jlmeiss-blog

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Josie Meiss - “Ivanka Trump Should Speak Up For the NEA...” by Erin Keane

http://www.salon.com/2017/03/18/ivanka-trump-should-speak-up-for-the-nea-if-not-for-us-for-her-daughters-sake/

This article argues that Ivanka Trump Should Speak Up for the NEA because her daughter loves Frozen. Author Erin Keane explains how the writers of Frozen, Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez got their start in theaters funded by the NEA. Before working on Frozen, Robert Lopez worked on the Broadway hit Book of Mormon. Before that, he worked on the musical Avenue Q. Avenue Q was developed at the National Music Theater Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center in Waterford Connecticut, which receives funding from the NEA. In this way, “the line between public-funded art and corporate, for-profit entertainment isn’t so cut-and-dried”; for many up-and-coming artists like the Lopez’s, the NEA provides the necessary stepping stones. Without the NEA’s support, we might have never heard the Grammy and Academy Award-winning song “Let it Go”.

I read quite a few articles before deciding to focus on this one, and many of them mentioned the work of Andres Serrano and Robert Mapplethorpe. In this article, Keane explains that, during the culture wars in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, “provocative visual art like the photography of Andres Serrano and Robert Mapplethorpe put the likes of Sen. Jesse Helms and Rep. Dick Armey, as well as Christian Conservatives on the attack.” I was curious about what these controversial works looked like so I decided to look them up. Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ is one of the works that caused an uproar during the culture wars. It depicts a plastic crucifix submerged in a jar of his own urine. Serrano did not intend to offend anyone with this piece, but in 1989, two years after it began to appear in galleries, a pastor spoke out about it, claiming that it was an offensive and indecent display. Robert Mapplethorpe’s The Perfect Moment is another work that caused commotion. It is a comprehensive work that depicts carefully conceived portraits and figure studies, flower arrangements, and vivid pictures of gay sadomasochism. Many people loved it, but the American Family Association did not. Upon seeing this piece, the AFA launched a campaign for censoring indecent art. In both cases, word traveled to Congress, and in 1989, they passed the “decency-standards law”, which required the NEA to consider “general standards of decency” in awarding grants. While I agree that these works are provocative and controversial, I do not think that is reason enough to withdraw funding. Art has many functions and purposes, and one of them is to question reality and stimulate conversation, which is exemplified by both of these works. Unconventional works like these provoke deep thought, which makes them powerful and important.

Discussion Questions:

How is NEA funding distributed today?

Should art be controversial? Why or why not?

[jlmeiss-blog]

Josie Meiss - “Dance” by Douglas C. Sonntag

Before reading this article, I knew little about the National Endowment for the Arts and its influence on the growth of dance in America. This article made me realize just how much the NEA has contributed to the world of dance. Early on, the NEA provided assistance to a number of influential choreographers, including Alvin Ailey, Merce Cunningham, and Martha Graham, who might have left the United States to work somewhere else had she not received support from the NEA. The NEA facilitated regional and national tours to make a variety of work accessible to new audiences, bringing noteworthy companies to states of all sizes, including Connecticut, Indiana, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Missouri. They also supported the development of regional ballet companies and dance-related educational tools. Later on, the NEA supported and funded a number of dance research studies.

The NEA has done so much for the field of dance over the past fifty years, but two areas in which the NEA was particularly influential were dance journalism and dance and media arts. In 1970, the NEA held a three-week workshop for dance critics. Sonntag explains that “few journalists were familiar with dance in [its] earliest years”, but “dance companies [needed] informed criticism” (175). This workshop was an important step forward because it trained journalists how to write about dance. Dance reviews used to be rather vague. Throughout this class, we have read a number of excerpts from dance critics about important dance pieces, and while these excerpts might have given some indication as to what past dances might have looked like, they were not vivid in their use of language. Nijinsky’s Rite of Spring is a good example. While dance critics highlighted its revolutionary impact, they gave little indication as to what the piece actually looked like, which is why Millicent Hodson had such a difficult time when she was trying to reconstruct it. Aside from this, the Dance Program connected with the Media Arts Program in 1972 to support the development of dance on television. Grants from the NEA helped support the series Dance in America, which presented a number of significant works from notable choreographers, such as Paul Taylor’s Speaking in Tongues, a piece we watched in class last semester. The NEA has made a number of other significant contributions to the field of dance, but these are two of the more noteworthy ones.

Discussion Questions:

How do old dance television programs like Dance in America and Conversations about the Dance compare to current dance television programs like Dancing With the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance?

What is the most significant contribution the NEA has made to the field of dance, and why?

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Josie Meiss - “NFL Cheerleader Pay: Ongoing Fight For Minimum Wage Underscores Inequality During Super Bowl 2016″ by Christopher Zara

The most significant piece of information I took away from this article is that cheerleaders bear the brunt of significant double standards. This article was posted on February 6, 2016, the day before the Denver Broncos played the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. Author Christopher Zara points out that Peyton Manning, the Broncos quarterback, supposedly received two million dollars just for being in the Super Bowl. However, players on both teams would receive substantial bonuses for their participation in the game as well: each of the winning players would receive just over a hundred thousand dollars and each of the losing players would receive over half of that. The participating cheerleaders, on the other hand, would likely receive no bonus for their work at the Super Bowl. The NFL teams tell them that “exposure is its own reward”, but I’m not sure what exposure they are referring to; any time I watch a televised football game, cheerleaders receive an infinitesimal fraction of the air time, appearing for seconds immediately before and after commercial breaks. Cheerleaders receive a pittance to get seconds of exposure, which does not sound very rewarding to me.

Zara tells readers that there has been little change in spite of cheerleaders efforts to increase their wages. There have been a number of lawsuits in the past couple years, and four of them settled, “with teams agreeing to pay out more than $2.5 million combined in back wages”. However, there have been no confessions of wrongdoing. These settling teams essentially told the cheerleaders “here, take the money and shut up”. This vaguely reminded me of a video I watched recently about the famous McDonald’s Coffee Lawsuit (copied below). In the video, Adam Conniver, of the well-known College Humor segment, Adam Ruins Everything, explains the truth behind the McDonald’s Coffee Lawsuit. Despite popular belief, 79-year-old Stella Liebeck was not a greedy old lady, who made a bunch of money by suing McDonald’s for stupidly dumping hot coffee on herself while driving. Here’s what actually happened: Stella was in the passenger seat of a parked car when she spilled a McDonald’s coffee on her lap. Normally, this would just be mildly painful, but the coffee was so hot that it gave her third degree burns. At the time, McDonald’s was serving its coffee at temperatures up to 190 degrees, which is almost boiling. Stella had to get skin graft surgery and only wanted McDonald’s to cover a portion of her $20,000 medical expenses, but they only offered her $800 six months later. She tried to settle, but they wouldn’t budge. which forced her to go to court. When the jury heard Stella’s case, they decided to fine them two days worth of coffee sales, or 2.7 million dollars, which convinced McDonald’s to lower the coffee temperature and stop burning its customers. Stella should be considered a hero, but McDonald’s corporate lawyers spent years spreading false information about the case, which made Stella out to be a greedy old lady, who made a bunch of money by suing McDonald’s for making the stupid mistake of dumping hot coffee on herself while driving. While the NFL is not spreading false information about cheerleaders, they are not openly admitting their wrongdoings; they are simply handing over chunks of money to try and keep the cheerleaders quiet, sweeping the issue under the rug.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9DXSCpcz9E

Discussion Questions:

What are the pros and cons of becoming a professional cheerleader?

What are the similarities and differences between cheerleaders and football players?

[jlmeiss-blog]

“Insane Handbook: Bills Cheerleaders Are Told How to Wash Their Vaginas” by Billy Haisley

This article is simply astonishing. The title alone is enough to make one’s jaw drop, but the content is even more shocking. In this article, Billy Haisley reveals what is demanded of the Buffalo Bills cheerleaders, otherwise known as the Jills. There are several requirements listed in the official handbook, including “always say ‘excuse me’ when you burp, sneeze or cough” and “use ‘oh my goodness’ rather than ‘oh my god’”. To list requirements like these in a handbook for fully grown women is simply demeaning. However, what bothers me most about the handbook is that it demands professionalism in an extremely unprofessional way. It contains a lot of irrelevant information and presents it in a colloquial tone. It even includes emoticons like winky faces! As Haisley states at the end of the article, “All of this is more or less the accumulated wisdom of sensible aunts everywhere.” It does not read like an official document.

The second document, The NFL Buffalo Jills Cheerleaders Agreement and Codes of Conduct (2013-2014), is more professional in presentation but still contains surprising information. The first page of the document informs the cheerleaders that “in being a member of The Buffalo Jills, you are NOT an employee of Stejon Productions Corporation or Buffalo Bills, Inc.” Then, in bold, it states that “this is strictly a volunteer/Independent Contractor position.”  The confusing part about this is that there are so many requirements, restrictions, and duties tied to being a Buffalo Jill. They must adhere to the handbook. They must maintain a “lean, healthy figure”. They are only granted four to five absences a season, in which missing a game counts as two absences. They cannot associate with the players, coaches, or staff of the Buffalo Bills in a “non-professional manner”. They are required to sell a certain number of swimsuit calendars each season; dancers must sell fifty and ambassadors must sell seventy-five. There are countless responsibilities tied to being a Buffalo Jills cheerleader, and yet, they are only considered volunteers.

Discussion Questions

How are volunteers different from employees, and how should they be treated based on those differences?

What kinds of outrageous demands are placed on dancers, and how do they compare to those placed on the Jills cheerleaders?

[jlmeiss-blog]

Josie Meiss - “The Multiringed Cosmos of Krumping” by Christina Zanfanga

This article gave me a fresh perspective on krumping. In it, author Christina Zanfanga claims that the definition of krumping depends on its setting. In the commercial sphere, krumping is “dazzling, trendy entertainment” (348). In the inner city, it is both an artistic and competitive “sport” as well a “religious ritual” (346). I was not surprised by the first two definitions because breaking, another form of hip-hop dance, can be defined similarly, but I was somewhat surprised by the third. I have never thought of krumping as a spiritual dance, but after reading this article, I can see how and why it is. Zanfanga likens krumping to the ring-shout, a religious dance in which slaves would sway, clap, shuffle, and stomp around in a circle until they would work themselves up into a “quivering, trembling trance” (338). Krumping is similar in the way that it can take on the appearance of an exorcism, as the movement is so vigorous and explosive. In fact, it can even result in a loss of consciousness (344). This showed me that there is more to krumping than I originally thought. Aside from that, I was intrigued to learn more about Rize, a documentary produced by filmmaker David LaChapelle. Zanfanga says that in the documentary, LaChapelle focuses on krumping in the inner city because underground krumping is seen as more authentic than mainstream krumping. However, LaChapelle first became interested in krumping when he saw it on the set of Christina Aguilera’s music video “Dirrty”. Thus, it was the “inauthentic” commercial environment that drew him to krumping in the first place. This information makes me question the value of commercialism in drawing attention to different aspects of our culture.

Copied below is a link to the music video for “Pro-Test” by Skinny Puppy. In it, one can see examples of breaking and krumping. Breaking and krumping are both confrontational and competitive dance styles, but they are not the same; generally speaking, breaking is a demonstration of skill and prowess, while krumping is a demonstration of emotional expression and release. This difference is clear in the video. The breakers execute impressive acrobatic moves while the krumpers thrash about and strip off their clothes. In the article, Zanfanga says that “the ripping and stripping of clothes [is] a metaphor for the unveiling of spirit and raw emotion” (346).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwhK9nfFhMU

Discussion Questions

What kinds of “africanisms” are seen in krumping?

Does commercialism play a positive or negative role in exposing aspects of hip-hop culture? Why?

[jlmeiss-blog]

Josie Meiss - “Global Breakdancing and the Intercultural Body” by Halifu Osumare

This article presented a nice combination of familiar and unfamiliar information, and I found the unfamiliar information in this reading to be particularly fascinating. I was especially intrigued by the author’s description of performance and performativity. According to Osumare, performance is “a series of bodily enactments that bring conscious intent and purpose to the physical execution of rhythmically patterned movement” while performativity is “an often unconscious but meaningful series of bodily postures, gestures, and movements that implicitly signify and mark a sense of social identity or identities in everyday pedestrian activities” (31). Prior to reading this article, I had never even heard of the term performativity so I was curious to learn more about it, and fortunately, Osumare references it a number of times throughout the article. On page 37, Osumare describes an experience she had in the rural Hawaiian village of Pahoa. She and a group of Pahoa youth were discussing their liberal use of the “N” word, and when she asked them what they meant by it, they said things like “It’s like my homey”. One of them attempted to address the fact that the “N” word frequently carries negative connotations by saying “We not putting nobody down; it’s just like ‘What’s up, nigga?’”. I’ve certainly heard arguments like this before, but Osumare observed something else that I probably wouldn’t have noticed: the last statement was made with “‘black’ hip hop body language”, which is a clear example of performativity (37, 38). This story stuck out to me because it demonstrates the significance of non-verbal gestures. We can say so much with our bodies alone, and what we communicate with our bodies can reflect how we interpret the world around us.

Osumare also addresses the increasing separation between commercialized hip-hop and underground hip-hop; she claims that there is a difference between the hip-hop displayed on television networks like MTV and BET and the hip-hop dance of the underground, adding that those who participate in the underground hip-hop culture do not view commercialized hip-hop as “real” or legitimate (34). While I have always enjoyed watching commercialized hip-hop, I know now that it is rarely authentic and/or representative of the original dance form. On commercial competition dance shows like So You Think You Can Dance, underground hip-hop dancers will sometimes struggle to learn “hip-hop” routines because they are used to improvising, not executing choreographed steps. This gives audiences a false understanding of what hip-hop is and what it’s supposed to look like. In addition, after learning more about hip-hop, I take issue with the ways in which underground hip-hop dancers are perceived and/or treated on commercial dance competition shows like So You Think You Can Dance. During the audition process, dancers with hip-hop backgrounds often receive comments like “You need more training.” and those who make it to the Top 20 often receive comments like “Wow! If I didn’t know you, I would have never guessed you were a hip-hop dancer.” Comments like this imply that hip-hop dance is an inferior form that relies on talent and therefore requires little training and practice, which leads people to be surprised when they perform well in other dance genres. 

Discussion Questions

What kinds of cultural groups do we associate with hip-hop dance and why?

What kinds of parallels can be drawn between contemporary, commercialized hip-hop entertainment and minstrel shows of the past? How are they similar? How are they different?

[jlmeiss-blog]

Josie Meiss - “Breaking” by Sally Banes

This article covers the topic of break dancing. It was relatively easy to read, as I have already learned about many of these concepts in Rebecca’s Introduction to Dance History class. However, there were a few pieces of information that I found to be particularly interesting. The first is that Banes separates the development of break dancing into “two stages: before and after media” (14). I had not given much thought to this notion before, but it makes so much sense. Break dancing before media exposure was extremely different from break dancing after media exposure. It started as a kind of underground communication between urban groups, but once the media caught wind of it, it became a phenomenon. To some, it was an art form. To others, it was merely a hobby. Regardless, it had changed for good. It’s amazing to think that the media alone can change “the form and meaning” of a type of dance so drastically (14). Aside from this, I was interested to learn about the different dance moves that have made their way into the genre of break dancing over time, such as popping and locking. Banes defines locking as “a comic dance that creates the illusion that a person’s joints are stuck in one place while his extremities are swinging in wild, rapid circles” and popping as a dance “where one segment of the body moves while the others stay still” (19). To be honest, I never really knew the difference between these two dances, but now I know what separates one from the other.

Several times throughout the article, Banes mentions the Rock Steady Crew, a breakdancing group that rose to prominence during the early 1980s. On page 15, she says that the Rock Steady Crew was largely responsible for the publication of break dancing. In a way, the Rock Steady Crew “theatricalized” break dancing; they brought it to the stage and screen, which caused it to spread like wild fire. Copied below is a link to the music video for the Rock Steady Crew’s 1983 single “(Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew”. In it, one can see the head spins, freezes, flips, and fast footwork Banes mentions in the article. One can also see the cipher, or the impromptu circle that often forms around break-dancers. However, in this case, some of the movement is choreographed and the cipher is opened up for the camera so viewers can see what’s happening inside. This shows how break dancing had to change when it left the street; it started to exchange its spontaneity and improvisation for choreography and organization.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4J-EVxMcd0

Discussion Questions

It goes without saying that hip-hop and ballet are extremely different dance forms, but are there any similarities between them? If so, what are they?

On dance competition shows like So You Think You Can Dance, how are break-dancers compared to dancers with different backgrounds? Are they perceived differently? If so, how?

[jlmeiss-blog]

Josie Meiss - “Stripping the Emperor” by Brenda Dixon Gottschild

This article was inciting; it made me want to jump out of my chair and shout from the rooftop. As I was reading, I was thoroughly invested, which is evidenced by my countless scribblings in the margins. On page 62, I wrote “WTF!” next to the third definition for “ethnic” from the American Heritage Dictionary because it blew my mind. I had never considered the possibility of cultural bias in dictionary definitions. We often accept dictionary definitions as absolute truths (or at least I do) without thinking about where they came from; I will be sure to examine definitions more carefully from now on. On page 77, I wrote “Hello? Why didn’t he ever say anything?” in response to this piece of information: “Balanchine sometimes referred to Katherine Dunham in his teaching and sent his dancers to study with her.” I was truly surprised by this. This is noteworthy information! Why didn’t Balanchine share this with the public? Why didn’t Jowitt talk about this in the previous article? This article is so important because it demonstrates how a dance historian can have such a huge impact on the way we perceive dance. Gottschild completely changed my perspective on Balanchine and ballet as a whole. She made me realize that there is more to ballet’s history than I originally thought, and that’s amazing.

On page 63, Gottschild explains that George Balanchine was attracted to an African aesthetic because of “the groundedness and rhythmic sense [he had] inherited from Georgian folk dance traditions”. After reading this, I decided to look up Georgian folk dance to see what Gottschild was talking about. Copied below is a link to a staged performance of a Georgian folk dance. In it, one can see the “groundedness” and “rhythmic sense” that Gottschild mentions. In terms of “groundedness”, the men stay low. Several times throughout the dance, they drop to their knees and then return to a stable, wide stance. They frequently stomp their feet, jabbing their heels and toes into the floor. In terms of “rhythmic sense”, the movement is strongly tied to the music. The men stay on tempo throughout the dance and strike poses on accented beats. African dance also involves a solid connection to the earth and a strong sense of rhythm. Because of these subtle similarities, I can understand why Balanchine would have been drawn to African movement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfxA3cOMdno

Discussion Questions

How can we address the issue of cultural bias in dictionary definitions, as seen in the third definition for “ethnic” in the American Heritage Dictionary (62)?

In a way, this article is a call to action for dance historians to expose cultural bias and appropriation in dance, but what about dancers, choreographers, arts presenters, etc.? How can other people in dance bring attention to cultural bias and appropriation within the art form?

[jlmeiss-blog]

Josie Meiss - “Forward to Petipa” by Deborah Jowitt

This article was extremely informative. I always knew that George Balanchine was an influential figure in the world of ballet, but I never really knew why. This article shed some light on how George Balanchine changed the face of ballet. First, before Balanchine, most choreographers would work from a story and then add in music later. Balanchine almost always worked from music. This is interesting because I have almost always related ballet to storytelling, but after reading this, I realized that there are several ballets that focus less on story and more on movement’s relationship to music. Secondly, George Balanchine also introduced the white T-shirt, black tights look for boys. This might seem insignificant, but this outfit has become the quintessential male uniform in American ballet; it can be seen in ballet studios nationwide. This alone demonstrates the scope of Balanchine’s influence. Lastly, he pushed and even broke some of ballet’s physical boundaries. I was surprised to hear some of the ways in which he strayed from the established technique. On page 265, Jowitt says, “Balanchine dancers are…not always precise in terms of ‘placement.’ They lift their hips in order to get their legs higher…Their hands tend to flap, their chins to tilt. Their port de bras aren’t always gracefully curved…”  This is something I had previously failed to notice. It’s crazy to think that I’ve gone so many years hearing Balanchine’s name but have never had a solid understanding of who he was or what he did. I suppose that’s partially my fault for not doing any research of my own, but I’m glad to be learning more about him now.

Copied below is a link to a clip from the documentary Ballet 422, which chronicles the creation of the New York City Ballet’s 422nd ballet by commissioned company member Justin Peck. The New York City Ballet was co-founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, and this clip exemplifies how Balanchine’s influence on NYCB has endured the test of time. In her article, Jowitt says that Balanchine “packed more steps per running foot than Petipa did at his most vivacious” (255). I think the same can be said for the choreography in this clip; the movement is so detailed and fast that even one minor mistake can mess the whole thing up, as exemplified by two of the featured dancers at the beginning. In describing Balanchine’s movement, Jowitt states that the dancers “seem to [tug] the stage this way and that yet the whole resolves as boundless symmetry” (254). In this clip, each of the dancers are constantly changing direction, sending their energy up, down, left, and right, but looking at all of the dancers collectively, the movement looks balanced and stable. This dichotomy is evident in many of Balanchine’s works and, as shown by the clip, can still be observed in the work of the New York City Ballet today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-OEX1L6PWQ

Discussion Questions

On page 260, Jowitt claims that, in some cases, Balanchine’s choreography could be confused for that of Merce Cunningham. What kinds of parallels can be drawn between Balanchine’s ballets and Cunningham’s pre-postmodern work, if any?

Considering the different portrayals of women in Petipa and Balanchine’s work (as described in the articles we’ve read), why do you think that Petipa was “exempt” from feminist criticism while Balanchine fell victim to it on several occasions?

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Josie Meiss - “Balletic Astonishments”

Prior to reading this article, I did not know much about the Ballet Russes, which made it an exciting selection to read. I learned a ton of new information. First, I had no idea that Nijinsky was a dancer before he was a choreographer. The author says that, in spite of his average appearance offstage, his performances were “electrifying” (124). When the author goes on to discuss Nijinsky’s work as a choreographer, it is mentioned that his work “emphasized straight lines and angles…and poses recalled ancient Greek friezes and vase paintings” (125). This immediately made me think of Isadora Duncan, who was also inspired by Greek art. The fact that two different people in two different places could be inspired by similar material at around the same time is so fascinating. Aside from this, I was not aware of how meticulous the Ballet Russes productions were. Each production was an intricate and well-thought-out combination of choreography, music, and visual art. Like the Imperial ballets, the Ballet Russes productions were grand spectacles, but their compositions were so different from one another that they were hardly comparable. It is disappointing that the Ballet Russes died with Diaghilev. Reading about these productions makes me wish they had been better preserved, but without Diaghilev as a primary source of funding, I understand that it would’ve been hard to keep the work of the Ballet Russes alive.

On page 128, the author talks about the ballet Parade, calling it “a typical example of Diaghilev’s modernism”. The work, made in 1917, was a collaborative effort between Diaghilev, Leonide Massine, Pablo Picasso, and Erik Satie. Copied below is a link to a page of several images related to the production. (I could not link to a single image). On the far right of the first row, there is a picture of the costume for the Chinese Conjuror, designed by Pablo Picasso. The loose, asymmetrical costume features bright colors and abstract shapes, which reflect Picasso’s work as a cubist painter. This type of costume would not appear in an Imperial Ballet. Generally speaking, the costumes of the Imperial Ballet were quite the opposite: form fitting and symmetrical with muted colors and clear lines. By looking at this costume, one can see just how different the Ballet Russes productions were from those of the Imperial Ballet.

http://theredlist.com/wiki-2-20-881-1399-1161-235972-236038-view-1910-1920-1-profile-1917-bparade-b.html

Discussion Questions

What are the similarities and differences between the Ballet Russes and Imperial Ballet?

At the end of the article, the author states that Diaghilev and Pavlova were “the pioneers of what is now known as modern dance”. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

[jlmeiss-blog]

Josie Meiss - “Searching for Nijinsky’s Sacre” by Millicent Hodson

This article was utterly fascinating. I already knew that Nijinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps was one of the most revolutionary dances in history, but I had no idea that it was a lost dance. I have seen the 1987 version, performed by the Joffrey Ballet, and I always knew that this version was a reconstruction of the original dance, but I did not know the degree to which it had been reconstructed. Millicent Hodson rebuilt this work out of scattered bits and pieces from several different places. She examined sketches of the work by Valentine Gross in London, talked to an oboist from the original orchestra in Boston, and visited a few of Nijinsky’s relatives in Los Angeles and San Francisco, to name a few. If nothing else, this article demonstrated the lengths to which people must go to recover dances of the past. I would say that this article could be viewed as an argument for the importance of dance notation, but nowadays, we can preserve dances with the push of a button. Back then, the best preservation tools were a writing utensil and paper. This article reveals how drastically our methods of dance preservation have changed since Nijinsky’s time.

Nijinsky was largely responsible for the creation of this ballet, but this article explains how painter Nicholas Roerich was a significant contributor as well; Roerich was primarily responsible for designing the set and the costumes for Le Sacre du Printemps. Hudson even includes a sketch of one of his costumes for the original production, which features several different colors and patterns. Copied below is a link to Roerich’s painting Everest, completed in 1936. Here, Roerich uses rich colors and lines to create a mountainous scene. One can imagine what the movement of Le Sacre du Printemps must have looked like in front of such a vibrant background. Hodson describes this visual experience toward the beginning of her article: “To see…swirling circles of red and white against vibrant green decor, and the dancers pulling at the polyrhythms to release their force—an audience today would still be astonished.” (17)

http://artsdot.com/Art.nsf/O/8EWLY2/$File/Nicholas-Roerich-Everest.JPG

Discussion Questions

Since the introduction of video, has dance notation become obsolete? Why or why not?

On the first page of the article, Hodson says, “Le Sacre is celebrated as the harbinger of modern dance, the work that broke the ground of twentieth-century choreography”. What connections can you make between Nijinsky’s work and that of early modern choreographers?

[jlmeiss-blog]

Josie Meiss - “In the Royal Image” by Deborah Jowitt

When I first started reading this selection, I was thoroughly confused. This week, we are supposed to be covering the rise of Russian ballet, but the first few pages of this article are dedicated to the life and work of George Balanchine, a significant ballet choreographer who rose to prominence later in ballet’s history. This made me question whether or not I was reading the right selection. However, the focus of the article quickly shifts to Marius Petipa, and I realized as the reading went on that Jowitt simply uses Balanchine to establish Petipa’s influence and importance in the history of ballet. When I finished reading the selection, I went back and read the paragraphs about Balanchine to see how they connected to the rest of the article, and I realized that, for the most part, Jowitt writes about Balanchine in reference to Petipa. She tells readers that Balanchine trained at the Imperial Ballet School, where Marius Petipa was the ballet master before he died. She says that he learned many of Petipa’s ballets, including The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Raymonda, and later staged many of his own versions. She explains that Balanchine, though quite different from Petipa, was heavily influenced by Petipa’s work. Using Balanchine as a recent example of a notable ballet choreographer, Jowitt establishes the significance and influence of Petipa. Aside from this, the reading was relatively easy to process. I am familiar with most of the Imperial Ballets that Jowitt mentions in the article so it was easy for me to understand the points she makes about each one.

On pages 248 and 249, Jowitt explains how, during this time period, the ballet aesthetic changed in many ways. For instance, she says “equilibrium, rather than ethereality and restless flight, had become the guiding image in the dance style, as well as the overall stage picture” and that this idea can be exemplified by photographs taken during that time (249). Copied below are two links. The first link is a colored lithograph of Francesca Cerrito in La Slyphide, which showcases the mythical, supernatural, dainty aesthetic of Romantic ballet. The second link is a photograph of Elsa Vill, Elizaveta Gerdt and Pierre Vladimirov in the Pas de Trois from Paquita. This showcases Russian ballet’s emphasis on finding balance in new positions, which the article states can be largely attributed to advancements in the development of the pointe shoe.

Discussion Questions:

On page 244, Jowitt states that The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and La Bayadere are “the surviving works from [the Imperial] period”. Why is this? What sets these ballets apart from the rest of the ballets choreographed during that time period?

What exactly contributed to Marius Petipa’s success as a ballet choreographer? Why was his work so influential and significant?

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Josie Meiss - “The Travesty Dancer” by Lynn Garafola

This reading went into detail about the significance of gender roles within the context of 19th century ballet, particularly regarding the danseuse en travesti. There were quite a few spots throughout this article that reminded me of past readings. During this time period in the 19th century, male dancers received a lot of flak from the general public and esteemed dance critics; Garafola notes that Theophile Gautier went so far as to call the male dancer a “species of monstrosity” (213). This information seemed familiar so I marked it in the text, and when I finished reading, I went back through the other readings and found it in Carol Pardo’s “Ballet: A History in Broad Brushstrokes”. Garafola also talks about Marie Taglioni and Fanny Elssler, and how they were each archetypes of the two different types of dancers: the “Christian” and the “pagan” (212, 213). I had just learned about this in the previous selection, Deborah Jowitt’s “Heroism in the Harem”. In her article, Jowitt states that Taglioni’s “eroticism [was] confined to a dainty teasing”, while Elssler’s performances were much more alluring (61). I appreciate this kind of repetition because when an idea is addressed multiple times in more than one reading, I know that idea is important.

In addition to covering some familiar ideas, this reading also introduced some new ones. I already learned from previous readings that ballerinas of the past frequently sought “protection” from wealthy, male patrons. Dancing alone did not provide enough financial support, so they would offer themselves to wealthy male patrons in exchange for “protection”. To put it in colloquial terms, ballerinas were constantly searching for sugar daddies. However, I did not realize that beyond this, ballerinas also frequently turned to prostitution for supplementary income. When I consider that there weren’t many other jobs available for women to pursue during this time, this makes a lot of sense. Even today, most dancers have a side job to support themselves. I just never would have envisioned ballerinas being prostitutes!

Discussion Questions

During the 19th century, when the danseuse en travesti was at the forefront of ballet, many critics, including Gautier and Janin, remarked that men should not dance (213). Why did they feel this way? Do their views relate in any way to how male dancers are perceived today? Why or why not?

What set Diaghilev’s male dancers apart from the male dancers of the 19th century? In other words, why were Diaghilev’s males praised for dancing and previous male dancers scorned for dancing?

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Josie Meiss - “Heroism in the Harem” by Deborah Jowitt

Out of all of the selections we’ve read thus far, Deborah Jowitt’s “Heroism in the Harem” was the most challenging. First, I had to look up several definitions throughout the article, including those for piquancy, eponymous, apogee, and chattels to name a few. While doing this was necessary to understand some of Jowitt’s claims, it pulled me away from the material; after looking up the word, I would often forget what came before it. To fix this, I would simply go back to the beginning of the paragraph to recall what I had already read, see how the new word fits into the context of the paragraph, and read on. Secondly, throughout the article, Jowitt uses countless examples to support her claims about Oriental ballets. While this demonstrates that her claims are well informed, it was a lot to keep track of, and in trying to keep track of all the different ballets, I often found myself unable to identify Jowitt’s main points. To combat this problem, I would retrace my steps, looking at the first and last sentences of each paragraph in an attempt to see the big ideas behind the examples.

This reading was not only difficult, but also frustrating. Reading that “authenticity was never an issue” when it came to making Oriental ballets made me upset (50). In creating these ballets, the Europeans were supposedly drawing inspiration from the East, but they had no concern for presenting a remotely accurate representation of the culture. While these ballets were often works of fantasy, they probably contributed to the general public’s perception of Eastern culture, and to me, that is highly concerning. The other part of the article that frustrated me was about the roles of women in Oriental ballets. Jowitt explains that while female heroines appear to “fight for their liberty…and refuse to be ruled by any restraints but their own will”, they often end up submitting to a man, as “‘liberty’ simply meant married happiness” (57). More than a century ago, this is what people believed: without a man, a woman was incomplete. This is frustrating to read because I feel like, to some extent, this belief still holds true today. Many women are still under the impression that true happiness can only be achieved once they find a man. However, both of these ideas demonstrate how dance has the power to shape culture and vice versa; what is put on stage is often a reflection of or a contribution to the culture we live in.

Discussion Questions

How does this article relate to our ongoing discussion about appropriation? In producing these “Oriental” ballets, were the Europeans appropriating Eastern culture? Why or why not?

What are some more recent examples of female heroines who “fight for their liberty, assert the primacy of their desires, and refuse to be ruled by any restraints but their own will” but ultimately end up “[submitting] themselves to [a chosen mate]” (57)? Can you think of any examples who do the former and not the latter? What does this reveal about our past and present thoughts on gender roles?

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Josie Meiss - “In Pursuit of the Sylph” by Deborah Jowitt

At the start of this unit, we assembled a general timeline of ballet’s history. This past week, we examined dance at the royal courts. Now, we’re moving on to Romantic ballet. Deborah Jowitt’s “In Pursuit of the Sylph” from Time and the Dancing Image was a nice introduction, as it addressed the subject of Romantic ballet within the context of the Romantic era. I am highly interested in the Romantic time period so it was easy for me to engage with this reading. I was particularly intrigued by the section about the use of the word “light”. On page 39, Jowitt explains that the word “light” both refers to weightlessness and luminosity, and dance writers between the 1830s and the late 1800s often used different versions of the term to describe ballerinas. For instance, Adele Dumilatre’s dancing was once described as being “so ethereal…that she almost looked transparent.” (39) Here, the word transparent might mean airy or ghostly, which describes her movement as well as her appearance. Jowitt goes on to explain that transparency was valued because it was associated with “godliness” (40). One reason why this particular section caught my attention is because the concept of “lightness” is still valued today; in today’s ballet, movement is supposed to appear effortless, and members of the corps are expected to fade into the background. People might not want ballet dancers to appear “ghostly” anymore, but they still want them to appear “light” to a certain degree. One other section of the article that caught my attention talked about how the Romantic era was a time of rebellion. Jowltt states that “in the Romantic era, the artist-as-rebel was a favored image”, and Romantic ballerinas were somewhat rebellious because they openly disobeyed the laws of nature, as they assumed the roles of supernatural characters and appeared to defy gravity (40). I never thought I would see someone classify ballet dancers as “rebels”, but in this context, it makes sense!

Copied below is a link to an image of Caspar David Friedrich’s painting, The Abbey in the Oakwood. On page 35 of “In Pursuit of the Sylph”, Deborah Jowitt states that Romantic ballets can be linked to early nineteenth-century landscape paintings. Caspar David Friedrich was an influential landscape painter during this time, and Jowitt describes his work at “mysterious”, “tranquil”, and “disturbing”. When I look at The Abbey in the Oakwood, I see exactly what Jowitt is talking about. The painting portrays an abbey surrounded by barren trees, which are partially concealed by a thick fog. At the base of the trees are gravestones, which are scattered amongst the foreground. I imagine the scene to be eerily quiet, as if something could jump out at me at any moment. In a way, it reminds me of the forest in Giselle: dark and gloomy.

http://www.artble.com/imgs/b/0/1/334386/the_abbey_in_the_oakwood.jpg

Discussion Questions:

Considering the intense physical demands of ballet dance during the Romantic era (e.g. having to perform barre exercises one hundred times or wearing unsupportive pointe shoes), and considering how little dancers received in exchange for all their hard work, what made dancers want to pursue this art form?

This article covers the Romantic period of ballet. Since then, how has ballet changed and/or stayed the same?

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Josie Meiss - “Section One: The Court Ballet” from Dance as a Theatre Art

For the most part, reading this selection was a breeze. The first part of the reading reiterated many of the concepts we had already learned about in the previous reading, “Dance at the Royal Courts” from Ballet and Modern Dance, and I rarely had to look anything up. The only somewhat challenging part of the reading was the second part, which was Fabritio Caroso’s Rules and Directions for Dancing the “Passo e Mezo”. It was difficult for me to create a mental picture of the steps in my head just by reading them. I attempted to address this issue by actually getting on my feet a few times to try and execute the steps to get a better idea of what they might look like. But even then, some were still too difficult for me to figure out. I also encountered some problems with language in this part of the text. Caroso often uses the word “strut” in his instructions, and the translator explains in a foot note that in this case, “strut” literally means “peacocking oneself”, but even with this explanation, I’m not sure what a strut would like in the context. In addition, some of the more complex steps, such as the “Ordinary Flourish” and “Limping Hop”, involve raising the feet, which automatically makes me think of releve, but perhaps in this case, raising means lifting the foot all the way off the ground. Either way, I’m not sure. Aside from that, reading this selection was a smooth process.

As stated earlier, this reading contained a fair amount of familiar information as well as a fair amount of unfamiliar information. This reading is the first in the unit to contain primary sources, including Fabritio Caroso’s Rules and Directions for Dancing the “Passo e Mezo” and Saint-Hubert’s How to Compose Successful Ballets. Both of these works could be perceived as how-to manuals of sorts. Caroso’s collection of rules and directions reminds me of a ballet dictionary, in which each step is broken down and explained. This makes me wonder if works like this might have helped pave the way for ballet dictionaries like Gail Grant’s Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet, a resource many dancers use today. In his work, Saint-Hubert talks about the importance of the subject (overarching story or idea), airs (music), dancing, costumes, and machines (technical elements) when it comes to composing a ballet, and much of what he has to say still holds true today. He says that all the elements listed above are individually important but also must work together to create a cohesive whole. This is still true! A ballet can have stunning choreography, but if the accompanying music doesn’t complement the movement, that stunning choreography can look strange. Similarly, a production can have an intricate set and extravagant costumes, but if the dancing is only adequate, the performance will feel uneven. One connection I made during this reading was that, compared to other forms of dance, ballet has had a relatively linear progression: its origins can be traced back to Renaissance social dances, which found their way into the courts and eventually ended up on stage. The author says, “As folk customs [were] refined into courtly diversions…social dances of the Renaissance [began] to nourish the burgeoning form that was to become the dance of the theatre.” (7) Knowing this, one can argue that ballet had a relatively clear course of development, especially when compared to the likes of modern and jazz.

Discussion Questions:

In terms of preserving dances from the past, what are the benefits and drawbacks of making a manual of dance steps like Fabritio Caroso’s Rules and Directions for Dancing the “Passo e Mezo”? Does this method of preservation work better for some forms than others? Why or why not?

Do you agree with Saint-Hubert’s thoughts on how to compose a ballet? Why or why not?

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Josie Meiss - “Dance at the Royal Courts” from Ballet and Modern Dance

This reading provided a nice balance of old and new information. It reviewed a lot of information we had already learned from the previous reading “Ballet: A History in Broad Brushstrokes” by Carol Pardo as well as Rebecca’s online lecture, but it also provided some more detailed information regarding ballet’s emergence and early development. The article discusses notable figures like Beaujoyeulx, the dancing master who made the Ballet Comique, which was considered “the most important early attempt to create an extended choreographic spectacle”, Jean Baptiste Lully, a gifted artist and composer who could make Louis XIV laugh so hard he cried, Pierre Beauchamps, the dancing master responsible for the five positions of the feet, and of course, Louis XIV, the King who supported the development and growth of ballet more than anyone else (32). The article also discusses some of ballet’s early forms, including the ballet a entree, a sequence of independent scenes tied together by an overarching theme, as well as the comedie-ballet, an amalgamation of dance and spoken dialogue. Additionally, the reading explains that many early ballets had underlying messages that related to notable events of the time. In Ballet de la Nuit (1653), for example, a group of thieves attempt to loot a burning house when they are stopped by Aurora and the Rising Sun. Ballet de la Nuit was made two years after a mob invaded the Palais Royal to protest “poor living conditions” (39); the thieves represent the mob, and the Rising Sun represents King Louis. Ballet de la Nuit reminded the people that no matter what, the king would reign supreme. All of this information was exciting to learn, but the one piece of information I found to be particularly interesting actually had to do with the development of the ballet barre. I have always wondered where the barre came from, and this article explains it clearly; as ballet steps became more complicated, dancers required additional support to learn how to execute them. Because of this, ballet masters would have their students hang onto chairs or tightly stretched ropes to facilitate their learning. This eventually led to the development of the barre, which continues to be used daily by dancers everywhere.

Copied below is a link to “Marche pour la ceremonie des Turcs” by Jean Baptiste Lully, which comes from the comedie-ballet Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme. The article states that Lully was a man of many talents; he could act, sing, dance, and play musical instruments, but his greatest talent was composing music. According to the article, Lully was known for his “elegant, sophisticated music”, and this piece exemplifies that (42). With regal instruments like the harpsichord and a steady, driving beat, I picture a procession of wealthy aristocrats when I listen to the song. I imagine regal men walking deliberately in time, with their chests extended and their heads held high. It does not surprise me that his music was popular among the nobles. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy-yugPw_X8

Discussion Questions

Do you think ballet would have survived without Louis XIV’s undying support? If so, how might ballet as we know it be different today? If not, why not?

If Louis XIV could rise from the dead and see a ballet performance today, do you think he would like what he saw? Why or why not?