QUESTION

 Sleeping Beauty analysis for Humanities    

Read the attached synopsis of the ballet The Sleeping Beauty, then also read the attached Characteristics of the Classical Style in Ballet. View the Paris Opera Ballet’s production of The Sleeping Beauty, choreographed by Rudolph Nureyev, using the link below. Write an analysis of the ballet in which you identify all of the characteristics of the classical style in ballet. Provide an example from the ballet for each characteristic. The examples must be clear and accurate, not vague. Also, explain what you liked best about the ballet (costumes, music, choreography, dancers, etc.) and what you liked least about it.

This can be in narrative or bullet point format.

*Tip: Print out the characteristics in advance and refer to them as you watch the ballet.

View the attached video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJPjuxQUf7k

HUM 1020

Characteristics of the Classical Period in Ballet (1860-1910)

The ballets are full length – 2-3 hours.

The music is composed specifically for the ballet.

The stories are based on fairy tales or folk tales, so magic is involved.

The costumes and scenery are lavish.

The story itself is told through pantomime, and the dancing sections are meant for pure entertainment.

The dancing is virtuosic (requiring great skill).

The dancers are supposed to make the dancing (which is very difficult and demanding) look easy. They should not look as though they are working hard, or “selling it”.

Female dancers wear the short tutu and pointe shoes. Pointe shoes assist the dancer in dancing on the tips of the toes.

Male dancers wear tights and soft leather slippers or boots, depending on the role.

The climax of the ballet is the grand pas de deux.

Grand Pas de Deux

The grand pas de deux is the part of the ballet in which the leading female dancer and leading male dancer dance together. It is usually an expression of courtly love, but it does not have to be. It is highly codified and has five parts:

Entrée – The dancers enter, greet each other, and the audience.

Adagio – This is performed to relatively slow music and is meant to show off the dancers’ partnering skills.

Male Solo – This solo shows off the male dancer’s technique as he performs steps that are specifically for men. The male solo comes before the female solo, in order to give the ballerina a “rest”.

Female Solo – The ballerina shows off steps that are specifically for women.

Coda – The two dancers come back together and perform the most spectacular steps of the pas  de deux. This section is usually fast and lively.

*Please note that the term pas de deux always refers to a dance for a man and a woman. A duet can be any two people (two men, two women), but a pas de deux is always a man and a woman. The grand pas de deux is the moment in a ballet when the leading male and female dancers dance together according to the codified format.

Traditional ranking of dancers in a large European ballet company, such as the Paris Opera Ballet

Prima Ballerina/Primeur Danseur Noble – These are the top two dancers in a company. A company can only have one of each.

Ballerina/Danseur Noble – These dancers have risen to the level that they are allowed to perform leading roles.

Soliste – These dancers are allowed to perform solos, but not leading roles.

Demi-Soliste – These dancers perform in small groups (duets, trios, quartets).

Choryphee – These dancers (male and female) are allowed to lead the corps de ballet onstage, dance in the front line, and may perform in medium sized groups.

Corps de Ballet – Lowest rank; the dancer (male and female) who dance in large groups.

Petits Rats (little rats) – These are the children from the company’s school, who often appear in the roles calling for children.

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