Posted
on March 2, 2016
I
am a bit surprised that the first ballet in Britain was in the 1700s.
After all, ballet developed as a kind of performance dance in Italy
in the 1400s and as a form of concert dance in France and Russia in
the mid-1500s and 1600s. It seems surprising that it took centuries
for the art form to reach Britain!
Apparently,
most classical ballet up to and in the early 1700s lacked any sort of
story. English choreographer John Weaver not only wanted to bring
ballet to his nation but wanted to bring drama to ballet. He created
a ballet based on a play, which in turn was inspired by Greek
mythology; both the play and the ballet were called The Loves of
Mars and Venus.
 |
| Drury Lane Theatre |
Weaver
attempted to portray the plot and the emotions of the play through
dance – through movement, pantomime, etc. Nobody spoke lines;
nobody even sang lines.
The
ballet was popular enough to inspire a parody version by an
influential producer.
On
this date in 1717, The Loves of Mars and Venus premiered in Drury
Lane Theatre in London.
Ballets
that tell stories are so common now, I think of ballets that do NOT
do so as experimental, but back in 1717, Weaver was the one doing the
experimentation!
- Wood TV tells how the Grand Rapids Ballet company tells stories – here about a World War II hero, and there about Beethoven.
- ArtsEdge has a lesson about how to tell a story through movement, and SEDL offers another, similar three-session lesson.
Also
on this date:
Plan
ahead:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
it have brilliant article said to be March 2 First Ballet in Britain. thanks for share share this useful ballet info.
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