Modern and classical ballet

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In the modern world, all spheres of life are subject to increasingly higher requirements that meet the needs of the current generation: dynamic, developed, versatile. This applies to both technology, technology, and culture with art. So the classical ballet was replaced by the modern one. What it is, and how it is combined with the traditional one, we will consider in the article.

In general terms

Ballet is a classical dance that forms the basis of choreography. Its traditional form has always been in demand in art, but in modern conditions it is presented to the public in a new, freer interpretation. Previously, the director conveyed to the viewer the thoughts, emotions and mood of the production with the help of the usual smooth, clear, gentle movements that replace speech. Classical dance is built with the help of well-known figures that convey the mood of the acting characters. In modern ballet, the method of conveying emotions is determined by the production designer independently. It is often 90% contemporary, with dancers borrowing elements from other styles.

The classical form of ballet is becoming more modern every day, this can be seen even in the clothes of ballerinas: traditional tutus are being replaced by simpler outfits. Of course,this does not apply to classical productions.

Origin

The name "ballet" is a translation from Latin of the word "I dance". The birthplace of this art form was Italy in the 16th century, famous for its first dance scenes. A little later, France joined the court ballet, although compared to modern art, these were pitiful attempts. The end of the 18th century was marked by a change in ballet costumes to shorter and more airy ones, and the appearance of the first professional shoes for ballerinas - pointe shoes. This period was the beginning of the flowering of ballet art, characterized by:

• appearance of its first connoisseurs who regularly attend performances;
• writing by famous composers (Beethoven, Delibes, Minkus) of romantic music for ballet performances;
• the appearance of the first full-fledged ballet productions.

The emergence of ballet in Russia

For the first time this dance was known in Russia during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1673 after the premiere of the first ballet performance. Russian ballet was formed under the influence of the French ballet master-choreographer Charles-Louis Didelot, who connected the dance with pantomime and made solo female parts leading. Marius Petipa played a major role in the development of classical Russian ballet in the 19th century. Mikhail Fokin became a legendary domestic choreographer, who fundamentally reformed performances by changing the traditional construction of ballet and dance patterns.

The real revolution in the world of ballet music was the appearance of the composerP. I. Tchaikovsky, who combined in it continuous symphonic development with deep figurative content and dramatic expressiveness. In "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Nutcracker" created by him, music acquired the ability to reveal the inner course of the action and embody the characters of the characters.

Modern domestic ballet

One of the main domestic troupes today is the "Classical Russian Ballet" of Moscow, created in 2004. This young dance group has been creating for seven years, during which it has highly recommended itself from a professional point of view. It brought together the best representatives of Russian ballet schools (the Moscow Academy of Choreography, the A. Ya. Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet), talented young people and mature honored dance masters. The artistic direction of the theater lies on the shoulders of one of the leading soloists Hasan Usmanov.

The geography of Moscow classical ballet performances is not limited to the Moscow stage, their performances have been seen by many cities in Russia and countries near and far abroad (Finland, Japan, Spain, Israel, Austria, Germany, Greece).

Croup repertoire

The list of ballet performances of the Moscow team consists mainly of the great works of the golden fund of Russian ballet. Of course, the theater's repertoire cannot do without the masterpieces of P. I. Tchaikovsky: "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty", "The Nutcracker". In addition, the troupe has ballets such as Cinderella, Giselle, Carmen, Romeo and Juliet andothers.

Classical ballet "The Nutcracker"

I would like to pay special attention to this particular tale of eternal love, which is invariably popular both in Russia and in European countries during the New Year holidays. After all, the atmosphere of the magical enchanting music of Tchaikovsky, combined with snow, a Christmas tree and Christmas magic, can make even the most serious adults feel like children even for a moment. One of the brightest scenes of this performance - W altz of the Snowflakes (staged by Lev Ivanov) - is a pearl of art, because Tchaikovsky's musical phrases are displayed in every detail and figure.

State Academic Theater of Classical Ballet

Truly, the “dinosaur” of Russian ballet art is this large team led by Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilev. He is loved by viewers from many countries and several generations. For almost fifty years, outstanding choreographers have been creating an interesting repertoire, consisting of original versions of the famous "children" of classical ballet. Their careful historical reconstruction, based on the original works of the choreographers themselves, were able to fit classical and modern music on one ballet stage.

The theater team consists of excellent dancers, supervised by wonderful teachers-tutors, in the past - the leading soloists of the Bolshoi Theater. From its walls came highly professional ballet dancers of several generations, who then received international awards and won in many reputable ballet dances.competitions, loudly declaring itself not only on the Russian, but also on the world stage.

Manual

It is not for nothing that this group is often called the classical ballet of Kasatkina and Vasilev. These are not just the names of two people's artists - former graduates of the Moscow Choreographic School and leading soloists of the Bolshoi Theater for 20 years. These are the names of choreographers who have been directing the State Academic Ballet Theater for almost half a century.

In ballet art they were the first in many ways:

• in staging performances to avant-garde music;
• in the production on the Russian stage of the semi-forbidden composer Stravinsky's landmark ballet The Rite of Spring;
• in creating original and experimental ballet theatre;
• in collaboration with the famous foreign choreographer P. Lacotte, who specializes in the restoration of old performances, for the revival of the ballet "Natalie, or the Swiss Milkwoman" (composed by A. Girovets);
• in experiments with complex and original musical and choreographic genres, which resulted in the composer A. Petrov's vocal and choreographic symphony “Pushkin. Thinking about a Poet.”

The classical ballet of Kasatkina and Vasilev is a harmonious combination of heritage and modern trends. This applies to both the repertoire and the choreographic language of their performances. These choreographers have staged a number of classical works: Giselle, Don Quixote and all three ballets by P. I. Tchaikovsky. At the same time, the implementationclassics always has its own author's vision, which one viewer likes more, another less. But the creative interpretation of the material, of course, is the main thing in art.

Star Factory

From the stage of the classical ballet theater came a lot of artists who later became international laureates and world celebrities. Pupils of Kasatkina and Vasilev brought 19 gold medals from various competitions and even more - silver and bronze. It was here that the star of I. Mukhamedov, V. Malakhov, G. Stepanenko, S. Isaev, A. Gorbatsevich, T. Paliy and many others lit up. All this testifies to the high professionalism of the theater staff and the pedagogical skills of its leaders.

Collective Activities

Today the theater's repertoire includes 18 ballet performances, including both famous classical works and modern productions. Thus, the ballet "Creation of the World" tells the biblical story of Adam and Eve, based on drawings by Jean Effel. Composer Andrey Petrov combined the principles of serious symphonic music with light music, including jazz and symphonic jazz. For 30 years of existence of this ballet performance, it has always been accompanied by full houses and rave reviews from the press.

Deserves special mention and the ballet-parable "Wonderful Mandarin", first shown on the stage of the Classical Ballet Theater in 1996. It was based on the pantomime of the same name by the Hungarian composer B. Bartok, which had a difficult fate. During the life of the author, the ballet on histhe motherland was never staged, and the attempt to do it by the Bolshoi Theater during the production of L. Lavrovsky (1961) had a disastrous experience.

Kasatkina and Vassilev showed The Wonderful Mandarin in Russia for the first time, using the ballet music in its entirety, and not just B. Bartok's suite, as was done before. Such an event was a true gift for fans of the Hungarian composer.

In the assets of the classical ballet theater, all performances are worthy of attention and admiration, there is no need to sing odes to them. It's better to come and see once, so that you can come back again and again.