Comparing Romanic and Victorian Era Dancing
Dance is an aspect of culture, and just like any other culture it changes. When reflecting on La Sylphide and various dances created in the 19th century there is a visual shift in how movement is articulated. When comparing IMAGES OF LA STLPHIDE: Two Accounts by a Contemporary Witness of Marie Taglioni's Appearances in St. Petersburg to Politicizing Dance in Late-Victorian Women’s Poetry, it is obvious that dance is still prevalent in society, however the way dance is approached no longer the same. By the end of the Victorian era dance is not being boxed in, but rather pushing the lines of controversy.
The Romantic era was a time of elegance. Starting towards the end of the 1700’s, this is when classical ballet was for the royal. …show more content…
Viewers are looking through new glasses and finding ways to accept the abnormal. “Understanding the ways in which the Victorians viewed the dancing “other” provides a useful lens for viewing cultural relations, as Jeffrey L. Spear and Avanthi Meduri illustrate in “Knowing the Dancer: East Meets West”: “The story of how the devadasi, the temple dancer of South India, came to be abjected, consigned to the abyss, while her Vedic ancestor was being celebrated, is part of an ironic interplay between eastern and western ideas about the dancer and her dance.” (Wilson) Middle Eastern dance is rooted in tradition and rituals. Dance was becoming universal. During the Victorian era various forms of dancing were being discovered and examined. “Images of solo female dancers appear throughout late-Victorian writings on dance…” (Wilson) and “…positive images of unmarried womanhood were perpetuated by the figure of the New Woman.” (Wilson) Another notion that was explored during that time was feminism. Directors enjoyed displaying that a women did not need a man to dance
Dance is an aspect of culture, and just like any other culture it changes. When reflecting on La Sylphide and various dances created in the 19th century there is a visual shift in how movement is articulated. When comparing IMAGES OF LA STLPHIDE: Two Accounts by a Contemporary Witness of Marie Taglioni's Appearances in St. Petersburg to Politicizing Dance in Late-Victorian Women’s Poetry, it is obvious that dance is still prevalent in society, however the way dance is approached no longer the same. By the end of the Victorian era dance is not being boxed in, but rather pushing the lines of controversy.
The Romantic era was a time of elegance. Starting towards the end of the 1700’s, this is when classical ballet was for the royal. …show more content…
Viewers are looking through new glasses and finding ways to accept the abnormal. “Understanding the ways in which the Victorians viewed the dancing “other” provides a useful lens for viewing cultural relations, as Jeffrey L. Spear and Avanthi Meduri illustrate in “Knowing the Dancer: East Meets West”: “The story of how the devadasi, the temple dancer of South India, came to be abjected, consigned to the abyss, while her Vedic ancestor was being celebrated, is part of an ironic interplay between eastern and western ideas about the dancer and her dance.” (Wilson) Middle Eastern dance is rooted in tradition and rituals. Dance was becoming universal. During the Victorian era various forms of dancing were being discovered and examined. “Images of solo female dancers appear throughout late-Victorian writings on dance…” (Wilson) and “…positive images of unmarried womanhood were perpetuated by the figure of the New Woman.” (Wilson) Another notion that was explored during that time was feminism. Directors enjoyed displaying that a women did not need a man to dance