Difference between revisions of "Paris Opera Ballet" - New World Encyclopedia
| Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
''see also'': [[ballet|History of ballet]] | ''see also'': [[ballet|History of ballet]] | ||
| − | When the Ballet Comique de la Reine - considered the world's first ballet - established Paris as the capital of the ballet world, it sparked the onset of the development of one of the world's most acclaimed institutions. King Louis XIV, who ruled France from 1643 to 1715, made the decision to strengthen this leadership by implementing ballet as a state institution | + | When the Ballet Comique de la Reine - considered the world's first ballet - established Paris as the capital of the ballet world, it sparked the onset of the development of one of the world's most acclaimed institutions. King Louis XIV, who ruled France from 1643 to 1715, made the decision to strengthen this leadership by implementing ballet as a state institution. He would later be the driving force for the transformation of ballet from court entertainment to professional performance art for the masses. |
| − | + | Louis greatly enjoyed dancing, and for this reason took part in all the ballets given at his court. In 1661, Louis founded the ''Académie Royale de Danse'' to train professional dancers to perform exquisitely for he and his court. With serious training, the French professionals developed skills that had been impossible for the amateurs. | |
| − | In 1713, the Academy's dancers had become | + | In 1672, the king gave the court's official music composer, [[Jean-Baptiste Lully]], directorship othe Académie Royale de Musique which had been founded as Académie d'Opéra in 1669. At this time, French ballet and opera were virtually inseparable; therefore, The Academie d'Opera became the great institution of opera, baroque ballet (the art-form that would one day evolve into classical ballet), and music in Paris. From 1671 until Lully's death in 1687, the ballet was directed by the dancing master [[Pierre Beauchamp]], most noted for the codification of the five positions of the feet. All of these institutions were maintained lavishly at the expense of the crown. |
| + | |||
| + | In 1713, the Academy's dancers had become so skilled that the king published a Règlement concernant l'Opéra which made the Opera become a state institution with a permanent resident company of 20 professional dancers (10 men and 10 women)to be led by Nicolas de Francine and Gaureaut et Dumont. They then began to perform publicly in theatres. From that time until the 1810s, the state upheld 12 theatres as their principal venues, most of which were destroyed by fires. All of these theatres, regardless of the "official" names they were given, were all commonly known as the Paris Opéra or Opéra de Paris. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | Mademoiselle La Fontaine (1665-1736) was the first woman who danced on the stage of the Academy of Music, when she premiered Le Triomphe de l'Amour. Then came other famous ballerinas such as Marie-Th�r�se de Subligny (1666-1736), Mademoiselle Prevost and Mademoiselle Desmartins. The most famous male dancers of that period were Michel Blondy and Jean Balon. | ||
| Line 34: | Line 39: | ||
It was open to boys and girls from poor families, aged 9 to 13, and existed since then without interruption (it's the oldest dance school still existing...) | It was open to boys and girls from poor families, aged 9 to 13, and existed since then without interruption (it's the oldest dance school still existing...) | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
In 1713, two years before his death, Louis XIV published a Règlement concernant l'Opéra which made the Opera become a state institution, with a permanent company of 20 dancers (10 men, 10 women). | In 1713, two years before his death, Louis XIV published a Règlement concernant l'Opéra which made the Opera become a state institution, with a permanent company of 20 dancers (10 men, 10 women). | ||
Revision as of 19:03, 15 August 2007
The Paris Opéra Ballet is the official ballet company of the Opéra national de Paris, otherwise known as the Palais Garnier, though known more popularly simply as the Paris Opéra. Its origins can be traced back to 1661 with the foundation of the Académie Royale de Danse and the Le Ballet de l'Opéra (1713) by King Louis XIV of France. The official name of the company is Le Ballet de l'Opéra national de Paris.
The aim of the Académie Royale de Danse was to reestablish the perfection of dance. Using 13 professional dancers to drive the academy, it would be one of many entities under the umbrella of the Paris Opera, established for the purposes of national cultural enrichment.
Louis XIV, who ruled France from 1643 to 1715, popularized the Paris Opera Ballet, transforming ballet from court entertainment to professional performance art for the masses.
History
see also: Ballet du Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique, predecessor of the Paris Opéra Ballet
History of the Paris Opéra Ballet....
see also: History of ballet
When the Ballet Comique de la Reine - considered the world's first ballet - established Paris as the capital of the ballet world, it sparked the onset of the development of one of the world's most acclaimed institutions. King Louis XIV, who ruled France from 1643 to 1715, made the decision to strengthen this leadership by implementing ballet as a state institution. He would later be the driving force for the transformation of ballet from court entertainment to professional performance art for the masses.
Louis greatly enjoyed dancing, and for this reason took part in all the ballets given at his court. In 1661, Louis founded the Académie Royale de Danse to train professional dancers to perform exquisitely for he and his court. With serious training, the French professionals developed skills that had been impossible for the amateurs.
In 1672, the king gave the court's official music composer, Jean-Baptiste Lully, directorship othe Académie Royale de Musique which had been founded as Académie d'Opéra in 1669. At this time, French ballet and opera were virtually inseparable; therefore, The Academie d'Opera became the great institution of opera, baroque ballet (the art-form that would one day evolve into classical ballet), and music in Paris. From 1671 until Lully's death in 1687, the ballet was directed by the dancing master Pierre Beauchamp, most noted for the codification of the five positions of the feet. All of these institutions were maintained lavishly at the expense of the crown.
In 1713, the Academy's dancers had become so skilled that the king published a Règlement concernant l'Opéra which made the Opera become a state institution with a permanent resident company of 20 professional dancers (10 men and 10 women)to be led by Nicolas de Francine and Gaureaut et Dumont. They then began to perform publicly in theatres. From that time until the 1810s, the state upheld 12 theatres as their principal venues, most of which were destroyed by fires. All of these theatres, regardless of the "official" names they were given, were all commonly known as the Paris Opéra or Opéra de Paris.
Mademoiselle La Fontaine (1665-1736) was the first woman who danced on the stage of the Academy of Music, when she premiered Le Triomphe de l'Amour. Then came other famous ballerinas such as Marie-Th�r�se de Subligny (1666-1736), Mademoiselle Prevost and Mademoiselle Desmartins. The most famous male dancers of that period were Michel Blondy and Jean Balon.
But in 1760, the French choreographer Jean Georges Noverre criticized the professional dancers in his book Lettres sur la danse, et sur les ballets (Letters on Dancing and Ballets). Noverre complained that the dancers cared too much about showing their technical skills, and too little about the true purpose of ballet. This purpose, he said, was to represent characters and express their feelings.
Noverre urged that ballet dancers stop using masks, bulky costumes, and large wigs to illustrate or explain plot and character. He claimed that the dancers could express these things using only their bodies and faces. So long as the dancers did not look strained or uncomfortable doing difficult steps, they could show such emotions as anger, joy, fear, and love. Noverre developed the ballet d'action, a form of dramatic ballet that told the story completely through movement.
It was open to boys and girls from poor families, aged 9 to 13, and existed since then without interruption (it's the oldest dance school still existing...)
In 1713, two years before his death, Louis XIV published a Règlement concernant l'Opéra which made the Opera become a state institution, with a permanent company of 20 dancers (10 men, 10 women).
Ranking
There are five ranks of dancer in the Paris Opéra Ballet, from highest to lowest they are:
- étoiles
- premières sujets
- sujets
- coryphées
- quadrilles
see also: Ballerina
choreographers
- Jean Dauberval: La fille mal gardée (1789).
- Pierre Gardel: Télémaque (1790), Psyché (1793), Le jugement de Pâris (1793), La dansomanie (1800)
- Philippe Taglioni: La Sylphide (1832)
- Jules Perrot: Giselle (1842)
- Jean Coralli: Giselle (1842)
- Carlo Blasis
- Arthur Saint-Léon: Coppélia (1870)
- Louis Meranté: Sylvia (1875)
- Serge Lifar: Les Créatures de Prométhée (1929), Icare (1935), Istar (1941), Suite en blanc (1943)
- Rudolf Nureyev: Raymonda (1983), Swan Lake (1985)
- Maurice Béjart: Arepo (1986)
- William Forsythe: In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated (1987)
note: works given were created for the Paris opera Ballet
Dancers
- Yvette Chauviré
- Sylvie Guillem
- Emma Livry
- Marie Taglioni
See also
- Audric Bezard
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
