University of Washington - DANCE 101Dance 101 Lesson 3 Study Guide.

Lesson 3 Study Guide 3.1 Ballet Russes The beginning of this film focuses primarily on Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo and the company’s work in Europe. While this is not immediately connected to our concern about dance ...

Lesson 3 Study Guide 3.1 Ballet Russes The beginning of this film focuses primarily on Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo and the company’s work in Europe. While this is not immediately connected to our concern about dance and the American experience, the early work in Europe provides a foundation for us to understand when and how ballet became popular in America, and how ballet, which was considered Russian, was altered and ultimately Americanized. 3.1.1 Why do you think Russian mothers were so insistent on sending their daughters to ballet classes even as refugees? Consider how Russian ballet and Russian culture might be linked. There were a lot of Russian immigrants in Paris and the founder or the person who created the dance of ballet was Russian. A lot of Russian mother sent their daughters to do ballet because of cultural background of the dance, which founded by Russian immigrants. 3.1.2 Who were a few of the artists who collaborated with Diaghelev in the original Ballet Russes. Dame Alicia Markova, Igor Stravinsky, and Claude Debussy 3.1.3 Why did people think that ballet died when Diaghelev died? Because he was the one who created or the first person who thought the idea of Ballet Russes, such as the design and the glamorous of ballet. 3.1.4 After Diaghilev, the Ballet Russes splits up into two companies with several different leaders. Use this space to help you keep track of the producers of Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo and the 5 choreographers vying for center stage.
 In Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo; focus on design and costume and used Diaghelev's choreographies. The other choreographies were based on new concepts, such as male dancers and fast dance. 3.1.5 Why was Balanchine pushed out of Ballet Russes in 1933? Who replaced him? There was "great depression" happened, so all ballets companies went bankrupt. 3.1.6 It is claimed that for Balanchine, “ballet was woman.” What does this mean? Expressing women's beauty from the design and costumes. 3.1.7 In what year was the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo’s first American tour? How long had it been since the original Ballet Russes had been in America?
 In 1916, it is been for 98 years in America since the first time Diaghelev introduced ballet to Americans. 3.1.8 In 1939, why did dancers from both companies, The Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo and The Original Ballet Russes, come to America? They had to performed in New York with both of the companies shared dancers. https://www.coursehero.com/file/27808222/Dance-101-Lesson-3-Study-Guidepdf/ This study resource was shared via CourseHero.com3.1.9 What was America’s response to the tours of the two ballet companies? How did they survive the war years in America? It was a failure in America, specially in New York because netizens felt that ballet was tiring and was not that interesting. Both companies had difficulty to survive and they went bankrupt due to loss revenues from the perform concerts and low interest from audience in the States. 3.1.10 In the 40’s after a series of failed ballets, Massine was ousted from his position as Artistic Director and Choreographer, who replaced him? Agnes De Mille 3.1.11 Why was she an appropriate choice? What did the Russians think of her? Because she is American, which represents Americans dance figures. The Russian think negatively about her choreography. 3.1.12 How was Balanchine’s vision for Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo different than the company was used to? Because it represents male dancers as the main focus. 3.1.13 What does Franklin mean when he says of Balanchine’s ballets, “we were nothing?” Because ballet at that time represent women's beauty, which male dancers only became a supported dancers. 3.1.14 What does Choteau mean when she explains that, in Balanchine’s work: the steps will show what he wanted to show? It is explain that Balanchine's work were structural step by step which describe creative structure of ballet. 3.1.15 In 1947, Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein started the company named Ballet Society which eventually became New York City Ballet. 3.1.16 Why was Raven Wilkinson discouraged from being in a classical ballet company? Why did she leave Ballet Russes?
 Wilkinson was the first African American ballerina at that time, she got accepeted to the company in the condition to hide her identity. The company discourage her from being in classical ballet because of her race background, which does not represent Western ballet. She left the company because the company fired her, due to her identity being publized. 3.1.17 Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo toured relentlessly across the nation and appeared in films and on Broadway. Although early modern dancers also toured, it was never to the same extent, and modern dance was never fully embraced by Hollywood or Broadway. How do you think this affected American’s perceptions of ballet? Because American's do not think it is a dance that represent American's identity, due to the origin of ballet. This becomes a problem because most of ballet dancers are Russian which represents non American's culture.