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.

ROMANTIC BALLET

FANNY ELLSLER

TAGLIONI VS ELLSLER

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TALGIONI AND ELLSLER:

A. TAGLIONI REPRESENTED SPIRITUALITY1. NOT MUCH ACTING ABILITY

B. ELLSLER EXPRESSED PHYSICAL PASSION1. 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 1811-1872A 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 LIGHTNESSGRISI-SHARP VIBRANCYCERRITO-DARTING TURNSTAGLIONI-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