LE BALET COMIQUE DE LA REINE

LE BALET COMIQUE DE LA REINE:
AN ANALYSIS
by Elizabeth Cooper

PART I

CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT:
Introduction
In late Renaissance society, dance was not considered merely a source of light-hearted entertainment or physical recreation, but a profoundly intellectual experience for both participants and spectators. Sixteenth century dance, like the arts of poetry, music and painting, was infused with new meaning and innovations as a direct result of the findings of humanist scholars as they poured over ancient Greek texts in an attempt to recreate the powerful and effects of ancient Greek drama.
The court ballets of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were intended to enlighten and edify audiences. As the art of choreography developed it became increasingly informed by humanist ideals and imbibed with layers of meaning that were moral, philosophical, and political, in nature. It was the task and the delight of the educated viewers of these court spectacles to decipher the "truths" underlying the dances.

Le Balet Comique de la Reine
Let us take one of the most illustrious of the Valois court spectacles, Le Balet Comique de la Reine, as a model for a more detailed examination of the sixteenth century court spectacle.
Le Balet Comique de la Reine represents a significant moment in Western theater dance history. As the first known work to intentionally combine dance, verse and music into a coherent dramatic statement, it is considered the first ballet de cour. In addition, we are extremely fortunate to have a complete libretto for the production, including verse, music, allegorical interpretations and illustrations of the scenic elements and costume. It is therefore possible to reconstruct the event with a certain degree of accuracy, enabling us to examine its artistic significance and ponder its reception by the court audience.


Renaissance Dance: Some Questions
Focusing on this production, should help to elucidate some key questions surrounding the development and practice of late Renaissance court dance:

o What are the philosophical underpinnings of Renaissance dance?
o What were the prevailing attitudes towards dance in the Renaissance?
o How are these attitudes indebted to classical Greek sources?
o How might the court spectators interpret the various meanings of dances seen in a court spectacle, and was there a commonality of interpretation among this elite group?
o What parallels, if any, exist between the role of dance in ancient Greek society versus Renaissance court society?

The Occasion
Le Balet Comique de la Reine was performed on Sunday, October 15, 1581 in either the Louvre's Great Salle or in the Salle de Bourbon of the Petit Palais, and lasted from ten in the evening to three o'clock in the morning. It was commissioned by Queen Louise as part of a series of lavish and extraordinary events held to celebrate the marriage of her sister, Marguerite de Lorraine to the King's favorite, Anne, Duc de Joyeuse.
The festivities, which lasted several days, included mock tournaments arranged in allegorical settings, a water fete, a horse ballet, and an impressive display of fireworks. This collection of magnificences established the court of Henri III as the most refined, artistic and musical in all of Europe.

An Artistic Collaboration
In Le Balet Comique de la Reine, Balthazar Beaujoyeulx states that, promptly after Queen Louise requested his services in devising a scheme for the wedding festivities, he was forced to leave the "noisy court" and go into seclusion for a few days in order to find "peace and freedom of mind". After several days, Beaujoyeulx returned to court to read a description of his subjects and inventions to Queen Louise and her ladies-in-waiting. Beaujoyeulx's plans for the production were composed of three parts:

o "verse which must be recited;
o different musical compositions which must be sung;
o a variety of things which must be presented in painting."

Collaboration
Realizing that it was beyond his artistic capabilities, Beaujoyeulx requested that Queen Louise enlist the services of other talented members of the court.
Lambert de Beaulieu was chosen to compose the music and Jacques Salmon, maitre de la musique de la chambre du Roi, for the performance of it. The Sieur de la Chesnaye, the King's poet and almoner, wrote the text, and Jacque Patin, the King's painter provided the scenery and perhaps the costumes. Beaujoyeulx assumed the roles of inventor of the ballet's plot, stage manager and choreographer.

The Plot
The plot for Le Balet Comique de la Reine is based on the Circe fable from Homer's Odyssey. The Circe story, as revealed in the ballet, is concerned with the taming of man's innate emotions and with the establishment of order and harmony by means of enlisting reason and moral virtue. In the production, the evil enchantress Circe is pitted against the powerful and virtuous King of France, for whom she is ultimately no match. As the plot unfolds, the gods Mercury, Pan, Minerva and Jupiter are summoned to vanquish Circe and force her to release the performers from her spell, but a lasting peace and order can not be restored until the King himself is called to aid in the struggle.
Plots involving a powerful and malicious sorceress who causes mayhem and brings disorder to all aspects of life were extremely popular in Renaissance court spectacles. These stories inevitably concluded with the performers beseeching the monarch to intervene, restore order and liberate his subjects from the chaos of the enchantress's spell.
Mythological plots of this type provided the court dance organizers with a pretext for including a diversity of characters and actions while offering an overriding rationale for their existence.
Perhaps more importantly, plots of this type were suited to address contemporary social and political concerns, to reaffirm the existing hierarchical power structure, and to glorify the monarch, his subjects and his kingdom.



Choreography in Le Balet Comique de la Reine
Balthazar Beaujoyeulx choreographed and staged the three geometrical dance entries in Le Balet Comique de la Reine. Unlike earlier spectacle choreography, which served as decorative divertissements between dramatic acts, these dances were carefully woven into the plot of the production. They functioned as a part of the action and provide continuity between periods of poetic declamation, song and instrumental music.

Classical Antecedents
According to the libretto, the dances in the production were inspired by the ancient Greeks. Billard, in a poetic dedication to the choreographer, praised Beaujoyeulx for his scholariness and his creativity:
Beaujoyeulx, you who first bring back from the ashes of Greece the plan and accomplishments of the ballet,who ever outdo yourself in divine spirit; mathematician, inventive, alone in your knowledge, if ever honor is deserved, your is assured. Beaujoyeulx's indeptedness to the ancient Greeks was primarily of a theoretical or philosophical nature. The influence of Pythagorean and Platonic concepts pertaining to universal harmony and order is manifested in Beaujoyeulx's attention to the rhythm and proportion of the choreographed spatial patterns and, in establishing a synchronicity between the ballet's artistic components.

The actual dance steps, however, are not related to ancient Greek forms, of which very little is known. The steps are borrowed from Renaissance social dances familiar to the members of the Valois court. Beaujoyeulx's task as choreographer was to expand, embellish and diversify the known dance steps to make them appear as new additions to the dance repertoire.

The Dances
The first dance in Le Balet Comique de la Reine was performed by twenty-four dancers, twelve naiades(water nymphs) and twelve pages. Unfortunately, Beaujoyeulx provides more description regarding staging and scenic decor, then he does choreography. We know that these dancers performed twelve geometric figures, each different, before they are immobilized by an angered Circe. The first figure was in the form of a triangle, recalling the triangular head ornaments worn by the naiades:

The nymphs [Naiades] moved dancing up to the King and the Queen Mother, in the following pattern. At the first passage of the entrée there were six abreast in one line across the hall and three in front in a broad triangle, of which the Queen marked the apex, and three others behind her did the same. Then, as the music changed, they also moved in and out among each other, now in one direction, now in another, and then returned to their first position.

The triangle is extremely important in Plato's model of the Cosmos based on geometric solids. It seems plausible that the naiades were representing, through their measured dance, the concept of a universe based on number and proportion.
Mercury intervened to rescue the dancers and musicians from their petrified condition. The dance resumed after Mercury has sprinkled the juice of the Moly root over the heads of the performers. However, Circe returned almost immediately restoring the dancers to their immobilized state. Beaujoyeulx does not include any mention of the choreographic patterns in this segment of the ballet.

Entrèe of the Grand Ballet
The next choreographed sequence is the entrée of the Grand Ballet. As the violins began to play an entrée, the dryads (wood nymphs) left their niches in Pan's grove and presented themselves in the middle of the hall, before the king. Then, turning their backs to the king they danced towards Circe's enchanted garden where they greeted the naiads, who had just been freed from Circe's spell.

The naiades then proceeded, two by two, to the middle of the room where they were joined by the dryads. The violins, once again, changed their tone and commenced playing the entree to the Grand ballet. "It was composed of fifteen figures, arranged in such a way that at the end of each figure all the ladies turned to face the king." (This was danced to twelve measures of music, sung by five voices in 4/4 tempo.)




The Final Grand Ballet
This danced entrée went immediately into the final Grand Ballet, composed of forty distinct geometric figures ( La grand entrée is written in 4/4 for five voices and is seventy-eight measures ):
These were all exact and well-planned in their shapes, sometimes square, sometimes round, in several diverse fashions; then in triangles accompanied by a small square, and other small figures. These figures were no sooner formed by the Naiads, dresses in white, than the four Dryads, dressed in green, arrived to change the shape, so that as one ended, the other began. At the middle of the Ballet a chain was formed, composed of four interlacings, each different from the others, so that to watch them one would say that it was in battle array, so well was order kept, and so cleverly did everyone keep his place and his cadence. The spectators thought Archimedes could not have understood geometric proportions any better than the princesses and ladies observed in this Ballet.
As before, Beaujoyeulx does not provide the reader with the precise spatial configurations traced by the dancers. One does get a sense, however, of the interplay between the two groups of ladies dressed in contrasting colors. In these danced passages, the naiads and dryads move in a contrapuntal relationship, such that stasis and flux are juxtaposed, not only sequentially, but spatially. One group of dancers breaks out of a pattern at the precise moment when the other group establishes a formation. There is a continual generation and disintegration of form which must have set up a visual and kinetic tension between the two opposing groups.
Perhaps Beaujoyeulx, inspired by the ancient Greek notion of the cosmic dance, intended for the passages of the final ballet entrée to mirror the progression of the seasons, the mutation of the elements, and the circling of the stars and planets in the heavens.

The final grand ballet was followed by a grand ball in which the performers invited the spectators to join them on the dance floor in branles and "other dances customary in great feasts and celebrations."

Artistic Significance of Le Balet Comique de la Reine
Le Balet Comique de la Reine is considered to be the starting point of the composite art form because its creators made a conscious effort to harmoniously blend verse, music, dance, scenic elements and costume into a coherent theatrical statement. Balthazar Beaujoyeulx, the organizer and choreographer of the production, seems to have been acutely aware of the artistic significance of the event . In planning this event Beaujoyeulx was no doubt striving to meet the King's high standards for court entertainment, which should be, "marvelous in variety, inimitable in beauty, and incomparable in novelty."

Beaujoyeulx's Artistic Intentions
In his preface " To the Reader", Beaujoyeulx elaborates on his artistic intentions,
For, as to the Ballet, even though it may be a modern invention, or at least repeated so far distinct from antiquity that it can be so called, being, in truth only some geometric mixtures of several persons dancing together to a diverse harmony of several instruments, I confess to you that simply represented by [means of visual] impression it would have had much novelty, and little beauty, the recitation of a simple comedy. Also it would have been neither very excellent nor worthy of such a great queen, who wished to do something truly magnificent and triumphant.
Because of this I decided it would not be a bad idea to mix one and the other together and to diversify the music with poetry, and most often to merge the two together; for in antiquity they never recited poetry without music, and Orpheus never played without words. I have, however, given first place and honor to the dance, and second place to the substance, which I have called "comic" more for the beautiful, tranquil and happy conclusion than for the quality of the personages, who are almost all gods and goddesses, or other heroic persons.
Thus I have animated and made the Ballet speak, and Comedy sing and resound, and have added many rare and rich scenes and ornaments. I may say that within a single well-proportioned body I have pleased eye, ear, and mind.

A Composite of Theatrical Devices
There is no doubt that Le Balet Comique de la Reine was a unique theatrical event , but that does not mean that it was entirely new. According to Prunieres, the artistic devices found in Le Balet Comique stem from a composite of medieval forms of court entertainment, the masquerades, Italian intermedio, and tourneys. Beaujoyeulx displayed his creative abilities in joining these disparate theatrical elements and organizing and presenting them in an entirely new manner.
The novelty and inventiveness of Le Balet Comique de la Reine was manifested in the dancing. The dancers' measured steps, performed in synchronicity with the accompanying measured verse and music was a conscious reflection of the metrical and musical labors of Baïf's Academy in their effort to rediscover the effects of ancient poetry and music. Dance was intended to please the eye, song the ear, and poetry the mind, but as a corporeal enactment of harmony, dance acted as a unifying presence and as the visual representation of harmony for the audience.
It was not important that the dance steps were borrowed from the court social dances, rather than being of ancient origin. The dancing mirrored the music and verse, and this was enough to make it "antique". Like many of his contemporaries, Beaujoyeulx had a talent for borrowing from the past only that which suited his artistic purposes and supported and justified his aesthetic and moral beliefs.

Allegorical Interpretations
Issues of political, moral and philosophical import were not stated outright in the court spectacles. These edifying messages were commonly veiled in allegories and revealed to the spectators by means of spoken or sung verse, iconographic emblems, choreographic figures, and written text. In the libretto to Le Balet Comique de la Reine, the author includes four allegorical interpretations of the Circe fable. The allegorical interpretations are philosophical, moral and political in nature, and are of particular interest because they bring into question whether there was a commonality of understanding or interpretation among the elite court spectators.

In L'Art du Ballet de Cour en France 1581-1643, Margaret McGowan asserts that ballets, like other types of court spectacle, aimed at mass appeal, among an elite and educated audience. There was no limit to the complexity of allusions contained within the allegories. Several levels of meaning operated simultaneously, pleasing King, courtiers and ladies of the court, each at their own intellectual capacity. Surrounded as they were in an atmosphere of humanism, it is difficult to surmise, let alone, measure the exact effect that these allegorical allusions had on the consciousness of the court spectators.
There existed a hierarchy in the various interpretations of each allegory. The philosophical significance, where the image and the idea were harmoniously joined to reveal a higher or superior reality was the most important as well as the most difficult to grasp. The moral interpretation was next in line, followed by historical, political and social applications. The last in the hierarchy of interpretation was the literal meaning of the fable.
Le Balet Comique de la Reine







Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx
BALLET COMIQUE DE LA REINE

Translated from the French by Mary-Jean Covvell

Baltazarini di Belgiojoso, wise to the ways of political promotion, took a French name when he left Italy for Paris around 1555 as a member of a band of violinists. He became court valet to Catherine de' Medici and as such was responsible for the royal entertainments.
In the "first ballet," dancing was only one of several important elements: instrumental music, songs, spoken verses, costumes, and scenic effects all received attention. In fact, the author of this libretto devotes far more space to the texts of the speeches and songs and to descriptions of the decorations than he does to the dances. After all, most of his readers knew the steps from their own experience in court ballrooms, where rules like Caroso's prevailed. The Ballet Comique was first of all a grand spectacle designed to enhance the glory of France. Since the audience consisted exclusively of invited dignitaries, the publication of the libretto provided a means of extending recognition of the national image.

The Birth and Fundamentals of Ballet

The Birth and Fundamentals of Ballet:
The Evolution of Ballet

Contents:
Italian art in the French court Altheas di Beaujoyeulx
La Pieiade and the Academy of poetry, music, and dance
"Ballet Comique de la Reine"
King Louis XIV (14th)
Academy of Dance
Lully, Moliere, and Charles Beauchamps
Appearance of Professional Ballerinas-Mile La Fontaine
Students of Beauchamps
Expansion of French and Italian Ballet in Europe

1533- Carol VIII (8) who introduced Italian art into France set new trends and fashion that had been stagnant for more than 100 years. Italian artists began to travel and perform throughout Europe. King Louis XII with Guillaumi Bude and Jean Lassacris worked with writers and poets to form educational institutions. The king began to imitate the Italian princes and called on the expertise of Leonardo da Vinci, Benvenuto Cellini nad Tizian the create projects.

1534- After the wedding of Henry II (son of the French King) with Catherine de Medici, all Italian art forms were brought to France. Henry II also took dance lessons with Master Virgilio Brascio, who later became the teacher for Henry II's son-the future king of France, Francisc II.

1554- The marshal form Brissac brought the ballet master and choreographer Pomio Diabone from Negri as a student who was to write the famous work "Gratie d' Amore (1602). Diabone became the dance teacher for King Carol IX (9th) and remained in the court until Henry IV (4th) came into power.

Henry IV brought a new fashion into the court, which included dance figurations. The dances were formed each after a particular painting. Dance figuration had an Italian origin with characteristics called "Brando and Balletto".

Brando and Balletto were dances no longer based on paintings but rather created from the imagination of masters. Brando was carefully studied movements used only in performances. By the end of the 15th century the French people could no longer distinguish between Balletto, brando and Ballo.

With the presence of Balthasar di Beaujoyeulx in Paris, great changes were made in the French court. He worked with poets like Jodelli, Donrat, Pierre Ronsard and Jean Antonie Baif.

Beaujoyeulx was very familiar with Italian choreographic culture and Greek lyrics and he began to use this in his work in France.

Baif, on the other hand, used the antic chorus and figuration dances, with this he invented coordination dance. The dance began to use a structure similar to music and poetry. Example: The performance "Galiarda" was made in 6 equal notes (dddd-d) executed with 4 equal steps, a jump on the pause, and a pose on the last note. Baif thought that such dances could be performed in "modern dance" of the time. He, together with poets began to create works uniting poetry and music to make symmetric verse, in 1567, Baif made an academy project where he unified poetry with music and dance in one complex art. Carol ix accepted this project in November, 1570 and in February 1571 the Academy opened, but only for a short time.


Ballet began to develop quickly.
On August 19, 1573, Catherine de Medici gave a performance/ballet for polish ambassadors, in this ballet, 16 ladies who represented the 16 provinces of France performed. This was the first realization of figuration dance, in the 2nd ballet "Comique de la Reine" created by Beaujoyeulx, one can see more clearly figuration dance. This ballet had mixed geometric forms and more dancers who performed homogenously. Ballet "talked" without a word. He used the word comique" because the action led to a happy conclusion. This ballet 'was an inspiration for future military parades because the various geometrical and horizontal forms could be seen from above (balconies).

After the "Comique de la Reine", ballet remained in the hands of professional dancers. More emphasis was given to the carriage of arms, legs, and jumps. Battement and Les elevees appeared which could no longer be seen from above only from the front (enface) but geometric forms in dance remained and are still used today.

1637- San Cassino, the first opera studio, was opened in Venice where the general public was allowed to attend upon ticket purchase.

Ballets created by Beaujoyeulx included: 1606, "Birds": "The Three Ages", and 1608 "The Queens Ballet" in which Queen Anne from Denmark appeared as a dancer, in 1610 he created the ballet "Alcinea". A geometric system was used in all of his ballets, but he used new form of aesthetics.

1626 the ballet "widow from Billebahaut" (La Douairiere de Billebahaut) by Beaujoyeulx was created with leisure movements. Ballet steps like: chasses, coupes, and glissade appeared for the first time.

Masters began to combine dance steps to melody. Music was then written for specific dance movements. Later the combination of dance and music can be see through the works Noverre and Gluck.

Adagio and Allegro appeared in music, which enhanced the development of dance in relation to music. Dramatic ballet began to disappear. Writers began to document events from their century.

On Feb. 23 1653, "La Nuit" (The Night) premiered in the palace Petit Bourbon. This ballet was written by Jean de Cambefort and staged by Charles Beauchamps. "La Nuit" had an intoduction (entrees) and the machinery used in performance was made by Torelli.

The evolution of ballet had many stages during this period with the use of materials from diverse places, much mystery, court stories, and tragedy.

Moliere and Lully changed the course of ballet and directed it into the form of comedy-ballet.

Jumping in Feet First

Jumping in Feet First

The first dance

THE HISTORY OF DANCE goes all the way back before there was any history, if you see what I mean. That is to say, people have been dancing almost as long as there have been people at all. Anything before that gets just a little too confusing.

Dance historians and other scholars disagree over whether the kind of jumping up and down and prancing around done by horses, dogs, cattle and other animals should count as dancing for the purposes of the history books, and I'm afraid we're just going to have to let them keep arguing about it. For what it's worth, for the purposes of this history book, I'd be inclined to say that dogs and horses make pretty good dancers, but I'm not so sure about cattle. They're just generally too sluggish and ungraceful. Walt Disney's Fantasia, of course, gave us the image of dancing hippopotamuses (hippopotami?), but that's an animated cartoon and so doesn't really count in most scientific circles.

At any rate, dancing probably began when some prehistoric cave dweller stubbed a toe on a big rock by the campfire. Amazingly, this little scenario contains all the basic elements essential to dance — movement (jumping up and down), gesture (grasping the injured toe with both hands), special lighting (the campfire) and (if screams of agony count) some sort of musical accompaniment. Dressing rooms, box seats and exorbitant ticket prices probably came shortly thereafter. (Millions of years later, in works such as Le Sacre du Printemps and Petrushka, com-


poser Igor Stravinsky provided ballet music to accompany similar primitive gestures and movement. It's always good when an art form can get back to its roots.)

Once early humans organized themselves into tribes, dancing became a more serious business, often with specific goals in mind. There were dances to inspire the soldiers before going into battle, dances to frighten the enemy and dances to console the survivors if the battle hadn't gone so well that day. There were dances to bring on rain (and probably others to say, "OK, we've had enough rain now, thanks"), dances to ensure good crops or plentiful hunting and fishing, and dances to celebrate marriages and births (often preferably in that order). Many tribal societies also developed a dance of death, or danse macabre, as a way of making the prospect of the afterlife a little less scary.1

Many religions around the world include dancing as part of their important rituals, whether to please or appease their various gods or just as a way to celebrate life. In India, Hindu teachings instruct that the world was created by a dancing god, Lord Shiva, which just goes to show how important they think it is. Christian sects, in fact — not all, but a stern few — are rare among world religions in considering dancing to be wicked, unacceptable and downright evil.2

The ancient Greeks considered dancing to be inspired by the gods and so put a lot of thought into the matter. They even developed a complex system combining rhythm and movement and called cheironomia, from the Greek word cheir, meaning hand. Dancing was presided over by Terpsichore, one of the nine Muses in charge of the various arts. In particular, there were two gods in charge of dance — Apollo, the sun god who also looked after philosophy and art, and Dionysus, the god of wine, revelry, fertility and other wild abandon.3

Thus, even from ancient times, we can see that dance has been divided into two categories — the highbrow dancing of artistic expression and the lowbrow dancing of getting drunk and having a good time. We continue to maintain these distinctions even today. In general, ballet is considered a highbrow, artistic pursuit. (The drunkenness and sexual pursuit comes later, usually at the party after the performance.)

Many of the best Greek dances actually come from the island of Crete, whose people were conquered around 1400 B.C. or so by mainland Grecians from the city-state Mycenae, or Mycenaeans, who stole all the Cretans' best moves. Every once in a while, Mycenaean Greeks were known to burst into bouts of frenzied dancing, for reasons historians have been unable to determine (though it might have something to do with the wine — see above). Even today, there are still some cretins in the dance world, but that's something else again.

The ancient Greeks divided theatre into two types, comedy and tragedy. (The term tragedy comes from tragoidia, or "goat song," because Dionysus and followers of the ancient Mystery religions considered the goat a sacred animal).4

Dionysus is also sometimes known as Bacchus, from which we get the words bacchanalia and bacchanalian. Dionysus, or Bacchus, had a traumatic childhood. His mother, Semele, having been accidentally reduced to a pile of ashes by his father, Jove, Bacchus was instead born out of Jove's thigh. That sort of thing tends to have an effect, and would have made big headlines if the Greeks had had medical journals in those days. (Handel later wrote a whole opera based on the Semele story, ash pile and all.)



Early Greek theatre contains many of the elements associated with modern theatre in general and in fact with ballet in particular. There was a chorus of dancers — all of them male, which meant that some men had to play the women's parts in the drama (thereby establishing a tradition of effeminate males in theatre that continues today). And to protect their feet on the rough ground of the outdoor amphitheatres, the performers wore little slippers not unlike those worn by ballet dancers today.

If I were more conscientious, I'd take-the time now to discuss the Greek dithyramb, a song-and-dance routine accompanied by flute music. But I'm not and I'm not going to dither about the dithyramb. Take it from me, it's very important and you really should read up on it if you want your knowledge of Greek theatrical history to be well rounded. Me, I always like to leave a few rough edges.

The ancient Greeks also developed a form of theatre later picked up on by. the Romans (and much, much later by the English), known as the pantomime. This started off all right but later became lewd and sensational and generally got out of hand. Sometimes, condemned criminals were added to the cast and forced to dance near flames until their flammable clothing caught fire and they burned to death in front of the audience. What fun! Anything to please the crowd, I guess. You'd think some of them might have had the foresight to dunk their costumes in water before the show, but apparently not. (Ballet has a long tradition of setting fire to its performers. In 1393, the French king Charles VI had a close call when his costume caught fire, and in the 1800s a couple of Parisian dancers got too close to gas lamps on stage and likewise went up in flames, causing severe burns from which they later died. Among other things, dancers should always carry comprehensive fire insurance.)


Dancing was also known in ancient Rome among Jews and early Christians, though much of the dancing mentioned in the Bible tends to turn out badly. Salome, for instance, danced at a birthday party for her stepfather, Herod, and what happened? John the Baptist wound up with his head on a plate.

King David mentions dancing often in his psalms, usually along with timbrels and tabrets — whatever they are. When David saw Bathsheba do a little soapy dance in the bathtub, he was so overcome with lust that he immediately slept with her and got her pregnant. Then he arranged to have her husband, Uriah the Hittite, conveniently killed in battle so he could marry her. To be fair to Bathsheba, all she was really trying to do was keep clean and build up a good lather. The story tells us that David's actions "displeased" God, though given that the Book of Leviticus instructs that all adulterers should be put to death, David got off rather lightly. Bit of a slipup there, if you ask me.5

Jesus AND his followers seem to have had little time for dancing, though given how many other details the Gospels scrimp on, I suspect there was rather more dancing going on than we're led to believe. Jesus himself, in popular folksong, is sometimes referred to as Lord of the Dance (a term much more recently applied to that popularlizer of Irish stepdancing, Michael Flatley — although I'd be careful of making too close a connection there).

There must have been dancing at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee, for instance, especially after Jesus turned all that water into wine (see Dionysus, above). And personally, I think Mary Magdalene probably knew a few interesting steps or two, and so did that woman at Simon the Leper's house with the special ointment and the long hair — but that's just a theory.


1 This doesn't always work, but at least it's worth a try.
2 The old joke goes that Baptists forbid lovemaking standing up because it might lead to dancing.
3 People who can name the nine Muses are generally the same ones who can name all 12 apostles and all seven of Snow White's dwarves.
4 This seems appropriate; since many in the theatre are old goats themselves and some performances can stink like a goat.
5 David also dressed up in linen and did a little dance in front of the ark of the covenant, which may have helped put him back in God's good books.

ARISTOCRATIC ENTERTAINMENT 1300 TO 1600

ARISTOCRATIC ENTERTAINMENT 1300 TO 1600


Ballet is a kind of special behavior. If you take lessons, the teacher demands control of your limbs and shapes your body into a geometric design while you hold yourself proudly, formally and gracefully. At a ballet performance you enter a dream world in the company of noble kings and queens at spectacular court ceremonies, or with beautiful romantic creatures floating the night, or perhaps where magnificently shaped gymnast turn and leap with super human skill. Where did these manners come from?


Renaissance Manners and Luxury

Ballet was born in Europe during the period we call the Renaissance, approximately 1300 to 1600, at the courts of the Italian and French ruling nobility. The story of Romeo and Juliet reflects the manners and values of the beautiful people of that epoch. To get an idea of the atmosphere reflected in the art of ballet, picture yourself in the setting of Romeo and Juliet, a couple who lived and died in an Italian Renaissance town.
Shakespeare's play mirrors quite accurately the formal splendor as well as the violence of life in that setting.

The Renaissance saw an influx of wealth into European society. Some of this came from the rise of capitalistic business enterprises, and some from the great quantities of gold and silver that poured into the treasuries of Europe from the recently discovered mines of the New World (North and South America). Together with this affluence there was an emphasis on the experiences and objects that money can buy. Political power, scientific knowledge, family love, physical beauty, and the arts all claimed respectable attention. An outstanding feature of the Renaissance was the search for a lifestyle that was pleasant, joyful and luxurious.

The leaders of Renaissance society were the wealthy, noble families of Italy like the Medicis and the Sforzas (the Capulets and Montagues of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet). Each family was prominent in a particular city. There was no nation in Italy at that time. The aristocrats lived in magnificent palaces and fostered whatever they thought would add to the beauty off heir environment and daily pleasure. In their luxurious activities and interests, we can find the seeds of the art of ballet. For example, they lent tremendous support to architecture, painting and sculpture. Magnificent cathedral statues and paintings by brilliant artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Boticelli, and Michelangelo testify to their active encouragement of the arts. Further, they treated their fellow townsmen to generous rounds of public festivals that included carnivals, spectacles, sports contests, and processions.






Stories and legends – particularly those harking back to the pro-Christian era, had great appeal in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries after the saturation of the Middles Ages with Jesus legends. The directors of Renaissance spectacles took their ideas largely from Greek and Roman mythology and history. Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Achilles were frequently portrayed, as were Venus, Cupid, and Hercules. The guests at these affairs were well acquainted with ancient tales. They enjoyed seeing and identifying these characters and the events connected with them, along with the pleasure of figuring out which well-known courtiers, personal friends, and other subjects for gossip hid behind each elaborate mask and costume. Poetry would have been recited about ancient Roman heroes and Greek gods, mixed in with flattery to the assembled company. Capulet might have been compared to Jupiter in his wisdom and power, for example, or Juliet to Venus. Perhaps Cupid would have been praised for uniting such a loving couple.


Scenic effects contributed much to the visual spectacle and perhaps made the biggest t impression on the viewers. Scenes featured floating clouds, rumbling chariots, and larger-that-life animals, all involving complicated machinery like platforms on wheels and rollers, "flying" harnesses, hooks and pulleys, as well as trap doors, and the like. Creating effective props that functioned in a convincing manner occupied the attention of the finest Renaissance artists. Leonardo da Vinci himself was responsible for designing the contraptions at some shows. And of course, trained engineers were called to build them.


Dancing. Finally, even if the primary element wasn't dancing, it was present. Performers were expected to remember to be graceful and to carry out all instructions in regard to steps and gestures, keeping time with the music, and leaving room for other performers. The dancing masters often spent hours with their noble pupils, patiently teaching them simple pantomimic motions and steps that would be suitable to their roles. Then after the show, the whole company of guests would participate in ballroom dancing, which would go on through the night hours. They would all have practiced regularly and taken lessons with the same dancing master to get the steps and the patterns just right.

To sum up, in the preclassic court dances, taken together with the pageants and processions of the Renaissance, we can see the barest outline of ballet as we know it. As we continue our pursuit of dance history, we shall see how the steps and movements developed in complexity and in brilliance beyond recognition, and were given over completely to professionals. Still, as a technique of physical movement and as a kind of behavior, ballet continues - and still continues- to be characterized as courtly and dignified. Accomplishments paid off in both enjoyment and achievement of social position. And conversely, you can picture the misery of the unattractive, clumsy bore who was not invited our much and spent time brooding about his bad luck, cut off from fun and social advancement.




Romeo and Juliet

The high-society etiquette of the period plays a part in the familiar story of Romeo and Juliet. The lovers first met at a ball given by Juliet's prominent family, the Capulets. Her father knew that Romeo came from the hated Montague clan, and had sneaked into the ball wearing a mask. But Capulet was more concerned with having a pleasant party and exercising the proper etiquette for a host than in letting nephew Tybalt throw Romeo out. "Let him alone," he told Tybalt, who was furious when he discovered Romeo's presence. "He is known to be a virtuous, well-mannered youth. Not for all the wealth in town would I allow him to be harmed in my house. And as for you Tybalt, stop frowning. A face like that doesn't belong at a party".

In fact, old Capulet was daydreaming about his own youth, when his days where spent like Romeo's, mooning after one girl or another. Don't forget, Romeo's friends dragged him to this party to take his mind off his wild adoration of Rosalind, a girl too poor to accept his love; and Romeo protested, warning them that he wouldn't dance because he felt so heavy from despair, sick from unrequited love. He soon changed his mood and his mind after Capulet called a welcome to all the gentlemen present and announced to the ladies, "If one of you will refuse to dance, I'll swear it's because she has ugly corns on her feet. Come musicians, play! Everybody clear a space - now dance!" At this moment Romeo saw Juliet and was overcome. The fifteen-year old Juliet certainly knew how to dance. So did Romeo. They did not miss a step when he, struck by love at first sight, maneuvered to a place at her side and took her hand as a partner. They were both so familiar with the steps of the dance that they could go through them automatically while exchanging flowery speeches about pilgrims, saints and holy shrines - all poetic ways of working up to a kiss. If Rosalind had entered the room at that moment, Romeo would have had trouble remembering her name.


Dancing Masters

The mastery of dance depicted here was not unusual. Dancing was one of the prime accomplishments of any lady or gentleman. It was considered essential for a place at court. To provide the required lessons in dancing, many noble houses had in residence a dancing master who taught the steps and proper bearing. The most famous dancing master of the Renaissance was Guglielmo Ebero (William the Hebrew), born before 1440. He was attached to the Medici court of Florence and other great houses, teaching









few basic steps that were fairly easy to do. But there were many variations and combinations, and sometimes a particular dance could be quite complicated in its final form.

Really, you can see a similar setup in a first-year ballet class today. All class work is built on basics like the plie, the releve, the five positions, the battemants, the rond de jambe, the arabesque, the pirouette, and the jete". Yet at the end-of-the-year recital, the student has to practice hard to get a part in a prearranged choreographic number just right. Thus you can imagine these courtiers as first-year ballet students - although encumbered by fancy, heavy clothing - learning to do a number of set dances. If we read the instructions supplied by their dancing masters and set down in books by Guglielmo and others, we also see that the nobility were not taught technique the way you are. There is no emphasis on straightening the leg to a pointed toe, or on controlling the muscles of the hips (after all, these were well hidden by clothing). However, attention was give to the style of doing the steps and to overall behavior.


Thoinot Arbeau (1519 to 1596), Consider dancing master Thoinot Arbeau's lessons in Orchesography, a manual on dance (also fencing, piping, and drumming) edited by Julia Sutton. On one figure in Basse-Dance, Arbeau instructed his male students (like Romeo) on the proper way to perform the banle:


By keeping the heels together, and turning the body gently to the left for the first bar; then to the right, glancing modestly the while at the spectator for the second bar; then again to the left for the third. And for the fourth bar, to the right, again with discreetly tender sidelong glance at the damsel. You must be careful not to take strides that suggest you wish to measure the length of the hall, and the damsel who is your partner cannot with decency take such long steps!


He dictates that in the slow pavane jt is all right for the cavalier to wear his cloak and sword. The steps proceed with decorum and measured gravity. As for the damsels, they keep their eyes lowered, although it is permissible to cast an occasional glance of virginal modesty at the onlookers. The pavane was frankly used by kings, princes and great lords to display their fine mantles and robes of ceremony on days of solemn festivals. Similarly, the queens, princesses and great ladies accompanied the men, with the long train of their dresses let down and trailing behind them. At a ball, before beginning this dance, the performers walked gravely around the room and saluted the great dignitaries who gave the ball.

The steps of the pavane were the simples possible. The gentlemen walked behind their ladies, leading them by the hand; a few gliding steps and a great many curtseys followed,



backed this up. He left us a list of six qualifications for a good dancer. He put first rhythm, the ability to keep time with the music. Second was memory, keeping in mind the right steps and correct sequence of movements. Third was the use of space, an awareness of the size and layout of the space to which he must regulate the size and proportion of the movements. Fourth was airy lightness (ballon). Fifth was coordination between steps of the feet and use of the body. Sixth was inclination for body movement, the gift of expression. We can see that to a large extent the style and body attitude of these preclassic court dances still characterize the classic school of ballet technique. If we think of technique as a learned system for moving the body properly in dance, then the advice of Guglielmo and Arbeau referred to above are not that different from the instructions that the contemporary teacher might give to pupils in a ballet class.


However, ballet is more that a series of technical movements, steps and exercises done in a certain style. It is also a theatrical dance form that includes elements in addition to dance: namely music, costumes, setting, and a plot, theme or idea. Sometimes it also contains poetry, or dialogue, spoken or sung.


Court Entertainments


During the period we have been discussing - the Renaissance - there were court entertainments in addition to the balls. They combined all the theatrical elements mentioned above. In fact, dancing was probably the least interesting of all the aspects of court entertainment. If Juliet had gone ahead and married the suitor her parents had chosen for her, instead of eloping with the forbidden Romeo, the Capulets would have undoubtedly have arranged a smashing celebration. This would have been climaxed by a showy pageant - a court entertainment - that would have contained the sketchy outlines of ballet spectacles with which we are familiar, except that the dancing itself would be severely limited.



Performers. The pageant performers would have been members of Juliet's family and other courtiers. These worthies would have looked forward to the event quite eagerly.











Stuttgart by way of England) combined lyrical dancing and lively pantomime, as did Keneth MacMillan (1965) in England, to give their own interpretations of universal love in an historical setting. There is a movie of MacMillan's version (in which Juliet is once again a young girl). In addition there are a number of versions of the pas de deux of the lovers, performed by dozens of artists, like Rudolf Nureyev and Lynn Seymor.


In fact, the musical drama West Side Story created (1957) by Jerome Robbins and Leonard Berstein was based on this same wonderful drama. Here the timeless elements of teenage passion and feuding tribes were transposed from rival families in sixteenth- century Verona to street gangs in twentieth-century New York. Instead of the Italian Montagues and Capulets, there were the Puerto Rican Jets and Sharks, each ruling their own street and guarding it with knives against forays by the opposition. The tragedy occurred when a sister of a Shark fell in love with a Jet leader. After the show was a success, a movie version followed. Another up-to-date interpretation was Bejart's Romeo and Juliet (1966) which presented the Renaissance noblemen as contemporary teenage boys, counting out loud, doing gymnastics, and tumbling, along with the more conventionally staged lovers' duets. In the 1970s, the American John Nueumeier's Hamburg Ballet danced his own version of the story, based in part, on the earlier Cranko work, with many personal departures.



Anyway, you can see from this quick international tour that there is more than one way to express the same thought. Thus art is a form of communication, and its statements and styles must reflect the feelings dominant in a particular culture, or a particular artist. Yet at the same time, ballet has remained an art of visual spectacle and technical skill, its personality a product of its birth in the courts of Renaissance Italy.



















Dance History


Homework:


After reading "Aristocratic Entertainment 1300 to 1600" answer the following questions.


1. What things and ideas were very important for the wealthy and noble society in the Renaissance?

2. What was the importance of the dancing master at court and briefly describe his duties?

3. Mention and briefly describe some of the dances practiced at European courts during the Renaissance.

4. List and briefly describe the main elements in court entertainment during the
Renaissance.

Origin of Ballet

Origin of Ballet

The art of balle* appeared about 400 years ago. Ballet is considered a modern art, but the composing elements like dance and masks were used more than 2000 years ago.

It is unclear, because of lack of documentation, exactly why and what; happened when people lived in tribes, tribes people survived from hunting and collecting food. The first written evidence corned from the time of superior Paleolithic (stone age) or better said the beginning of Neolithic in which people thought to draw or carve pictures of their actions on stones or bones. Earnings were found on cave walls in which the people lived. Simple color pictures were discovered of animals and people.

Before people learned to build houses, they learned what rhythm is. The first steps' were probably made to the rhythm of beating stone or wood together. One example may be seen in a cave "Three Brother" in Ariege, France. This picture represents a man with the head of a bison, covered in horse skin, dancing and singing with an instrument shaped like a bow, and casting a spell on two herbivores.

Also in La Mege-Teyjat (Dordagne), France engravings were found on the antlers (horns) of a buck with three men dancing in masks.

In Cogul, Spain pictures of women dancing around a man were found on cave walls.

What can all this represent?
What does this mean to you?

Some historians believe all of this represents dance movements. In some pictures we see people with bent knees and pointed feet, which lead "us" to believe this was dance.

Also from the Neolithic period, a simple instrument (similar to a lithophone) was found in Ndut-lienq-krak, Vietnam. Even today similar instruments are used in some tribes and countries like; Gabon, Congo, South Africa, India and South America.

Historians believe dance and instruments to have been used in religious and magical rituals. It is very difficult to explain how rigorously dance evolved.

But, there is a folk legend from Coingung, Brazil that tells of Cuyurucre men on a hunting trip who could not see the sky through the thick forest. The men came to a meadow in the middle of the forest: in the center of the meadow was a big strong tree. Beside the tree, were some branches with leaves and one of the branches was stuck into a pumpkin. The men were astonished to see the branches moving in an upward and downward motion to the rhythm of wind. Poetry written by the German Curt Sachs (based on this legend) states that people of the Neolithic period felt dance was a force springing from their own bodies and nature.

Totem Poles: A totem pole was either a plant or an animal. People danced around a totem pole until they got the sensation of courage. (Even today people may whistle or tap their fingers when they are nervous or afraid.) People danced around a totem pole for things like a successful hunt, rain, fertility, and war.

In Indian mythology, dance was considered a cosmic force because even the god Siva created people dancing. They danced around an animal or an arrow in order gain courage for a hunt. This ritual/dance is evident in the tribe Wedda from Ceylon, Dance Description: A circle of men was formed around an arrow embedded in the earth and they moved with very simple movements in melodic rhythm, without looking at one another, the dancers would turn left while standing on the right leg and beating the left leg into the ground. The upper body bent backwards while turning half circles around themselves. The men would stop on the left leg and beat the ground with the right leg as they had previously done with the left.

A similar dance was executed much later in the court of king Alcinous in honor of Ulysses. (Reference: Odyssey, Homer 1929 ed. Today in South Africa, over 22 dances of this type are still performed/executed.

Origin of Ballet continued

Origin of Ballet continued

The sun dance was executed in a circle because the sun is round. In Egypt, the sun dance was performed once a year. The Egyptians used large steps and gestures to surround the temple walls to insure the apparition of sun onto the land of Egypt. This and other Egyptian rituals took place in the time of Egyptian pharaohs and the god Toth.

In Iran, in Persepolis or Echatan, a dance was performed for the day of gods. Dancers stood with straight posture, looking straight ahead, arms were stretched upwards, and their stance was showing divinity. The sun was the origin of life and the moon was considered to be the protector of women.

The moon dance was done in a spiral formation that represented a snake. This dance even today is called “ Ko1o", The “Kolo” originated in the Paleolithic period but is regularly seen today in Slavic countries near the Adriatic sea.

In Crete and Southern Bavaria, spiral dances were used in 2000 B.C. The dancers wore masks and imitated swan, buck, or pigeon steps in a spiral formation.

The fire dance was executed in a line with the dancers turning around themselves if I the opposite direction of the sun's rotation. It was part of funeral rituals. Dancers wore animal masks and danced to flutes and drums while screaming to a rhythm more and more accelerated. Funeral dances can be seen today in Romania.

The sword dance was practiced between the 14th and 18th centuries in Europe.

In this lecture, we have seen that all dances had significance. People used dance to express emotions. In Hbj, Egypt dance meant happiness, in Greece dance and happiness was described with the word "chares".

Many years later in Egypt and Greece, dance began to take a more physical, rhythmical and mimic form. In Greece religious dances were developed where people danced for the god Dionysus.

From Homer's writing (8th century B.C.) we see that shipbuilding and the use of metals like bronze aided in commercial trade between Cypress, Crete, Egypt, Sicily, and the entire continent of Greece. Poets (7th century b,c) began to appear like: Arhiloh from Paros, Safo from Lesbos, or Mimnerm from Colofon, who put stories into verse. Art began to develop into more branches like dance, rhythm and poetry.

Dance masters began to have very rich programs, which takes us to modern times. One of the famous dances is called "Piric" which had a military character/style executed in honor of the goddess Athena. We can learn more about dance from the writings of Sophocles (496-406 B.C.). Greeks began to share the conception of dance, and pantomime with the Romans. Romans began to combine Greek elements into their own dances. The Romans loved pantomime, which led to the development of dance with pantomime.

Dance began to take on a more acrobatic style. Female dancers were models for the sculpture Policlet. Dancers also started wearing artistic costumes made from very expensive materials to show the beauty of female dancers.

In 300 A.D., the development of art and dance did not progress much due to the spread of Christianity. In the 5th century A.D., there were many spiritual and social changes that lasted for about 1000 years.
Church and Dance: Ballette and Balerie. In the 5th century A.D., with the spread of Christianity, the Greek-Roman culture started to decline. The art of jongleurs comedy and acrobatics "Spielmanner", which appeared in llth-14th century, aided in the development and interpretation of farce and mystery. During this time, simple pantomime and dance movements were demonstrated at local events.

In Paris, 1080 A.D., choreographic and pantomimic passages were added to drama liturgies. The term "ballette” appeared, which meant poetic dance that was treated with happiness and grace based on love stories. "Ballette" was composed from one refrain, three verses and one final refrain, sometimes songs were combined with a small mimic action, named "balerie", where one or more person appeared. The dance had a conductor followed by tambourine and flute.

"Sacre Rappresentazione" started with a dialog between prophets and apostles and finished with a ballet in which painters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Rafael Sanzio or Pontorno collaborated.

When Ludovic (Ludwig) XII entered Milan in 1507 A.D., machinery and trumpets were used to announce the artists who were to perform for the king. The artists wore masks and costumes that became popular in the king's court.

In 1486, "moresca" or "morisque" was performed in "Passion de Jean Michel". "Moresca" was a dance from Maura origin brought from Spain that expanded throughout Europe.


"Moresca" was a theatrical dance that did not enter into the performance category, but had specific scenic elements. Dancers wore black masks or were painted black. The costumes were decorated with golden thread and precious stones. "Moresca" or the moresca step was very free like a jumping march interrupted with beats from the heel.

In Milan, 1489, under the direction of Leonardo da Vinci, the ballet "Celebration of Orfeu" was performed for the wedding of Duke Galeazzo with Isabel a de Aragon. This ballet was arranged by Bergonzi di Botta di Tortone. He is the first recorded master choreographer in the history of ballet. In 1489 choreography became an art with masters.

Glimpses of the Past

Glimpses of the Past


As long as men and women have lived upon this earth, they have danced. The art of movement is among the oldest of the arts. That is really not surprising, for so much about us is in perpetual motion. Rivers run, tides ebb and flow, leaves on the trees and grass blades in a meadow all bend or tremble in the wind. The seasons pass. Day gives way to night, and night to a new day. Just as people are always aware of the movement around them, so their bodies may instinctively respond to situations through movement before their minds and tongues have been able to verbalize a response. We cringe with fear, throw our hands up in surprise, or reach out to clasp someone we love.

Moving through a world that is itself in motion, people have always danced out their feelings about the world. The origins of dance are rooted in a prehistoric past. Long before dance became a complex art, people delighted in swaying, circling and stamping out rhythms, just as small children still do. Aware of the movements of the forces of nature, prehistoric people moved in ways they hoped would appease those forces or give them new powers of their own. Hunters danced before going off to pursue game, warriors danced before marching into battle. Tribes danced to banish evil spirits and to ask favors of the gods. There were dances to bring rain, dances to celebrate the harvest, dances of birth, puberty, marriage, and death. And there may have been dances that were just for fun.

In one sense all dances are made similar by the use of the human body in motion, but because the body can move in a multitude of ways, dances vary astonishingly from culture to culture. Nevertheless, it is possible to classify dances according to their intent: there are dances performed principally to please the dancers themselves, dances performed to please the gods, and dances performed to please other people. The first category - dances to please the dancers doing them- includes social dancing. It may often be entertaining to watch other people in a waltz or the latest pop dance craze. But most such dances are intended to be performed rather than watched, and many people who are lumbering and graceless can still enjoy themselves enormously on the dance floor. The category of dances to please the gods is that of spiritual, religious, or ceremonial dances. Although such dances may be fascinating to watch, they exist because they are done for some ritualistic purpose.

When the pleasure or edification of onlookers is at least one of the important aspects of a dance, that dance can be said to belong to the category of theatrical dancing. Such dances may not be presented on a stage or in any building that we might recognize as a theater. Yet if a dance performance in any way emphasizes the distinction between doer and spectator, then it is, at least to some degree, theatrical. Of course, many dances may fit into several categories simultaneously. Certain dances in certain cultures may begin with dancers moving in front of onlookers, only to conclude with performers and spectators all dancing together. And some ceremonial dances may be intended to awe worshipers in a temple as well as to honor the gods in heaven. Nevertheless, theatrical dancing- dances done by people while other people watch- constitute one of the major forms of dance in cultures around the world, and each great civilization produces its own.

The most influential of ancient world civilizations was that of Greece. Believing that dance was divinely inspired, the Greeks allowed the art to play an important part in religion, education and theater. Two great gods concerned themselves with dance. Apollo - who, in addition, was the patron of music, poetry, philosophy, and healing - was associated with light: the light of day and, symbolically, the light of the intellect that drives away barbarism. Dionysus was a god of fertility and wine as well as a god of dance. Like wine, his divine powers could induce both cheerful merriment and wildness, and many of his worshipers were known to break loose into riotous dance. Over the centuries Apollo and Dionysus have come to symbolize two types of art: art notable for its serene majesty and formal balance is often called "Apollonian" whereas art that is emotionally unrestrained or ecstatic is "Dionysiac" (or "Dionysian")

As an art, Greek dance was allied to both poetry and music, and dancers often interpreted poems by means of a complex system of rhythmic body movements know as cheironomia. Just as poetry and dance were allied, so instrumental music was not an autonomous art, as it often is today, but one linked to poetry, song, and movement. The Greeks viewed the union of dance, music and poetry as symbolic of the harmony of mind and body and, indeed, of civilization itself. At many religious ceremony everybody danced - the highborn and the lowly, small children and elderly adults - and professionalism tended to be discouraged. Instead, the idea was the cultivated amateur or well-rounded citizen, rather than the craftsman making a living through a single skill. Consequently, totally professional activities in music and dance were usually left to slaves, freedmen, and foreigners.

Among the Greek dances were vigorous male dances involving loud shouts and clanging of weapons that were performed not only to praise military prowess, but also to honor the powers of nature and to frighten evil spirits. Others were religious dances in a circle to invoke the gods, dances in which the participants carried snakes (which were considered sacred), harvest dances, and dances associated with mystic cults.

Although much research has been done on the Greek theater, it is impossible to reconstruct any actual Greek dances. Descriptions of dances survive, and dancers are depicted in sculptures and vase paintings; yet such verbal accounts and pictorial imagery are not necessarily literal depictions of specific dance movements.

However, several types of dances are known to have existed. The vigorous pyrrhic dance is said to have been inspired by of a soldier in battle such as forward- leaping attacks, withdrawals, and movements to the side to avoid blows. The gymnopaedia resembled the pyrrhic dance in vigor, but with movements derived from wrestling rather than warfare. Whereas many Greek dances were performed by only one sex, young men and women danced together in the hyporchema, singing choric poems as they moved. All these dances emphasized circular and spiral patters.
2.

Dancing formed part of the fancy dinner-party entertainment know as the symposium. After a fine meal, the guests at such events were anointed with oil, and garlands (somewhat resembling Hawaiian leis) were placed on their heads and around their necks. Entertainment followed, including music on the lyre and flute and, often, performances by a troupe of professional dancers.

As Rome came to dominate the world and the Roman Empire expanded, dance - even in the Greek areas under its domination- became increasingly divorced from poetry. A theatrical form that developed in the late days of Greek culture and flourished until the sixth century A.D. in the Roman Empire was what was known as the pantomime. For the Romans, the pantomime was a program, introduced by a plot summary and accompanied by singers and musicians, in which a solo performer portrayed all the characters in a story taken from mythology or history. Often the performer would change costume to indicate the different characters, but the more clever mimes would simply rearrange the folds of their cloaks and convey changes of character entirely through their gestural skills.

Dance was an important part of life in the Middle Ages for aristocrats and common people alike. There was dancing by peasants at street fairs and by noble lords and ladies in castle halls. Medieval dances included dances to instrumental music and vocal dances, which were performed to songs sung by spectators or the dancers themselves. Indoor dances were accompanied by flute, lute, viola da gamba, and other stringed instruments prized for their softness of sound.

Among the festive medieval dances were the ductia, a particular favorite of the wealthy, and the stantipes, which, because of its complexities, was thought to prevent the thoughts of its performers from straying to vulgar matters. The estampie was a stately dance for couples that some scholars believe developed around 1400 into the basse dance (or bassadanze), a slow-moving dance with low elegant steps that derived its name from the French basse and the Italian bassa, both neaning "low".

In castles and palaces, dances served as party entertainments, and with the coming of the Renaissance, court dance flourished, particularly in Italy. At the time, Italy was not a unified nation but a collection of squabbling states. Their reigning princes continually sought ways to increase their prestige and impress their neighbors. One way to do so was to create a brilliant court life through the encouragement of art and learning. Ostentatious by nature, dance could easily proclaim a court's brilliance and taste, Thus it was in Italy that the first dancing masters appeared, among them Domenico of Piacenza, who around 1400 wrote the first surviving European treatise fbn dancing; his followers Antonio Cornazano and Guglielmo Ebreo (William the Jew) were often in demand as producers of dances for state occasions. The very word "ballet" is of Italian origin, derived from the verb ballare, "to dance".


From "Ballet & Modern Dance. A Concise History" by Jack Anderson
3

Dance History Notebook

Dance History Notebook


How to organize it:

• Use 1" Ring Binder

• Make sure your name is on the cover of the notebook

• Use Dividers with Tab

• Put all the homework, in-class journals, class notes and readings from the same term together in between 2 dividers.

• The section of each term should start with the check list, then class notes in chronological order, then in-class journals, followed by homework and readings at the end.

• Put the Dance Handbook and syllabus from all the classes in the beginning of the notebook before the first divider. Class Notes: You should always take notes in class.

The notes should cover:
• Basic information of the video we are watching such as the title of the piece, the choreographer and or main performers, the section of the piece etc. and the relevance of this video to the part of dance history that we are studying.

• Contextual information given in the video, such as the evolution of pointe shoes, or the collaborators of Martha Graham.

• Lectures given by the teachers or guest teachers.

• Information presented by other students.

• Clarification of the text that we are reading.

Other Important Notes:

• Write with legible handwriting.

• Use only Black or Blue ink pens.

• Do not include other subjects such as humanities or personal letters in your dance history notebook. You may keep other dance handouts such as Ballet vocabulary or choreography notes at the back of the last divider. However, be aware that you might not have access to your notebook for over a week during grading period.

Homework:
• Since dance history meets four times a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) homework assigned is always due on the following Monday.

• You can hand it in early, but if you hand it in late, your grade will drop.

• We strongly advise you to use the comments we give you to revise your homework for a better grade.

• Homework can be handwritten, but it must be neat and legible.

Dance History Syllabus

Boston Arts Academy

Dance History Syllabus
-first term -



Course description This is a lecture course in dance history. The first semester will cover the history of ballet, starting with the Superior Paleolithic (Stone Age), Beginning of Neolithic, Renaissance Court dances and the development of dance all the way through the mid-20th century. Reading and analysis of videos and photographs will be assigned throughout the semester. In-studio projects will guide our discussion about form, content and critical reception.


Guiding questions
• How started the dance and when?
• Under what form and where?
• Who were the dancers, who was the audience and who paid for everything?
• How did these dances look and how the dancers feel dancing this way?
• Where did the dances take place?
• How they learned to dance and where?
• How did these dances reflect the art period they were created in?
• When did the costumes, line and the technique begin to change and why?

Required texts Istoria baletului (Tilde Urseanu, Ion Ianegic, Liviu Ionescu). Translation and photocopies will be provided. Ballet 101 (Robert Greskovic). Photocopies of selected readings will be provided. Dancing through History (Joan Cass/Prentice Hall)? Selected articles from web.

Class requirements and grading
Punctual completion of all reading and writing assignments is essential for your success in this course. Active participation in class is strongly encouraged. Details on specific written assignments, projects and performances will be provided and announced during the semester.
20% Class participation (punctuality, attendance, discipline and contribution)
20% Homework
20% Performance /Attendance
10% Special in-studio projects
30% Tests


Course schedule

Unit One: Superior Paleolithic (Stone Age)

• Introduction to course
• Introduction to Stone Age dances
• The Egyptian rituals and Greek culture
Reading assignment: Istoria Baletului (Translations)
Homework: Read "Glimpses of the Past"(Copies are provided)

• 10 to 15 min. small test about "Glimpses of the Past" Introduction to Renaissance (Italian art in France) Reading assignment: Ballet Comique de la Reine (Dance as a theatre II p. 19) Renaissance "Istoria Baletului" (I will translate)


Unit Two: Renaissance
• Peruse website on Le Ballet Comique @ http://depts.washington.edu/uwdance/dance344reading/bcconten.htm

• Luis the XIV (The Sun King)
Reading assignment: Ballet 101 (p. 11-14) "The Sun King Dances"
(copies are provided)

Unit Three: Baroque Dance and Ballet d'Action

• In class video

• Rise of Professionalism, Noverre's Reforms and the French Revolution Reading assignment: "Entrechats and Revolution" (Professional Ballet 1714 to 1789)
Homework: Write a short essay comparing dancers of the Renaissance and Baroque period.

• In class video La Fille Mai Gardee and discussion
Homework: Read Ballet of the Nuns (copies are provided)

Unit Four: Romantic Ballet

• Introduction to the Romantic Ballet

• In class video "La Sylphide"
Reading assignment: Ballet 101 (p. 325-327)?

• Discuss "La Sylphide" and in class video Act 1 "Giselle"
Homework: Write a short essay comparing "La Sylphide" and "Giselle

• In class video Act 2 "Giselle"

• Discuss "Giselle"
Homework: search and read about "Coppelia"

• In class video of "Coppelia"

• Conclude viewing of "Coppelia" and discussion
Homework: Begin "Dance History Tree" (Stone Age - end of Romantic Period)


Unit Five: Classical Ballet

• Introduction to Classical Ballet and begin viewing "Sleeping Beauty"

• Conclude viewing of "Sleeping Beauty" and discussion
Homework: Continue "Dance History Tree" (Romantic -Classical)

• In class video "Swan Lake" Petipa (Odette/Odile pas de deux)

• Discussion of "Swan Lake" Homework: Read about Petipa (copies will be provided)



Unit Six: Ballets Russe - Serge Diaghlev

• Introduction to Ballets Russe and in class video of "Les Sylphides"

• Reading and discussion about Nijinsky
Homework: write a short essay comparing "Swan Lake" and "Les Sylphides"

-Reading and discussion about Diaghlev, in class video "Petrouchka"

• Discussion of "Firebird" or "Petrouchka", Fokine and Pavlova
Homework: Write a critic for "Firebird" or "Petrouchka"

-Discussion of the work of Massine
Reading assignments: Istoria Baletului (Translation and copies will be provided)

Unit Seven: Modern Ballet in America-Tudor, Balanchine and de Mille

• Introduction to Tudor, in class viewing of Jardin aux Lilas (excerpts) and
Discussion of his aesthetic, line and method
Homework: Reading assignments: Agnes de Mille (copies will be provided)

• Introduction to Agnes de Mille, in class video "Rodeo" (excerpts)

• Introduction to Balanchine, in class video

Homework: Dance History Tree (Serge Diaghilev to Balanchine),

• We will finish the "Dance History Tree"

Office Hours: Mr. Marculetiu, Tuesday and Thursday by appointment only.
Syllabus and course schedule subjects to change!!!

Romantic Ballet

The Romantic ballet is probably the most familiar and popular of all periods in ballet History. It is the time when ballerinas come alive for us in the superb colored lithographs of the time.
The best known of these is Giselle, which is danced today by companies all over the world, also exists a wonderful collection of ballets by Bournonville: Napoli, La Sylphide, Kermesse in Bruges, A Folk Tale, etc. which have been faithfully preserved in Copenhagen for a century and more by the Royal Danish Ballet.
We already feel at home when we reach the Romantic Ballet not only because we know some of the ballets that date from that period, but because costume styles, and dance technique have drawn much nearer to our standards of today.
The costumes became very simpler around 1800 in middle of the 19th century the ballerina’s skirt follows the trend in women’s everyday fashions and became more bell shaped. The bell shaped skirts reached the knee below, also named “Romantic Tutu”
The writers, painters, musicians and artists of all kinds began to seek fresh sources of inspiration and to express themselves in different ways.
Romantic era was full of feeling and warmth, also writers like Byron, Scott and Hugo, the musicians like Delacroix and Carot found the way into ballet in this time.
The great significance of the Romantic Ballet lay in the fact that ballets become more poetic more directly and more profoundly to the emotions of the audience than they had done in earlier times.

Dancers of the Romantic Age

The really important division between the ballet of the beginning of the 19th century and that of the Romantic age:
Taglioni’s performances in “La Sylphide”, in 1847 Taglioni retired.
Funny Elssler ( 1810-1884) she danced in Vienna, Naples and London in 1834 Dr Veron invited her appear in Paris.
-In 1836 she had her first huge success in “La Diable Boiteux”
-In 1838 appeared in a ballet “ La Voliere” choreographed by her sister Therese
-In 1839 appeared in “La Gipsy” choreographed by Mazilier, Elssler was paid with $500 per performance.
- In St. Petersburg and Moscow, Elssler knew unprecedented (never seen & happened before) triumphs in Giselle.
· Jules Perrot staged in “Her Majesty’s Theatre” in London:
- In 1845 “Pas de quatre”. Point work had emerged as a permanent and essential extension of women’s dancing , in this ballet performed or danced: Cerito, Taglioni, Carlotta Grisi, Grahn.

· August Antoine Bournonville (choreographer)1805-1879 was born of a Swidish mother, and he was trained as a dancer by his father Antoine Bournonville.
- In 1820 in Paris he worked with several of the greatest teachers of his time (colleagues of his father), there he made first contact with teaching of Augustus Vestris.
- His father was director of the Danish Ballet but in 1823 he was dismissed as director and that made August Bournonville to return to Paris in 1824 for a 2 year study period.
- August Bournonville started to work with Auguste Vesrtris for 2 years. The young Bournonville was taught, his style confirmed and then polished, under this great inheritor of the tradition of French 18th century dance. He absorbed the system of work and the understanding of the dance which are the foundations of everything he was to do later.
- In Paris and London demonstrated his exceptional talent. Bournonville also declared Marie Taglioni to be his ideal dancer. He was a man proud of being a dancer-“he called it the finest career in the world”, and one concerned with the improving of the social identity of dancers.
- In 1829 he returned to Copenhagen where his performances astounded the Danish audience. “La Sylphide” was considered one of his most important ballets. Bournonville’s career was spent entirely in the service of the Royale Danish Ballet; he created more than fifty ballets which provided almost the entire repertory of the Royal Danish Ballet during his life time and for several years thereafter. Bournonville retired from the theatre in 1877 and 2 years later (1879) he died.
- Across the years the tradition of Danish dancing has been maintained by the excellent Danish male dancers who are still the envy of the world, today like: Peter Schaufuss, Niels Kehlet, Peter Martins are the heirs of Bournonville.