WhAt EvEn iS a SyLpH?!
Ay Ay AY! What is up today? Lets burn those bridges!
Anyways, this weeks topic was a not as entertaining as some of the topics that we covered; the history of ballet. In this post I will write about things that interested me;
1- For much of the beginning, ballet was under control of the nobility. The reasons for that is because at the start, most of the people in the audience were of high class. Ballet also needs money and an audience to survive and thrive. It is interesting to me because although artists were creating, they were creating within boundaries. How much freedom do you have when you feel the need to please your audience? Less risk taking and controversial topics were covered during the beginnings of ballet because the rich had full control over what was being put on stage.
2- When moving into the Romantic ballet era, the audience changed to new money and middle class. The audience used ballet as an escape from the changing political climate and succession. The tragic love stories provided a relatable, real display of the many issues as well as including more relatable characters and storylines. What I find interesting is that the more relatable the work was, the more distance they put between the stage and the audience. I wonder if this was because more people were coming to see these performances... did this eliminate the intimacy between performer and audience?
3- Pointe! First off, pointe hurts my bunions and my doctor said if I were to do pointe I would need bunion surgery...LMAOOOO
Anyways, pointe set the women apart in ballet. Men took a back seat on stage because women had the most stage time. Although women had the most stage time, the narrative was always told from a man’s perspective and most of the creative/choreographic responsibilities were the role of a man. Pointe led way into making women have certain roles; the mythical creature, unattainable virgin, supernatural female, etc. I found it interesting that the main roles for women were typically given to attractive women of rank. This made the women a sex object to men. A “tease” because she is unattainable through her lightness. On the other hand, some saw the “lightness” as artist rebellion. Denying gravity. I still think that these roles were men’s way of putting women in their place. Women are meant to be seen, not heard!
4- Lastly, I found the increase of science very interesting. People were moving away from religion because science brought up more questions that weren’t being answered. Because people moved away from religion, ballet conveyed real topics that could be considered “sinful”. These reoccurring themes throughout ballet continued the development and appealed to a new audience.