Ballet as Ideology: Giselle, Act 2

Evan Alderson

Presented by: Michelle dePozsgay

Edited by Laura Pratt and Dr. Kay Picart

Aims

• To understand how art functions in society

• To understand how ideology is projected through aesthetic value in Giselle

• To explore the connection between Balanchine’s ballerina and the incidence of Anorexia

Key Terms

• What is IDEOLOGY:____________________________________________________________________________________________

Key Terms

• What is ROMANTICISM: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Key Terms

• What is the BOURGEOISIE:_________________________________________________________________________________________

Ballet Terms

• ADAGIO:____________________________________• ATTITUDE:

_____________________________________________

• BALLET BLANC: _______________________________• RONDS DE JAMBE: ____________________________• POINTES: ____________________________________

Theophile Gautier

1811 – 1872Libretto for

Giselle

“More than one eye which thought it was seeing only ronds de jambe and pointes found to its surprise its vision

obscured by a tear- whichdoes not often happen in ballet.” (123)

GiselleCHARACTERS:• GISELLE:___________________• ALBRECHT: ________________• HILLARION: ________________• PRINCESS BATHILDE:

___________________________• THE WILIS:

______________________________________________________

• QUEEN MYRTHA: ___________________________

GisellePLOT:• ACT1:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• ACT2: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alderson’s Giselle experience

• Second Act adagio, Giselle en attitude: “...Evelyn Hart’s virtuosity, the forms of grace given in ballet, the unfolding story, the music and the décor all seemed to become one thing. Criticism fell away; I was for that time seized by beauty.” (123)

Alderson’s Giselle Experience

• Act 1: _____________• Act 2: _____________

– ______________________________

FEMININE POWER: Act 2

The Wilis’ great revenge– ___________________________________

___________________________________– ___________________________________

___________________________________

Giselle’s forgiveness• _________________________________

The Bourgeoisie

• Gautier claimed to despise the bourgeoisie: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Center of social value: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Bourgeoisie

• Bourgeois values embedded in Giselle– “MASK:”

________________________________________________________________________

– “VEIL:” ________________________________________________________________________

Though he vows to oppose the “intolerable world of the bourgeoisie,” he has instead

become its ideologist. (127)

Maria Taglioni

• sexuality and chastity• first and foremost ballerina of the Romantic period• father, Fillipo Taglioni created La Sylphide for her

Taglioni

• Gautier, “The dancer for women”• ______________________________________

______________________________________• ______________________________________

______________________________________• ______________________________________

______________________________________• ______________________________________

______________________________________

More Key Terms

• ANOREXIA NERVOSA: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• ANORECTIC: ____________________________________________________________________

Balanchine

• “Ballet is woman” (129)• “Man is a better cook, a better painter, a better

musician, composer…Man is stronger, faster…And woman accepts this, It is her business to accept. She knows what is beautiful.” (129)

Balanchine and Anorexia

“The man who defeminized women”

• ___ percent of female ballet students are anorectics (130)

• Ballet training and Anorexia: ____________________________________________________________________

• ___________ sexuality

Balanchine and Anorexia

• “The anorectic pursues, with a vengeance, a particular ideal of feminine beauty.” (130)

• The ballerina invites women to embody her same image.

• “Anorexia is a cultural invasion of the body.” (130)

Ideology, Aesthetics, and Dance

• AESTHETICS: ____________________________________________________________________

• IDEOLOGY: ____________________________________________________________________________

• THE CONNECTION: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Works Cited• Alderson, Evan. “Ballet as Ideology: Giselle, Act 2.” Meaning in Motion. Ed. Jane

Desmond. Durham: Duke University Press, 1997. 121-131• McKenzie, Kevin. “Ballet Dictionary.” American Ballet Theater. Ballet Theater

Foundation, Inc. 2003. 22 Mar 2005. http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/index.html

• Shomler, Bob. “Giselle Act 2.” 1994. http://www.shomler.com/dance/giselle/• “Taglioni, Maria,” “Anorexia Nervosa.” Columbia Encyclopedia, sixth edition.

Highbeam Research, Inc 2005. 22 Mar 2005. http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/T/Taglioni.asp

• Garland, Kevin. “La Sylphide Note.” The National Ballet of Canada. 22 Mar 2005.

http://www.national.ballet.ca/Performances/Seasons/2005fall/sylphideNote.php• Hugo, Victor. “Theophile Gautier.” 22 Mar 2005

http://www.victorhugo2002.culture.fr/culture/celebrations/hugo/fr/contpg4.htm• Croatian National Theater, Multimedia. “Giselle.” 2004. 22 Mar 2005.

<http://www.hnk.hr/en/novosti.php>