Difference between revisions of "Paris Opera Ballet" - New World Encyclopedia
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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 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 | + | In 1681, [[Mademoiselle La Fontaine]] (1665-1736) was the first woman to dance on the stage of the Academy of Music, when she premiered in Beauchamps' ''Le Triomphe de l'Amour''. Before La Fontaine's debut in 1681 at the Paris Opéra as ''première danseuse'', girls' roles on the public stage had been taken by young men. |
| + | In 1713, the Academy's dancers had become so skilled that the king published a ''Règlement concernant l'Opéra'' which legitimized the Opera as 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. The Paris Opéra Ballet became an official performance troupe, perfoming in French theatres for the general public. 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. | ||
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| + | ===Critics=== | ||
| − | + | 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 Ballet). Noverre complained that the Opera dancers were far too content with performing steps merely for the sake of physical movement and the demonstration of technical skills, while neglecting the true purpose of ballet. This purpose, he said, was to represent characters and express their feelings. Noverre declared the art of ballet is to imitate of life, just as it is for acting. | |
| + | 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 very well 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. Out of this criticism of ballet at the time, Noverre developed the [[ballet d'action]], a form of dramatic ballet that told the story completely through movement. | ||
| + | The romantic period began as people became interested in stories of escape from the real world to dreamlike worlds or foreign lands. | ||
| + | Her true rise to fame, however, came when Filippo created the ballet La Sylphide (1832) for her. Designed as a showcase for Marie's talent, it was the first ballet where the ballerina danced en pointe for the work's entirety. Marie is attributed with perfecting this technique using ballet slippers—not pointe shoes—a particularly difficult feat without reinforcement in the block of the shoes. | ||
| + | Marked by her stand-out performance in La Sylphide, Marie Taglioni is considered the first star of the romantic ballet era. Set in Scotland, La Sylphide's entrancing story about forest fairies and witches appealed greatly to audiences in this Romantic age of Keats and Byron. It originated the style of the romantic ballet, of which Filippo Taglioni was later named the father. Marie in her long, white tutu dancing lightly on her pointe shoes became the new image and fashion of the romantic ballerina, replacing the classical style. Marie's fragility when performing, coupled with her ethereal quality of dancing, enraptured her audiences even more. While women of the day copied her hairstyle, little girls went out and bought La Sylphide dolls to emulate the iconic Marie. | ||
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| + | On July 23, 1827, she made her Paris debut at the Paris Opera Ballet, in the Ballet de Sicilien and aroused great enthusiasm from her audience. | ||
===Ranking=== | ===Ranking=== | ||
Revision as of 19:42, 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 1681, Mademoiselle La Fontaine (1665-1736) was the first woman to dance on the stage of the Academy of Music, when she premiered in Beauchamps' Le Triomphe de l'Amour. Before La Fontaine's debut in 1681 at the Paris Opéra as première danseuse, girls' roles on the public stage had been taken by young men.
In 1713, the Academy's dancers had become so skilled that the king published a Règlement concernant l'Opéra which legitimized the Opera as 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. The Paris Opéra Ballet became an official performance troupe, perfoming in French theatres for the general public. 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.
Critics
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 Ballet). Noverre complained that the Opera dancers were far too content with performing steps merely for the sake of physical movement and the demonstration of technical skills, while neglecting the true purpose of ballet. This purpose, he said, was to represent characters and express their feelings. Noverre declared the art of ballet is to imitate of life, just as it is for acting.
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 very well 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. Out of this criticism of ballet at the time, Noverre developed the ballet d'action, a form of dramatic ballet that told the story completely through movement.
The romantic period began as people became interested in stories of escape from the real world to dreamlike worlds or foreign lands.
Her true rise to fame, however, came when Filippo created the ballet La Sylphide (1832) for her. Designed as a showcase for Marie's talent, it was the first ballet where the ballerina danced en pointe for the work's entirety. Marie is attributed with perfecting this technique using ballet slippers—not pointe shoes—a particularly difficult feat without reinforcement in the block of the shoes.
Marked by her stand-out performance in La Sylphide, Marie Taglioni is considered the first star of the romantic ballet era. Set in Scotland, La Sylphide's entrancing story about forest fairies and witches appealed greatly to audiences in this Romantic age of Keats and Byron. It originated the style of the romantic ballet, of which Filippo Taglioni was later named the father. Marie in her long, white tutu dancing lightly on her pointe shoes became the new image and fashion of the romantic ballerina, replacing the classical style. Marie's fragility when performing, coupled with her ethereal quality of dancing, enraptured her audiences even more. While women of the day copied her hairstyle, little girls went out and bought La Sylphide dolls to emulate the iconic Marie.
On July 23, 1827, she made her Paris debut at the Paris Opera Ballet, in the Ballet de Sicilien and aroused great enthusiasm from her audience.
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
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