Compare and Contrast of Classical Ballet and Modern Dance Essay

The main topic of my research paper is comparing and contrasting the difference between Chinese Classical dance and European Classical ballet. The questions I will develop in the paper included as follows.

After seeing examples of both classical ballet and contemporary ballet, I enjoy watching classical ballet more because I take pleasure in watching fairytales come to life. Classical ballet does just that and much more. Classical ballet is generally structured on a narrative pretext. It is important that the audience has an understanding of the basic storyline so as to fully understand the complex combination of movement, music and storytelling that makes up a performance. Some ballets, like the Nutcracker or Sleeping Beauty, are based on traditional stories that are familiar even today; others are more obscure and require a greater effort on the part of the dancers and the audience to fully

Albert Einstein once said “Dancers are the athletes of God.” Not only are they the athletes of God, but dancing ballet can also prepare people for college, the workplace and parenting. Ballet has been studied and performed since the 15th century. While entranced by the graceful dancers and beautiful music, though, onlookers may not notice the multiple benefits of dancing ballet. While learning ballet, dancers develop strong, well controlled bodies. Dancers also must multitask by memorizing new choreography and developing technique, while at the same time keeping up with the class. Dancers also learn to mentally handle harder situations and never give up. Learning how to dance ballet helps prepare dancers for life as it requires memory skills,

Ballet is one of the first branches of artistic dance that originated several centuries ago. Since its introduction, ballet has been influenced by many cultures and performers; moreover, because of cultural and individual influences, ballet technique has been modified by different periods and styles, such as the Renaissance period, the Romantic period and classic, as well as contemporary styles. While dance has existed since almost the beginning human life, ballet was not introduced until the fourteenth century in France. Ballet has spread to countries all around the world and each country has contributed to ballet’s development. Today, ballet continues to be a thriving performance art enjoyed by many.

Although nowadays gender has no boundaries in the world of dance, dance has always been known for its gender significance towards women such as ballet as it is created to look graceful and according to Balanchine, “ballet was women” because the truest form of ballet was the long lines of the female body (“cite source”).

Ballet is a style of theatrical dancing that was developed in France during the 17th century, and it became classical in the 19th. Ballet also describes a theatrical spectacle, which its use can be dated back to the Middle Ages. Ballet could include singing or dancing. It was institutionalized in France in 1672 with the formation of the permanent dance troupe Academie Royale de Musique, known today as the Paris Opera (Sadie 565). Ballet has been closely related to opera for much of its history. The 20th century saw a shift in emphasis away from story ballets set to newly composed scores towards more abstract works set to pre-existing music not necessarily composed for dancing. Although ballet is a primarily Western art, it is now practiced

Martha Graham, a standout amongst the most praised trend-setters of modern dance, is less known for her unique commitment to modern interpretation of Greek Myth and Greek Tragedy. Martha was born in Alleghency, Pennsylvania, on May 11, 1894. As a child, her dad, a specialist who utilized physical development to cure nervous disorders, influenced her to follow a career in dance. Growing up, Graham studied dance in Los Angeles at Denishawn. She was able to establish her own dance company in New York City in 1926. During this time she added or developed an imaginative, non-conventional procedure that identifies with more unthinkable types of development and enthusiastic expression. She danced into her 70s and choreographed until der death in

Scope: Dance Research Journal, Vol. 39, No. 1, (2007), pp. 3-24 Published by Congress on Research in Dance

In life, there are things that happen to us; all of us or some of us that are beyond comprehension and that leave a lasting impact into our lives. Some of the things are a glimpse of what the future could imply to us and form a platform from which important things will be built. In the last few centuries, the dancing industry in the world had not been considered as an important art, and therefore, dancing was basically done informally for entertaining oneself or for layman’s reasons. That was until a girl was born at the end of the of the 18th century, a girl who would grow into prominence as far as dancing was concerned; revolutionizing the dance world and setting new platforms through which modern dance would be established. Her influence on the dance and choreography would last for over seven decades, and her influence has been reminiscent to that of Picasso on the modern visual arts, Frank Lloyd Wright on architecture, and Stravinsky on music. The name of this girl who went from heights to heights and established the modern dancing and choreography in the world was Martha Graham.

As Charles Baudelaire said “The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs.” Ballet, is one of the oldest, well-designed, and passionate ways of dance that can explain without world the meaning of what Baudelaire said. Ballet is not an essay task, and requires strength, discipline, and devotion. It’s known for being swift, and romantic as well as unique, and it stands out in between the rest of the art.

Generation after generation, in different countries of the world, there has always been different styles of bodily expression. Dance is a special form of art which movement of the body creates. One of the most delicate types of dance is ballet, a form that evokes great emotion. For Martha Graham, ballet was not only a dance: it was a way to express a fear or happiness with gestures created by the body. Scholars have recognized Graham as having made revolutionary changes in dance: in form, subject matter, and theme. Martha Graham was one of the most influential figures in American modern dance, and her techniques and styles continue to be practiced today. She became widely known throughout all ages and decades. As time went on, she became

There is so much historical influence in art, in fashion, in politics and even in movement. “Some fifteen years later the first prints of baroque suites for mandore and lute continue to include some movements from ballets. For example, the series of branles, common to the early publications of Pierre Ballard… are common in the surviving ballet repertory” (Buch). There is reason why ballet is arguably one of the most important dance genres to be studied and taught in. Ballet was the child of the baroque life, the life that found need to have movement established in the culture. What would have culture been without the addition of movement? The change in history would be so radical! No dancing would have also been a loss in art, in political structures, and in

Ballet is a beautiful form of dance that can be incorporated in everyday modern dances such as hip hop, contemporary, tap, or jazz. This essential unique form of dance originated in the 15th century in the time of the Italian Renaissance it was then later influenced by the French and the Russians. Notable performances performed in Ballet are The Sleeping Beauty and Giselle. It is known to all as a dance that can tell a story.

Social change during the 20th century changed the dance style. Several changes were based on political and civil rights, even though dance was used to entertain people. It was a way for people to express themselves. The more independence they wanted in America, the riskier the dance steps became. Every decade after that the dance steps became a whole lot more sexual. However, the historical events were not the only causes for a change in dance style; foreign influence also had a part in creating new dance styles. It makes me wonder what the popular dance styles will be in the years to come. Today we still go back to look at all the reasons why we dance. I feel that we owe all the generations before us a thank you. For being bold enough to step out of the strictness and making something new. Ballet is still the root of all dance, and we still look back to the dance style when creating dance in the modern world.

When looking at the periods of dance it can be separated into Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Pre-Romantic, Romantic, Russian Classic, and Ballet Russes before we reach the Twentieth Century. After much deliberation on what causes the alteration and growth of ballet over time, there was one constant throughout. Ballet masters from the Renaissance to current times have truly revolutionized the way we perform and understand ballet. Ballet began during what is known as the Italian Renaissance, and permeated French culture by Catherine de Medici’s marriage to the King of France. The very first endorsed “ballet”, Le Ballet Comique de la Reine performed on October 15, 1581, marked the beginning of theatrical and technical dance performances. During this time our first prominent ballet masters came about, including; Balthasar Beaujoyeaux, Pierre Beauchamp, Domenico of Ferrara, and Guglielmo Ebreo, to name a few. These early ballet masters created and built upon social dance and turned it into a technical spectacle.