Ballet started in the 16th Century. It originated in France and Italy. The French had the flare as they still do in many areas and the Italians were the great technical people. Catherine de Medici had court entertainments to keep her sons amused while she ran the country. She employed Beaujoyeux in court entertainments lasting hours. These involved soldiers marching, horse ballet, singing verse and food.
Louis 14th King of France (who could dance himself) in 1661 and 1669 set up the Royal Academy of Music and Royal Academy of Dance. This is the start of the Paris Opera Ballet. The oldest ballet company in the world. There were great dancers like Marie de Camargo from Belgium famous for her footwork. (The Fund raising arm of the Royal Ballet in Britain is called the Camargo Society.) Then Marie Salle she was popular as she did not have male lovers left right and centre until it was discovered her sexual preferences were for women so she was booed on stage but had a good career.
John George Noverre was Swiss and he felt that ballet should not just be people dancing around to music but stories should be told in dance form and through dance. Jean Daubervalle (who Parisians credited a having a degree in philandering with all his affairs with women) liked his ideas and Created La Fille Mal Gardee, which I told you about in a previous mail the story. Noverre in turn liked him describing him as having wit and taste.
Next we come to the Vestris family. They came from Italy and were famed for there closeness to each other and probably no one else. Even when one went to jail another came and stayed with them in jail for company. There was Gaetano the head and greatest dancer of his time(known as the god of the dance), Jean Baptiste the cook, Violante who sang, Angolo who left to join a different company to dance in because of the dance rivalry with Gaetano and Therese. Therese danced in the ballet, which she was not good at. She then went into Opera which she was slightly better at but where her real skill shone was in the bedroom as a courtesan juggling four to five lovers a night!! That girl in on hols didn't mention money maybe I should have accepted. No got to be careful.
Gaetano was the greatest dancer of the time always squabbling and arguing with the management of the ballet companies/theatres, was vain and incredibly arrogant. When his son whom he trained was the next great dancer of his time (Augustus Vestris) he said "of course my son had the luxury of having me as a teacher something which was denied me".
He married Marie Allard who was a fine and popular ballerina in her own right however she put on weight and in a time when plump ballerinas were admired she was still to plump also to much sex resulting in unwanted pregnancies. She died at 49 sadly. She was the Mother of Augustus Vestris and together with Gaetano they trained him up and he first performed at the age of 12. Jean Daubervall Watched his debut (La Fille Mal Garde I have previously mentioned) and said words to the effect what a great dancer. He mist being my son by a mere 15 minutes!!! Smile.
Meanwhile in Russia Peter the great wanted to Westernise Russia. So he expanded Russia to the West by taking control of the countries in Eastern Europe. As mum said he was a ruthless thug. Anyway he wanted ballet in his country so he invited French Choreographers over. (Maurice Petipa and others). HE built St Petersburg the sea port to the west Of Russia which was Russia's former capital before Moscow and home of the Tsars which is called the Venice of the north. After the beautiful city of Venice in Northern Italy. There was the home of the Imperial Theatre and home of the world famous Marinskii Ballet (up to after 1917 the Russian Revolution) company. They had there name changed under the communists to Kirov after the mayor of Leningrad Sergie Kirov then after the collapse of Russia it was changed back to Marinskii in Russia. As the name Kirov is better known outside Russia then when they tour they are called the Kirov. The greatest ballet company in the world. Wow is the only word to describe them.
Remember the name Vestris for future.
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Augustus Vestris (1760-1842) from before
He was a fast flashy dancer with massive jumps known as the aerialist. He
made it all look so easy like if you have seen Baryshnikov. He danced his
last dance age 75 with Marie Taglioni (1804-1884) who first appeared in
the ballet La Sylphide with Her brother Paul Taglioni and it was created
by her Father Philippe Taglioni. A version that is different from this was
created by the Danish Augustus Bournville, which has always been performed
by the Royal Danish ballet. HE created ballets with morals and above the
theatre in Copenhagen in Denmark is the slogan not just for pleasure.
Jules Perrot ((1810-1892)
He was born to a Lyons France circus performer and performed in the
Circus. HE decided he wanted to do ballet so he asked Augustus Vestris if
he could and he said yes but he would have to move quickly round the stage
so no one would notice how ugly he was says my book!!! His most famous
creation was Esmeralda about the Hunchback of Notre Dam who helps
Esmeralda and despite being not good looking but is big hearted and very
nice is killed by his enemies very sad indeed. (I saw a film of it very
hurtful to me at the end). Looks aren??™t everything.
A theatre manager in London was wanting some big publicity so Jules Perrot
was Invited to create the ???Pas de Quatre??? for four of the greatest
ballerinas of the time and maybe in history need to check last bit.
However four ballerinas were very competitive and large egos so after many
headaches for Perrot it was decided the youngest would go first to eldest
last.
The dancers were
Fanny Essler Austrian (1810-1884)
Known for her stunning beauty and Spanish Cachucha dance. She had an
ethereal style and showed of her legs, which at the time shocked the
audiences. SO they came back to see it again and again.
Fanny Cerretto (1817-1909)
She had an ample figure brilliant point work, vivacious dancing and
spectacular leaps. This made her popular with her fans. She married Arthur
saint Leon who created Copelia a story about a doll maker that is still
performed in different variations today.
Lucille Grahn
A Danish Dancer Found by Augustus Bournville head of the Royal Danish
Ballet in the 19th Century and single-handed is Danish Ballet. She was
best at romantic Ballets and performed in LA Sylphide says book.
Finally Marie Taglioni
Was trained by her father Philippi who created la Sylphide for her
(different from Bournville) but his came first. He was appalled d by her
dance after being taught so he did it himself training her very hard 6
hours a day consistently for 6 months concentrating on point work she was
excellent at this and between the two and her brother who played James
they created the first Romantic ballet and the first all white sequence
where the ballerinas all wear white in the second half. She had long arms,
which is why you see in some pictures her arms raised and there is the
famous scene where she enters through the window. Have I told you about La
Sylphide?
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Now for the continuing history of ballet. What do you think of it so far?
Augustus Bournonville Denmark 1805 – 1879
Augustus Bournonville was born in Denmark and trained there before going to Paris where he met and trained with Augustus Vestris. Who I have mentioned previously. He went back to Denmark and ruled over the Danish Ballet creating many ballets that all had morals. The motto above the theatre in Copenhagen is "Not only for Pleasure". He developed his own style of ballet. If he could not do something he would not incorporate it in the ballet even if the dancers could do it. For example the Tournie de la air" where the man jumps in the air spins round one and a half times then lands on the ground. You won't see this I believe in his ballets.
A High number of his ballets remain even today and form the staple diet of the Royal Danish ballet. Including la Sylphide which was remade after Phillippe Taglioni's version for Marie Taglioni (see previous letters). No one since has dominated and been as great an influence as Bournonville and thus his name is ballet in Denmark.
Now this is where I like things. Bournonville went to Paris and was trained by among others Austus Vestris the god of dance of his time who in turn was trained by Gaetano Vestries his father who in turn came from Italy but moved to Paris by his mother and father and danced in the Paris Ballet the oldest ballet company in the world created by Louis 14th the ruler of France in 1660's. Notice how there is a chain sometimes to lesser extents sometimes direct.
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Arthur Saint Leon 1821-1870
Arthur was French and danced and worked at the Paris opera where all previous dancers were. He had an energetic style. He played the violin as well. He married Fanny Cerreto for 5-6 years who I have mentioned previously known for her vivacious style and ample figure. His most famous work is Copelia, which is still in the reparatory of ballet companies around the world today.
Copeillia the story.
Franz and Swanilda are lovers. In the village there is a man called Doctor Copelius who works in his shop where banging and noises are always heard though know one knows why. Sitting at the window every day there is a girl called Coppeillia. Franz fancies Copeillia and flirts with her to no avail. Swanilda then waves and tries to get Copeillia's attention to say hello or good day but has no luck she thinks Copeillia is rude. That night Doctor Copeilius goes out for his drink. On the way Franz friends annoy him and leave. Swanilda comes in with her friends and discover he has dropped his house key so she and her friends go inside to see Copeillia. Franz also enters the house through the top window. All the dolls in the house then come alive and start dancing. Swanilda discovers that Copeillia is not in fact a Living girl but a human size doll to so she puts on her clothes and sits where the doll is. When Doctor Copelius comes home a little worse for wear Swanilda starts dancing and Doctor Copeillius thinks his doll has come to life. He finds out eventually she has tricked him and is very angry.
In the Second half Franz apologises to Swanilda for flirting with a doll and Swanilda accepts and they get married. Doctor Copeillius is given money as an apology for all the troubles caused and every one is happy. They then have the wedding celebration and dedication of the town centre bell.
Weddings in real life are usually just dancing round the floor. In ballets as you know it means the man doing jumps and turns and the woman doing 32 spins as first done by the Italian ballerina Perni Legnani followed by Mathilde Keshinska the only two Prima Ballerina Asolutas in the entire 250 year history of the Kirov Ballet. This title was originally awarded by the Russian Tsars to the very best ballerinas.
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Of course she was great but when any ballerina does this to me then its wow time. Larissa Lezhina is my fav and she does it in Nutcracker.
from Felix Yousuupov cousin of Nicholas second Last tsar of Russia.
"Diaghilev was then in town with the Russian ballet; Pavlova, Karsavina and Nijinsky were having a triumphant season at Covent Garden. I knew most of these artists, but I was particularly fond of Anna Pavlova. I had seen her in St. Petersburg, but I was then too young really to appreciate her. When I saw her in London in The Swan, she moved me profoundly. I forgot Oxford, my studies and my friends. Night and day, I could think of nothing but the ethereal being who held whole audiences under her spell, fascinated by the quivering of the swan's snow-white feathers on which a huge ruby blazed like a great drop of blood. In my eyes, Anna Pavlova was not just a great artist and as beautiful as an angel: she brought the world a message from Heaven! She lived in Hampstead at Ivy House, a charming place, and I often went to see her there. She had a genius for friendship, which she rightly held to be the noblest of all sentiments. She gave me more than one proof of this during the years when I was lucky enough to see her often. She knew me inside out: "You have God in one eye and the devil in the other," she used to say to me sometimes."
