ROMANTIC BALLET

FANNY ELLSLER, 1810 - 1884

SHE ARRIVED ON SCENE IN 1834, VIENNESE BY BIRTH, AND WAS

A PASSIONATE DANCER.

A RIVALRY BETWEEN TAGLIONI AND HER ENSUED.

THE DIRECTOR OF THE PARIS OPERA DELIBERATELY

INTRODUCED AND PROMOTED ELLSLER TO COMPETE WITH
TAGLIONI.

IT WAS GOOD BUSINESS TO PROMOTE RIVALRY.

CLAQUES, OR PAID GROUPS WHO APPLAUDED FOR A

PARTICULAR PERFORMER, CAME INTO VOGUE.

ELLSLER’S MOST FAMOUS DANCE - LA CACHUCHA - A SPANISH

CHARACTER NUMBER. IT BECAME AN OVERNIGHT CRAZE.
FANNY
ELLSLER
 TAGLIONI VS ELLSLER

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TALGIONI AND

ELLSLER:

A. TAGLIONI REPRESENTED SPIRITUALITY

1. NOT MUCH ACTING ABILITY

B. ELLSLER EXPRESSED PHYSICAL PASSION

1. CONSIDERABLE ACTING ABILITY

THE RIVALRY BETWEEN THE TWO DID NOT

CONFINE ITSELF TO WORDS.

THERE WAS ACTUAL PHYSICAL VIOLENCE IN THE

AUDIENCE!
 GISELLE

THE BALLET, GISELLE, PREMIERED AT THE PARIS OPERA IN

JUNE 1841 WITH CARLOTTA GRISI AND LUCIEN PETIPA.

GISELLE IS A ROMANTIC CLASSIC.

GISELLE WAS DEVELOPED THROUGH THE PROCESS OF

COLLABORATION.

GISELLE HAS REMAINED IN THE REPERTORY OF COMPANIES

ALL OVER THE WORLD SINCE ITS PREMIERE WHILE LA
SYLPHIDE FADED AWAY AFTER A FEW YEARS.

ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR BALLETS EVER CREATED,

GISELLE STICKS CLOSE TO ITS PREMIER IN MUSIC AND
CHOREOGRAPHIC OUTLINE. IT DEMANDS THE HIGHEST LEVEL
OF TECHNICAL SKILL FROM THE BALLERINA.
 GISELLE COLLABORATORS
THEOPHILE GAUTIER 1811-1872
A POET AND JOURNALIST HAD A DOUBLE INSPIRATION - A BOOK
BY HEINRICH HEINE ABOUT GERMAN LITERATURE AND FOLK
LEGENDS AND A POEM BY VICTOR HUGO-AND PLANNED A BALLET.

VERNOY DE SAINTS-GEORGES, A THEATRICAL WRITER, WROTE

THE SCENARIO.

ADOLPH ADAM - COMPOSER. THE SCORE CONTAINS MELODIC

THEMES OR LEITMOTIFS WHICH ADVANCE THE STORY AND ARE
SUITABLE TO THE CHARACTERS.

CICERI - SCENERY. HE DID SCENERY ALSO FOR LA SYLPHIDE.

CREATED RUSTIC VILLAGE AND MOONLIT FOREST SETTING.

PAUL LORMIER - COSTUMES.

JEAN CORALLI - CHOREOGRAPHY. BALLET MASTER OF PARIS

OPERA BALLET. JULES PERROT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR GISELLE'S
CHOREOGRAPHY. HE WAS COACH, CHOREOGRAPHER AND
LOVER TO CARLOTTA GRISI, THE STAR OF GISELLE.
 CARLOTTA GRISI

1819 TO 1899. ITALIAN BORN.

SHE MET JULES PERROT, 9 YEARS OLDER, AND WAS

HIRED BY PARIS OPERA.

LUCIEN PETIPA, BOTHER OF MARIUS, BECAME GRISI’S

REGULAR PARTNER.

GRISI WAS PRAISED IN THE ROLE OF GISELLE AND IT

BECAME HER SIGNATURE WORK.
JULES
PERROT AND
CARLOTTA
GRISI
 PAS DE QUATRE

PERROT BECAME BALLET MASTER AT HER MAJESTY’S

THEATRE IN LONDON.

HE CREATED PAS DE QUATRE IN 1845.

BALLERINAS IN PAS DE QUATRE:

CARLOTTA GRISI-GISELLE FAME

MARIE TAGLIONI-LA SYLPHIDE FAME

LUCILLE GRAHN - DANISH DANCER WHO INFURIATED

FANNY ELLSLER WITH HER GOOD REVIEWS

FANNY CERRITO-MARRIED TO ARTHUR SAINT LEON AND

BECAME FAMOUS WITH THIS BALLET
LUCILLE GRAHN
FANNY
CERRITO
 DANCERS’ QUALITIES

GRAHN-CONTROLLED LIGHTNESS
GRISI-SHARP VIBRANCY
CERRITO-DARTING TURNS
TAGLIONI-SOARING LEAPS

FAMOUS LITHOGRAPH OF PAS DE QUATRE PRESERVES

THE FINAL TABLEAUX.

THIS BALLET HIGHLIGHTED COMPETITIVE EGOTISM OR

ARTISTIC TEMPERAMENT.

THE ORIGINAL CHOREOGRAPHY DOES NOT SURVIVE.

PAS DE QUATRE
 ENRICO CECCHETTI

1850 1928
HE WAS AN ITALIAN BALLET DANCER, FOUNDER OF THE
CECCHETTI METHOD.

AFTER AN ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER AS A DANCER IN EUROPE, HE

WENT TO DANCE FOR THE IMPERIAL BALLET IN ST.
PETERSBURG, RUSSIA WHERE HE FURTHER HONED HIS SKILLS.

BY 1888, HE WAS WIDELY ACCEPTED AS THE GREATEST BALLET

VIRTUOSO IN THE WORLD.

SOME OF HIS STUDENTS INCLUDED OTHER NOTABLE DANCERS

OF THE IMPERIAL BALLET, SUCH AS: ANNA PAVLOVA,
LÉONIDE MASSINE, AND VASLAV NIJINSKY

CECCHETTI'S PRESENCE IN DIAGHILEV'S BALLETS RUSSES WAS

VERY IMPORTANT.

HE WAS THE LINK BETWEEN THE PAST AND THE PRESENT,

CONTRIBUTING TO THE BIRTH OF MODERN CLASSICAL BALLET.
CECCHETTI COACHING
ANNA PAVLOVA IN 1920
 AUGUST BOURNONVILLE

1805-1879

HE DESERVES FULL CREDIT FOR SHAPING ROYAL DANISH BALLET

INTO AN OUTSTANDING COMPANY AND CONTRIBUTING A
TECHNICAL METHOD AND REPERTORY THAT ARE BOTH ALIVE
TODAY.

HE WAS BORN IN DENMARK AND BROUGHT UP IN THE BALLET

TRADITION BY HIS FATHER.

AUGUST VESTRIS WAS HIS MENTOR AND TEACHER.

BOURNONVILLE BECAME DIRECTOR OF ROYAL BALLET OF

COPENHAGEN IN 1830 AND CONTINUED 50 YEARS.

THE LA SYLPHIDE THAT WE HAVE TODAY IS BOURNONVILLE’S

VERSION WITH DIFFERENT MUSIC FROM THE ORIGINAL.

HE GAVE A MORE BALANCED TREATMENT TO THE SEXES WHICH

HE GOT FROM VESTRIS’ INFLUENCE OF THE MALE VIRTUOSO
DANCER.
AUGUST
BOURNONVILLE
 BOURNONVILLE BALLETS

A FOLK TALE -IN PRAISE OF MARRIAGE AND DOMESTIC

HARMONY

FLOWER FESTIVAL IN GENZANO-PAS DE DEUX EXISTS;

ILLUSION OF JOYFUL LIGHTNESS

NAPOLI-A VIBRANT PICTURE OF NEAPOLITAN STREET

LIFE MIXED WITH SUPERNATURAL IMAGERY.

BOURNONVILLE TECHNIQUE USES DELICATE AND

FLEETING TRANSITION STEPS AND UNEXPECTED
CHANGES OF DIRECTION THAT MAKE DANCERS LOOK
LIKE THEY SPRING THROUGH SPACE AND SKIM OVER
THE STAGE.

IT IS LESS FLASHY THAN THE RUSSIAN STYLE.

FLOWER FESTIVAL IN GENZANO

NAPOLI
 COPPELIA

CHOREOGRAPHED BY ARTHUR SAINT LEON IN 1870. HE

WAS MARRIED TO FANNY CERRITO.

COPPELIA IS A COMIC VARIATION ON THE THEME OF

GISELLE AND LA SYLPHIDE WHERE THE MALE PREFERS
AN IDEAL LOVE TO A MORTAL.

SYNOPSIS: SWANILDA LOVES FRANZ WHO LOVES THE

DAUGHTER OF DR. COPPELIUS WHO IS A DOLL.

MUSIC BY DELIBES.

MUSIC SURVIVES BECAUSE OF THE CRAZE FOR

NATIONALISM IN MUSIC.

THE SCORE INCLUDES THE POLISH MAZURKA AND THE

HUNGARIAN CZARDAS.
COPPELIA