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.
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.
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