'Romantic Ballet' -Put Into Historical Context

Romantic Ballet was defined by an era in Ballet where it was influenced by Romanticism in art and literature. It came about in the 19th Century by Maria Taglioni. Maria bought in the shorter tutus so that you could see the intricate footwork of the dancer. This era did not come to an immediate end but it slowly declined and the last performance of the Romantic Ballet was said to be  Coppelia.


The main focuses in Romantic Ballet were; the conflict between man and nature, society and the supernatural. Supernatural was shown by the development of Pointe work because it made the characters look weightless like they are floating. They were characterised by soft, rounded arms and tilt/movement in the upperbody. This came from the choreographer; Sir Frederick Ashton. 


In the performance, the male would take the main roles but if there was a scene where the peasants would be setting the scene then the female would play the mens role.


The poor came to watch the Romantic Ballets because in the 19th Century they worked in the Urban Industries for example; Factories, so they thought they could go to watch the Ballets as a sense of escapism from their intense, hard-working day jobs.


The theme of 'Supernatural' was played with a lot in Romantic Ballets. They used gas lights to make it look like the moon. They also used trap doors and wires in the style of the performance to make it look like the characters are suddenly disappearing or flying. The costumes they wore are also linked to the Supernatural because they wore Belle Tutus (often with wings attached); these are long, puffy tutus cut just above the ankles so they looked fairy-like. The idea of the Supernatural links to the escapism of the urban industry workers because they felt that coming to watch these Romantic Ballets they could escape from their every day life.


Female dancers of the Romantic Ballet time -

• Marie Taglioni - connected to the Italian side of Ballet. She was a very delicate dancer. She wasn't very pretty when she was a young girl and her Ballet teacher used to complain "Will that little hunchback ever learn to dance?". He also called her an "ugly duckling". She was one of Italy's most famous ballerinas. 

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/heroes-villains/marie-taglioni.asp

• Fanny Eissler - was a Russian dancer and one of the most famous dancers of the Romantic Period.

http://www.aha.ru/~vladmo/d_txt11.html

• Clara Webster - an English dancer who's tutu caught on fire during a performance. She unfortunately died two days later because of the burns.