"In life, as in the dance, grace glides on blistered feet." -Alice Abrams
Introduction
The 18th century was not a particularly exciting time for ballet, but it was formative in that the focus of ballet productions changed, and ballet spread more throughout Europe and began to be accessible to more people. Most notably, during this period ballet was influenced by Jean-George Noverre, whose treatise on ballet was responsible for much of the aforementioned changes.
Development of the Ballet d'Action
In the beginning of ballet's time, ballet served as a complement to larger productions, particularly opera. These productions were extremely extravagant, and the focus was on making the production as elaborate and fancy as possible. This resulted in large, heavily decorated costumes, musical performances incorporated into the dancing, and more. In the 18th century, ballet's role in these productions changed thanks to Noverre's treatise, "Lettres sur La Danse et sur Les Ballets." In this book, Noverre argued that ballet (i.e., movement) should be used to express the emotions and feelings of the characters in the story, and the focus should be on these movements, instead of letting costumes, scenery, and other components of the performance do this. Under this approach, he developed the ballet d'action, which is what we call a story-ballet today. The performances had an actual plot, and characters from the story were well-developed. Ballet pantomime was developed so that audience members could easily understand the events in the ballet, and costumes were lightened and modified to make body movements more easily visible, and the extra scenery on stage was removed. Overall, the ballet d'action allowed ballet itself to be the focus of the performance, and paved the way for dance to become an independent art form all on its own.
In addition, professional ballet was no longer performed only in France and Italy. It began to spread across Europe, especially to Eastern Europe, and gained momentum among the masses. Although common people could not participate in ballet, they were abel to watch it; ballet was no longer something accessible only to the European aristocracy.
In addition, professional ballet was no longer performed only in France and Italy. It began to spread across Europe, especially to Eastern Europe, and gained momentum among the masses. Although common people could not participate in ballet, they were abel to watch it; ballet was no longer something accessible only to the European aristocracy.
Notable People
The 18th century's most important contributor to ballet was Jean-George Noverre, who wrote the treatise discussed above. Noverre called for several changes in the dance world, but most importantly, he emphasized that every element of the show had to be compatible with the plot of the story, including the movements, costumes, sets, and the music. He wanted the shows to be one cohesive production, as opposed to a complement to the opera. In addition, Noverre wanted movement to show the expressions and feelings of the ballet's characters, so Noverre got rid of the masks that many dancers of the day wore during performances. This allowed for dancers to use their faces, as well as their bodies, to portray what was happening with their characters. As a result, Noverre developed early stage make-up techniques so that audiences could appreciate the lack of masks.
Finally, Noverre introduced a new pedagogy for teaching ballet. He emphasized the importance of proper technique, and he also encouraged his dancers to pursue their own strengths within their technique and to develop their own personal artistry. This allowed for dancers to focus on what they did best, and many dancers began to focus on particular kinds of roles.
Finally, Noverre introduced a new pedagogy for teaching ballet. He emphasized the importance of proper technique, and he also encouraged his dancers to pursue their own strengths within their technique and to develop their own personal artistry. This allowed for dancers to focus on what they did best, and many dancers began to focus on particular kinds of roles.
Important Ballets
Unfortunately, this century did not produce any well-known ballets that remain in today's repertoire. However, most of the plots of the ballets at this time were based on Greco-Roman mythology, inspired by the Classical education of Europe's upper classes at the time.