History of 20th Century Ballet

Display Schedule

Code Completion Credits Range Language Instruction Semester
107KDXX exam 3 10 lecture hours (45 min) of instruction per semester, 68 to 83 hours of self-study Czech winter

Subject guarantor

Name of lecturer(s)

Helena KAZÁROVÁ

Department

The subject provides Dance Department

Contents

Information on the combined form:

The course is taught in a combined form of contact and non-contact teaching in a ratio of approximately 1:6.

Lectures 10 hours, distance form approx. 65 hours, group and individual consultations by appointment.

The content of the course History of 20th Century Ballet is to introduce students to the most important companies, personalities and choreographic works of the past century. To learn and understand both the individual choreographers and their works and the interrelationships in the ongoing process of promoting a new form of ballet within 20th century theatre culture.

The aim of the study is to gain a broader understanding of the development of ballet since the late 19th century, when artistic stagnation occurred, and to understand the contribution of the personalities who contributed to overcoming this crisis, to know their brief artistic biography and their most significant works for the development of ballet as a distinctive theatrical genre in chronological order.

Lecture topics:

  1. The crisis of ballet at the end of the 19th century, the reasons for the loss of artistic credit of ballet, ballet-féerie as a problematic genre. Impulses from other artistic disciplines that helped ultimately to make ballet a modern theatrical genre:
  2. Mikhail Fokin, Václav Nijinsky - creators of the first seasons of Les ballets russes de Serge de Diaghilev. Fokine's dances

Les Sylphides, Le Spectre de la rose, etc. Nijinsky's new movement aesthetics in Faun's Afternoon. Collaboration with Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring as a future symbol of 20th century ballet. Jeux - the first ballet to draw its theme from the world of sport. Václav Nijinsky as an ideal performer for the 20th century - combining athletic movement skills with intimate acting.

  1. Bronislava Nijinsky as the first important choreographer of ballets in the first half of the 20th century. Her collaboration with Ballets Russes and successor companies. Les Noces - an example of constructivist approach in choreographic work.

Léonide Massine, versatile choreographer and charismatic interpreter of the demi-character style. His ballets with ethnic influences (e.g. Le tricorne), humour in his work (Les femmes de bon humeur, Gaité Parisienne), ballets with spiritual content set to symphonic music (Choreartium).

  1. George Balanchine, creator of the neoclassical line in the choreography of 20th century ballets. His Apollo musagetes. Other works for companies in Europe and America, characteristics of his relationship to music, ballets set to symphonic music. Pedagogical contribution. His company, the New York City Ballet.
  2. Maurice Béjart as a popularizer of ballet art in the second half of the 20th century and his Ballet of the Twentieth Century. The most outstanding works and the character of his companies.

Learning outcomes

The student will be familiar with the history of dance in the periods discussed.

To acquire an overview and sufficient awareness about the efforts to overcome the so called ballet crisis of the end of the 19th century. To understand the contributions of figures who contributed to the overcoming of that crisis. To know a brief biography about them and the most significant works for the development of ballet as an irreplaceable the of theatre in the chronology.

Prerequisites and other requirements

Prereq: Overview of the history of dance and ballet 1, 2

Literature

Required reading:

DOLLFUS, Ariane. Béjart: le démiurge. Paris: Arthaud, 2017. ISBN 9782081390928.

BALANCHINE, George. Histoire de mes ballets. Paris: Fayard, 1969.

BEAUMONT, Cyril. Michel Fokin and his Ballets. London: Dance Books, 1996. Repertoire of the Russian Ballet by S. Diaghilev (typescript, department library).

Collective: Léonide Massine. Tänzer und Choreograph. Bielefeld: Stadtmuseum Borken, 2004.

LIFAR, Serge. Histoire du Ballet Russe: depuis les origines jusqu'a nos jours. Paris: Nagel, c1950. 320 p.

MASSINE, Leonide. Massine on choreography: theory and exercises in composition. London: Faber, 1976. ISBN 0571093027.

MASSINE, Leonide. My life in ballet. New York: St. Martin's P., 1968.

MICHEL, Robert, Béjart si Dieu le veut, Bruxelles: Editions Racine, 2011. ISBN-13: 978-2873867393.

WOITAS, Monika: Leonide Massine: Choreograph zwischen Tradition und Avantgarde. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag GmbH & Co. 1996. ISBN 3-484-66018-x.

NIJINSKY, Romola. Nijinsky. Prague: Sfinx - Bohumil Janda, 1936. 298 p.

TAPER, Bernard. Balanchine: a biography, revised and updated. New York: Collier Books, 1974. 406 pp.

TICHONOVA, Nina: Ballets russes. The Maiden in the Son. Art Moscow 1992. ISBN 5-87334-064-1.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Oral examination, the emphasis is on knowledge of especially those works that are continuously re-performed and form the basis of the tribal repertoire and on the ability to characterize stylistic changes.

Other requirements: 100% attendance, activity in the class

Note

Distance contact will be provided:

Independent work of the student in the framework of contactless learning consists of:

  1. The crisis of ballet at the end of the 19th century, the reasons for the loss of artistic credit of ballet, ballet-féerie as a problematic genre. Reform efforts: the formation of the Russian Ballet Company by S. Diaghilev.

He/she will look up related excerpts and iconography on the Internet and write a short commentary on them.

  1. Mikhail Fokin, Václav Nijinsky - creators of the first seasons of Les ballets russes de Serge de Diaghilev. Fokin's dance poems in the spirit of neo-romanticism: Les Sylphides, Le Spectre de la rose, etc. Nijinsky's new movement aesthetics in Faun's Afternoon. Collaboration with Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring as a future symbol of 20th century ballet. Jeux - the first ballet to draw its theme from the world of sport. Václav Nijinsky as an ideal performer for the 20th century - combining athletic movement skills with intimate acting.

The student will study the required reading, searches the internet for the main choreographies of M. Fokine.

  1. Bronislava Nijinska as the first important choreographer of ballets in the first half of the 20th century. Her collaboration with Ballets Russes and successor companies. Les Noces - an example of constructivist approach in choreographic work.

Léonide Massine, versatile choreographer and charismatic interpreter of the demi-character style. His ballets with ethnic influences (e.g. Le tricorne), humour in his work (Les femmes de bon humeur, Gaité Parisienne), ballets with spiritual content set to symphonic music (Choreartium).

The student will find and study video clips of the repertoire of these choreographers on the Internet and expand his/her knowledge by studying the recommended literature.

  1. George Balanchine, creator of the neoclassical line in the choreography of 20th century ballets. His Apollo Musagetes. Other works for companies in Europe and America, characteristics of his relationship to music, ballets set to symphonic music. Pedagogical contribution. His company, the New York City Ballet.

The student will find and study video clips and the Balanchine Trust website on the Internet, and find out what Balanchine works have been given in our country. She will study other recommended reading and prepare questions on the topic.

  1. Maurice Béjart as a populariser of the art of ballet in the second half of the 20th century and his Ballet of the Twentieth Century. The most outstanding works and the character of his companies.

Finds video clips of Béjart's work on the Internet, searches dance magazines (e.g. Dance Letters, etc.) for references to Béjart's work. They will learn about the repertoire of the Béjart Ballet Lausanne.

Schedule for winter semester 2024/2025:

Date Day Time Tutor Location Notes No. of paralel
22.11.2024 14:15–15:45 Helena KAZÁROVÁ classroom
Hartig Palace		 lecture parallel1

Schedule for summer semester 2024/2025:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

The subject is a part of the following study plans