Act 1 of Giselle starts in a village. Giselle is a girl who loves her neighbour Loys but Loys infact is Count Albrecht in disguise. However, another man Hillarion is a forrester who loves Giselle but she does not love him back. Next, everyone is at a village celebration and Hillarion finds out who Loys really is while they are at the celebration. During the party, some royals arrive including Bathilde who is to be married to Count Albrecht. Hillarion then reveals that Loys is really Count Albrecht. Giselle goes mad after hearing this news, she is mad with grief and kills herself.
Act 2 - It starts in a forest at night. At midnight Hillarion is at the grave of Giselle and he meets the Wills. The wills are ghosts of women who have died before there wedding day. Giselle hasnt been married so therefore becomes a Wills too. Count Albrecht then visits the grave and brings white flowers for Giselle. Giselle then appears to him and the Wills kill Hillarion by dancing him to death. The Wills then try to kill Count Albrecht but Giselle pleads with Queen Myrtha to let him live. Dawn then arrives and the Wills leave Count Albrecht to live.
Putting it in context - Change in control of power in the world. The rise of the British empire - we see this in Giselle when Hillarion reveals who Loys really is.
Scientific, mathematic and geographical discoveries - new technologies available - Gas light.
The industrial revolution, children put to work at a young age - lower class.
Slavery around the world reduced - the count loving Giselle, challenging class differences.
Wednesday 14 December 2011
Tuesday 13 December 2011
Giselle - Costume, set/props, movement and relationship with music.
In Giselle Loys entre's wearing a cape which shows his royalty because they are expensive. Giselle wears a whity floaty dress which is long because of the time period. The rich people have lots of feathers and pearls because they are rick. The willys are all in white which implies pureness and has ghost like sense and the queen wears a crown which shows she is in control.
Set and props - Village house, fire, trees, dark and woods - where Giselle's grave is. The lighting is dark (gas lighting)
Relationship with music - Musicians play the music with instruments, as the music gets faster the movements also get faster. When Giselle's mums thoughts were low the music got lower. The music matches the mood of the scene, if the music is fast and high then the movement is fast and high. When there is a change of music then there is a change of steps. The music is repeated from when Giselle was in love and then when she fins out who Loys really is.
Movement - Unison - dance perfectly in time with each other, The story relies on a lot of mime. Giselle is happy which is shown in her movement (skipping, happy and playful) Giselle and Loys dance together which shows their togeter and in love. They also do things in mirror image. Repitition and couro is used alot. The audience can idenfiy that the queen is in control as she does different steps to everyone else.
Set and props - Village house, fire, trees, dark and woods - where Giselle's grave is. The lighting is dark (gas lighting)
Relationship with music - Musicians play the music with instruments, as the music gets faster the movements also get faster. When Giselle's mums thoughts were low the music got lower. The music matches the mood of the scene, if the music is fast and high then the movement is fast and high. When there is a change of music then there is a change of steps. The music is repeated from when Giselle was in love and then when she fins out who Loys really is.
Movement - Unison - dance perfectly in time with each other, The story relies on a lot of mime. Giselle is happy which is shown in her movement (skipping, happy and playful) Giselle and Loys dance together which shows their togeter and in love. They also do things in mirror image. Repitition and couro is used alot. The audience can idenfiy that the queen is in control as she does different steps to everyone else.
Laws that passed
The womens Liberation movement begainin this decade and laws were passed in the 1970's about sexual discrimination, domestic violence and equal pay. Immigration from the west indies was encouraged by the british nationality Act of 1948, which gave all commonwealth citizens free entry into britian.
Political, Social and Cultural changes.
1960's was a period of radical political change as 32 countries gained independence from their European colonial rulers. Ashton linked this to Giselle when Giselle stood up to the Queen and said no.
Social - Relaxed attitudes to sen and womens involvements in it. In giselle we see women using theirsexuality in a powerful way when Giselle dances with Loys, she gets flirty which is shown in her movement.
Cultural - Youth culture emerged - Mods, rockers, hippies and skin heads. Pop music inspired young people. In Giselle we see young people going against the rules when Giselle stands up infront og the queen and goes againist killing. Also Loys pretends to be someone else.
Social - Relaxed attitudes to sen and womens involvements in it. In giselle we see women using theirsexuality in a powerful way when Giselle dances with Loys, she gets flirty which is shown in her movement.
Cultural - Youth culture emerged - Mods, rockers, hippies and skin heads. Pop music inspired young people. In Giselle we see young people going against the rules when Giselle stands up infront og the queen and goes againist killing. Also Loys pretends to be someone else.
Fashion
The fashion has changed massively between when Giselle was made and now. Firstly, the women wore long dresses in Giselle but now people wear short Tutu's for ballet. Also the colour of the costumes/outfits. Purple and red dies were very expensive when Giselle was made so most of their clothes were brown, black and white whereas now clothes are all different colours and dance costumes.
Themes shown in Giselle
Hillarion is in love with Giselle but it is unriquited because Giselle doesnt love him. She is in love with Loys instead, that is where love is shown. Trust is shown between loys and Giselle as she trusts him but this is broken when he reveals his true self. Death is shown well giselle is horrifed with the truth and dies. Then classes of society is shown between Loys (count Albrecht) and giselle.
Ballets
In todays ballets people look for technique, entertainment.
In the 1900's people went for freedom. To get away from there lifes for a while.
In 1962 people looked for relationships, faces and celebrities.
In the 1900's people went for freedom. To get away from there lifes for a while.
In 1962 people looked for relationships, faces and celebrities.
Giselle
Ashton revisited Giselle in 1962. The lead dancers were Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev.
Margot Fonteyn - was born 18th May 1919 and died 21st February 1991. She was an english barrerina of the 20th century. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of all time. She spent her entire career as a dancer with the Royal balley. Her dancing lift started when she was 4. When she was 4 her mother signed her up for ballet classes with her older brother. For 6 years Margot lived in Tientsin where she studied ballet. Her mother then brought her back to London when she was 14 to pursue a ballet career. In 1933, she joined the Vic-Wells Ballet school. She was most noted in the ballets of Sir Frederick Ashton, including Ondine, Dsphnis and chloe and Sylvia.
Margot Fonteyn - was born 18th May 1919 and died 21st February 1991. She was an english barrerina of the 20th century. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of all time. She spent her entire career as a dancer with the Royal balley. Her dancing lift started when she was 4. When she was 4 her mother signed her up for ballet classes with her older brother. For 6 years Margot lived in Tientsin where she studied ballet. Her mother then brought her back to London when she was 14 to pursue a ballet career. In 1933, she joined the Vic-Wells Ballet school. She was most noted in the ballets of Sir Frederick Ashton, including Ondine, Dsphnis and chloe and Sylvia.
Sir Frederick Ashton
Sir Fredrick Ashton was a very important Choreographer in British ballet who re-staged Giselle after Petipa. Ashton wrote that in his early days he had felt an obligation to concentrate on pleasing and entertaining his audience. He grew up in peru and saw and fell in love with Anna Pavlova in 1917. Anna Pavlova was Russian, she trained and danced with Marius Petipa, she established a school of dance in England and had a successful touring career.
Ashton worked in an office in 1921 but then his brother offered to pay for his training at the age of 17. His training was from 1925 - 1935. Dame Marie Rambert was convinced of his talent but aware he had started to late to become the best dancer in the world so she manoeured him towards choroegraphy. Ashton was very successful with his choreographing and created 20 ballets for Rambert. Whilst he was dancing in Paris he found a new idol to replace Anna. The new idol was Bronislave Nijinska, she was Russian, petite and strong. After 1935, Ashton moved away from Rambert to work with Ninette de valois and the vic wells ballet (now the Royal ballet.
Ashton's ballet focused on Social hirearchy and power struggles. In 1939 he saw the start of WW2 which influenced his style. His work became plot-less for a while. Scenes de ballet (1948). He returned to narrative ballet in 1955 with Romeo and juliet. Ashton was very animated with his choreography and it wasnt all pure ballet.
Ashton worked in an office in 1921 but then his brother offered to pay for his training at the age of 17. His training was from 1925 - 1935. Dame Marie Rambert was convinced of his talent but aware he had started to late to become the best dancer in the world so she manoeured him towards choroegraphy. Ashton was very successful with his choreographing and created 20 ballets for Rambert. Whilst he was dancing in Paris he found a new idol to replace Anna. The new idol was Bronislave Nijinska, she was Russian, petite and strong. After 1935, Ashton moved away from Rambert to work with Ninette de valois and the vic wells ballet (now the Royal ballet.
Ashton's ballet focused on Social hirearchy and power struggles. In 1939 he saw the start of WW2 which influenced his style. His work became plot-less for a while. Scenes de ballet (1948). He returned to narrative ballet in 1955 with Romeo and juliet. Ashton was very animated with his choreography and it wasnt all pure ballet.
Marius Petipa
Marius Petipa - born 11th March 1818.
His parents were both working with performace, his mother was an actress and teacher of drama and his father was a dancer. Marius Petipa's father began giving Marius ballet classes when he was 7 but he didn't care at the start. The Belgian revoluation made the theatres close and left the family with no money for some years. The whole family relocated to Borodeaux, while they were they Marius completed his training in 1843 and started to choreograph. In 1869 Marius became ballet master of the Russian Imperial ballet, a choreographer who had the biggest impact on the formation of Russian ballet. Marisu's ballet was simple and clean with the combinations repeated and moulded into intricacy with less narration. Marisu Petipa recreated Giselle.
To think that when Marius first started ballet dancing he didn't care but after a lot of hard work he did very well.
His parents were both working with performace, his mother was an actress and teacher of drama and his father was a dancer. Marius Petipa's father began giving Marius ballet classes when he was 7 but he didn't care at the start. The Belgian revoluation made the theatres close and left the family with no money for some years. The whole family relocated to Borodeaux, while they were they Marius completed his training in 1843 and started to choreograph. In 1869 Marius became ballet master of the Russian Imperial ballet, a choreographer who had the biggest impact on the formation of Russian ballet. Marisu's ballet was simple and clean with the combinations repeated and moulded into intricacy with less narration. Marisu Petipa recreated Giselle.
To think that when Marius first started ballet dancing he didn't care but after a lot of hard work he did very well.
Key dancers of the time.
Marie Taglioni - Marie was born April 23rd 1804 and died April 24th 1884. She was a famous Italian/Swedish Ballerina of the Romantic ballet era. Her father was an Italian choreographer and her mother was a Swedish ballet dancer. Marie was one of the most celebrated barreinas of the romantic ballet, which was cultivated primarily at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. In 1827 Taglioni left the ballet of Her Majesty's theatre to take up a three year contract in Saint Petersbury with Imperial Ballet. Taglioni was also known for shortening her skirt in the performance La Sylphide, which was condidered highly scandalous at the time. She shortened all of her skirts to show off her excellent point work. Her father was approving of the shortening of the skirt. This is why everyone wears short tutu's for ballet. In 1847 Marie retired from performing, for a time she took up residence.
Clara Webster - Clara was born in 1821 and died December 17th 1844. She was a very good ballet dancer but she was is remembered for the way she died. She burned to death when her costume caught fire on an oil lamp during a performance.
Clara Webster - Clara was born in 1821 and died December 17th 1844. She was a very good ballet dancer but she was is remembered for the way she died. She burned to death when her costume caught fire on an oil lamp during a performance.
Key features of a Romantic ballet
- Long tutu's
- Fairy arms/floaty arms to make them look supernatural
- Pointe shoes to show character
- Wings on the girls back
- setting
- The male was just there for support, so the female can look pretty.
- Fairy arms/floaty arms to make them look supernatural
- Pointe shoes to show character
- Wings on the girls back
- setting
- The male was just there for support, so the female can look pretty.
Wednesday 7 December 2011
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