Question about ballets

[longtry]

I'm totally an outsider and don't know the first thing about ballet. Still, I can't help but wonder when I watch one. In ballets, is it true that the author only writes music, and different directors can choreograph distinct dances for the same ballet?

OK let's take an example of Swan lake. I guess that Tchaikovsky only wrote something like "Act2, Scene2: beside the lake at night. There are numerous swans. Enter 4 cygnets." and then sheet music. The director A at some theater, then, was free to interpret the music as he pleased. He could choose 20 or 100 actresses to represent 'numerous swans'. He could steer the 4 cygnets to go to this corner, then that corner of the stage while doing some unique moves. Apparently, those moves were so celebrated that the audience remembered the "Dance of the swan" part so vividly, and subsequent directors B, C, D hundreds of years later have few choices but to repeat them in their performances. But in theory, they could alter that dance to whatever their taste sees fit, right?

Any further enlightenment of how ballets work is also appreciated.

 

[snapdancer]

This forum is for partner dancing. You may have better luck getting an answer if there is a forum somewhere else devoted to ballet.

 

[raindance]

Here's an online article that gives some info:

From Fouettés to Formation: The Changing Face of Ballet | DanceUs.org

From traditional fouettés to modern geometric patterns, this article examines the changing choreography of classical ballet. Learn about the shift from mime and

www.danceus.org

I only ever had a little bit of ballet training, so my background is quite limited. But I think you're correct in the general idea that there can be different choreography to the same ballet music. And also that some things become entrenched in tradition and rarely vary. I think certain versions of some ballets also become classics and get performed over and over through the years, such as the Balanchine choreographies.

Lots more information if you search online.

 

[Brummbaer]

In ballets, is it true that the author only writes music, and different directors can choreograph distinct dances for the same ballet?

I'm no expert, but that seems the case nowadays. It might not have been when the ballet was first composed and produced, or a new ballet. Many traditional ballet pieces were composed years ago; the composer long since dead. The music was and is attractive. A choreographer comes along today and re-interprets that ballet using the same music and story, e.g. Matthew Bourne with the male Swan Lake. Well worth seeing! The original choreography isn't forgotten, but has been recorded; just that someone wants to put a new perspective on it. Sometimes a production by some prestigious company may seek to recreate that 'original'. So, no different really than a re-interpretation of a Shakespearian play (e.g. Northern Broadsides' Othello and As you like It, and others).

 

[opendoor]

..author only writes music, and different directors can choreograph distinct dances for the same..

That's an interesting question. I am fortunate to live in a city with an excellent ballet company, John Neumeier's Hamburg Ballet. If you look at the schedule of a ballet company, you will see that there are performances with music which was originally written for ballet. There are, however, more pieces that were later adapted to ballet. A ballet director develops his own choreography or takes on the work of another choreographer. My longtime dance teacher has been a prima ballerina in John Neumeier's company. She had to retire early due to health problems. She also teaches tango. You can study ballet in a boarding school in Hamburg, music theory and choreography are elementary components of this course.

Watch their home page

 

[longtry]

Thank you. So I guess a ballet is somewhat comparable to a modern pop song: there are roughly 3 layers. At that base is the author/composer, who creates a work in the 1st place. In the middle is the choreographer/mixer, who gives it unique flavors. And on the surface is the dancer/singer, whose face the audience remembers the most. If one goes to a theater knowing only the name of the ballet, then she can be in for quite a surprise!

A bit related question: if what I want most is to dance nicely whenever I hear good music, then what's the best course to follow? From an newbie viewpoint, I guess it is: learn as many moves from as many dance styles as possible, then learn choreography to 'make sense' of them and to coordinate different moves smoothly on the fly whenever I want to dance... What do you guys think?

 

[opendoor]

..what do you guys think?

Start a new thread on Freestyle and Expressionist Dance.