What comes to mind when someone thinks of ballet? It 's probably little girls in pink tutus, and not how it 's a political-shaping art form. Since its creation in the French courts, ballet has been influential upon not only a country 's culture, but also to its government. Ballet is used as a way to bring society 's refinement to the state. A prime example of this interaction can be seen during the Cold War. The Cold War was a broad set of rivalries between the two leading countries of the mid 20th century, the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic— otherwise known as the USSR (Hoogland Noon). Rivalries occurred everywhere you could think of—in the space program, Antarctica, and dance. From 1947–1991, ballet played a pivotal
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A “Cold War” is defined as being a continued state of resentful antagonism between two parties short of open hostility or violence (Hoogland Noon). Although there is war, no fighting actually occurs in a cold war. The term was introduced by Walter Lippmann after World War II, and can trace its origins to Don Juan Manuel. In a cold war, there are no technical winners and there is most typically no peace that follows the end of a cold war (Hoogland Noon). The Cold War fought in most recent history was a result of built-up tension from the previous …show more content…
To illustrate, Peter the Great hired Swedish ballet instructors to train his own militia (Miller). This case in point shows how political leaders have been looking to ballet for their own gain since the 1600’s. This political domination of cultural art forms also occurred in the early stage of the Cold War. Russia in the 20th century considered ballet to be its jewel—especially following the USSR new political position. However, Russia wasn 't the only home of the ethereal movement. Following the Great Depression in the 1930s, the United States became more relevant in the dance world. Naturally, many cultural exchanges then took place between the USSR and US in the latter half of the century. This included worldwide tours by well-known dance companies such as Alvin Ailey and the Soviet ballet. Conflicts were emerging concerning racial inequalities in the United States. Under then-president Eisenhower, there was a strong push to promote the grand image of American culture abroad, in the midst of the racial conflicts (Prevots 38). Eisenhower believed that the arts were a “powerful tool in the creation of world peace” (Prevots 2), so he sponsored the Alvin Ailey dance company to travel through Asia and Europe on tour to act as “cultural diplomats” (Prevots 37). Moving forward in the Cold War, American dance played in the battle for the hearts and minds of people in the United States. The battle of dance in the Cold War
A “Cold War” is defined as being a continued state of resentful antagonism between two parties short of open hostility or violence (Hoogland Noon). Although there is war, no fighting actually occurs in a cold war. The term was introduced by Walter Lippmann after World War II, and can trace its origins to Don Juan Manuel. In a cold war, there are no technical winners and there is most typically no peace that follows the end of a cold war (Hoogland Noon). The Cold War fought in most recent history was a result of built-up tension from the previous …show more content…
To illustrate, Peter the Great hired Swedish ballet instructors to train his own militia (Miller). This case in point shows how political leaders have been looking to ballet for their own gain since the 1600’s. This political domination of cultural art forms also occurred in the early stage of the Cold War. Russia in the 20th century considered ballet to be its jewel—especially following the USSR new political position. However, Russia wasn 't the only home of the ethereal movement. Following the Great Depression in the 1930s, the United States became more relevant in the dance world. Naturally, many cultural exchanges then took place between the USSR and US in the latter half of the century. This included worldwide tours by well-known dance companies such as Alvin Ailey and the Soviet ballet. Conflicts were emerging concerning racial inequalities in the United States. Under then-president Eisenhower, there was a strong push to promote the grand image of American culture abroad, in the midst of the racial conflicts (Prevots 38). Eisenhower believed that the arts were a “powerful tool in the creation of world peace” (Prevots 2), so he sponsored the Alvin Ailey dance company to travel through Asia and Europe on tour to act as “cultural diplomats” (Prevots 37). Moving forward in the Cold War, American dance played in the battle for the hearts and minds of people in the United States. The battle of dance in the Cold War