESTIVAL IN GENZANO
NAPOLI
COPPELIA
CHOREOGRAPHED BY ARTHUR SAINT LEON IN 1870. HE
WAS MARRIED TO FANNY CERRITO.
COPPELIA IS A COMIC VARIATION ON THE THEME OF
GISELLE AND LA SYLPHIDE WHERE THE MALE PREFERS
AN IDEAL LOVE TO A MORTAL.
SYNOPSIS: SWANILDA LOVES FRANZ WHO LOVES THE
DAUGHTER OF DR. COPPELIUS WHO IS A DOLL.
MUSIC BY DELIBES.
MUSIC SURVIVES BECAUSE OF THE CRAZE FOR
NATIONALISM IN MUSIC.
THE SCORE INCLUDES THE POLISH MAZURKA AND THE
HUNGARIAN CZARDAS.
COPPELIA