Ballets Russes

From the 20th Century Russian Ballet expanded exponentially with the help of advocates such as Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes. The ballet Russes produced many works Petroukcha is a Russian ballet which is first performed in 1911 choreographed by Michael Fokine. Fokine saw to it that many “key” principles of the classical ballet style abandoned to portray a tormented puppet named Petrouchka. The story takes place at a Russian spring fair in Admirality Square, St Petersburg. The story unfolds when The Showman encumbrances human emotions upon his puppets and a love triangle is established between the main characters, The Moor, The Ballerina and Petrouchka. This essay will be interpreting and evaluating Act II, Petroukcha’s room to understand how the Aural Components, Visual Components and Movements are used to convey meaning. In Act II, the audience receives deeper insight in to Petrouchka’s human emotions. From the outset of the act, it is clear that the Puppet is mistreated, multiple examples are…

On May 29, 1913, spectators filled every sit in the theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris. They sat in anticipation of celebrated dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps, in English, The Rite of Spring, a ballet set on the dancers of the critically-acclaimed Russian company, Ballets Russes. Ever since its inception in French courts in the 15th century, ballet has remained a pastime reserved for those with class. When one envisions a ballet, they imagine an evening of…

negative space to communicate something more. Alexey Brodovitch was a Russian Aristocrat turned American. Born in Russia he served in World War I and fought the Bolsheviks afterwards. He was forced to flee when injured and the hospital he was in was invaded. This led him to settle in Paris and eventually in America as the editor in chief of Harper’s Bazaar. His life was under a constant state of uncertainty. In an article by Colin Westerbeck the author makes the statement, “It’s no wonder that…

Artists, dancers, and musicians alike are readily familiar with the works of Igor Stravinsky, renowned Russian composer of the 20th century. His compositions span a number of performance methods, and stretch the limits of traditional musical styles as his philosophy of music develops. While he is often most associated with bizarre ballets such as The Rite of Spring, he also experimented greatly with both classical forms and modernist serialism. These three conflicting styles are the basis for…

April 6, 1971 in New York City, New York. Some of his most famous pieces are The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring. Stravinsky is most famous for playing the piano. He wrote mostly symphonies concerto grossos. His first moment of fame was when he composed three ballets commissioned by the Impresario Serge Diaghilev. Stravinsky’s father was a bassist in operas when Igor was a child. When he was young, Igor was given piano and music theory lessons. He then studied law when he went to…

The Nutcracker and The Rite of Spring are some of the most influential ballets ever produced. In this paper, I will be describing the composers, what influenced the writers, what the ballets are about, and I will contrast the two works of art. Since these greats works of art are so influential, it is important to talk about them their importance when they were created and what impact they still have today. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky or better known as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovosky, was the man who…

Have you ever been beaten, bruised, and chained to something in a dark basement? If you answered “yes” to the previous question, then congratulations! If you answered “no”, then you need to get out more. Today, I am here to discuss music for the eighty-three billionth time. So let’s get on with it. Let me introduce our two composers. First, we have Claude Debussy. And next, there is Igor Stravinsky. Now, you might be thinking, “Why did our history lesson start off with a question about chains?”…

Jonah Lehrer describes how artists of the past foretold the neuroscience discoveries of the future. The composer Igor Stravinsky deconstructed classical music, introducing dissonance with his ballet The Rite of Spring. Stravinsky was a modernist before his time; and, like its creator, The Rite did not conform to the audiences’ expectations, rather it pushed the boundaries of music. He realized music had never been a creation of nature, it had always been made by a/the human mind, and the human…

Of the countless artists throughout history, most pale in comparison to the great Pablo Picasso. Few have created revolutionary new styles of art, and not many have the comprehensive knowledge of their domain to freely adapt from one form to another. However, these artistic gifts did not fall freely into Picasso’s lap, rather, his life progressed through stages of grief and loss. Picasso sacrificed significant personal relationships and sanity for creativity’s sake, solidifying his own…

When comparing different ballet performances, you look at more than just the way the performers dance. You look at the location, use of the stage, force and speed behind each movement, costumes, and the props used. The performance that seemed very different from Firebird in almost all aspects was the first performance of the night, La Source. The ballets of La Source, Komoreibu, and Firebird were performed at the Koger Center on November 10 and 11, 2016. La Source is choreographed by George…