Final Project - (First Draft) The Media and Ballet
Ballet begins way back in the 1400s with court dancing and Louis XIII, but I’m going to skip ahead to the 1930s to when ballet truly became involved with American culture. Ballet dancers have evolved into celebrities and trendsetters because of the media.
(George Balanchine and Suzanne Farrell)
George Balanchine is one of the most innovative choreographers and one of the founders of American ballet. He was born in 1904 and studied at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1933 Lincoln Kirstein invited Balanchine to America. They started the School of American Ballet in Hartford, Connecticut, and then moved to New York City the next year (1).
(Balanchine and the dancers of Jewels, which is being performed by NYCB right now)
The School of American Ballet is the foundation of New York City Ballet. Balanchine wanted to start with a school to create the dancers he was to set pieces on and see performing. He has created some of the most recognized works in the ballet world.
Mikhail Baryshnikov is one of the most well-known ballet dancers of our time. He was born in Latvia and began studying ballet at the age of 16 at the Vagonova Choreographic Institute in Russia. While on tour with the Bolshoi Ballet in Toronto in 1974, he defected to Canada and left communist Russia (2). No one would have ever thought of leaving the Soviet Union at that time. It was pretty much unheard of. He joined one of the best American ballet companies, American Ballet Theatre. While at ABT a critic wrote that he was the “Beethoven of the body” (3), which is completely accurate.
Shortly after, in 1977 he starred in The Turning Point, which he was nominated for an Academy Award. This was just the beginning of Baryshnikov’s acting career and time in the limelight. He won two Emmys in 1979 and 1980 for dance specials on television. Then he starred in another quite famous movie; White Nights in 1985 with Gregory Hines (2).
(Baryshnikov and Hines in White Nights)
This dancer who defected from a country he grew up in, had paved the way for ballet during this time. Making him this sort of cultural celebrity. Baryshnikov broke barriers within the ballet community and worldwide. In 2004 he opened the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City through his foundation (2). It is a place where any artist can have the opportunity to express him or herself. They have a theater, another performance space, multiple studios, and offices. He continued to dance through his 50s and 60s despite knee problems. In 2011 and 2012 he starred in the play, then the following year was featured in an experimental theater production. Baryshnikov’s love for modern dance continues. Most recently, in 2015 he was featured dancing in a Rag & Bone commercial, along with street artist Lil Buck. Nothing will ever stop Baryshnikov from expressing himself. He will continue to break barriers and inspire future generations for as long as he lives.
1. http://www.coreofculture.org/ballet.html
2. http://www.biography.com/people/mikhail-baryshnikov-9201142#early-life-and-career
3. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/dance/10133374/Mikhail-Baryshnikov-Everything-in-Russia-is-a-damn-soap-opera.html
(From her recent shoot with Harper’s Bazaar)
Misty Copeland has become one the most well known dancers of this generation. She has broken barriers beyond belief. This dancer started out dancing in a small studio in San Pedro, California at the age of thirteen. Copeland went through a terrible custody battle between her mother and ballet teacher, which was eventually dropped. She won first place the Music Center Spotlight Awards in Los Angeles two years later.
Copeland joined ABT Studio Company in 2000 and became apart of the company the year after (4). As she continued dancing with the company she was promoted to Soloist and performed many roles. In 2012 innovative choreographer Alexei Ratmansky created the main role in Firebird on her. This was her breakthrough role and a huge moment for African American ballerinas. She was the first black woman to perform the famous principal role of “Odette/Odile” in American Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake in 2014 (4). Copeland reprised the role the next Met Season and performed the role of “Juliet” in Romeo and Juliet during the 2015 season. In June 2015 Copeland became ABT’s first African American female principal dancer ever in the company’s life span of 75 years (4).
(Copeland’s “I Will What I Want” campaign for Under Armor from 2014)
Today, Copeland continues to inspire others with her multiple endorsements by designer, athletic wear, and credit card companies. She has won countless awards for being the celebrity she is and has appeared on a number of talk shows. She, along with Baryshnikov, will continue to inspire dancers and other artists with their power to push through boundaries and barriers that they were not initially suppose to break according to society. Because of their level of fame they will motivate others in this difficult art form no matter who they are.
4. http://mistycopeland.com/about/
(Natalie Portman and Artistic Director of the Paris Opera Ballet Benjamin Milliped attend the Fall 2013 NYCB Gala)
More and more celebrities have become involved with this art form. Ballet companies need all of the funding they can get, so they hold galas each year to raise the money they need. Celebrities have the fame and power to keep these ballet companies alive and thriving.
New York City Ballet holds two galas each year, one in the fall and the other in spring. It has become one of the biggest events filled with celebrities and socialites. American Ballet Theatre hold galas as well with the same reputation.
Dancers nowadays have also become more involved in the media. They participate in fashion campaigns and short films, as well as TV shows. Above is an image from Cole Haan’s recent shoe campaign with dancers from New York City Ballet. Instead of just being in a company and performing seven days a week, these artists are making names for themselves and inspiring who ever will pay attention to this performance art. They are becoming celebrities to promote themselves and this dance form because they have to.
