For the second catalogue of materials from the John Milton and Ruth Neils Ward Collection of the Harvard Theatre Collection, Professor John Milton Ward has selected over 2,100 items relating to Italian ballet from the seventeenth through the twentieth century. Italian Ballet, 1637-1977 includes published materials (printed scores, librettos, treatises on ballet) as well as hundreds of manuscript scores (many autograph), letters, contracts, choreographic notes, and costume and set designs. Like its predecessor The King's Theatre Collection, Italian Ballet, 1637-1977 was designed to be a useful scholarly resource, with descriptive citations for each ballet and detailed indexes for titles, choreographers, composers, and theaters. Arranged chronologically, Italian Ballet, 1637-1977 allows the researcher to follow the development of Italian ballet from unnamed comic dances performed between the acts of eighteenth-century opera to the large-scale nineteenth-century ballets choreographed by Antonio Pallerini and Luigi Manzotti. The catalogue is meant not only as a reference to the collection at Harvard, but also as an entryway for scholars to delve into this unexplored area of musicology and dance history.

On Technique provides a fascinating look into the careers and teaching philosophies of eighteen of the world's most respected ballet masters, principals, and artistic directors. Author Dean Speer sat down with prominent ballet pedagogues and asked each a standard set of questions, including 'What do we mean when we say someone has beautiful technique?' and 'How did you become a dancer?'. Featuring such artists as Peter Boal (artistic director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet) and Bene Arnold (first ballet mistress of the San Francisco Ballet), this volume offers fascinating insights into the nature of both performance and artistic instruction. Speer's approach reveals sometimes surprising convergences among these world-class talents, despite their varying pedagogical backgrounds and divisions.

JOS RAFAEL VILAR VIAJE A TRAV S DE LA HISTORIA DE LA DANZA Este peque o libro surgi de la falta de un texto, accesible y en castellano, para que mis alumnos de historia de la danza pudieran ampliar sus conocimientos, por lo que ste podr servir a muchos lectores, artistas en formaci n o profesionales o s lo ne fitos con inter?'s en este hermoso arte, para conocer y disfrutarlo mejor, porque cuando se conoce de d nde surge una obra o c mo era su entorno, se la disfruta mejor. La danza es un arte que est siempre presente en nuestras vidas, desde las cuevas en la comunidad primitiva, y ha estado indisolublemente ligada a cada etapa de la historia, ya sea como danzas religiosas, de sal n o de escena o, sencillamente l dricas. En este libro viajaremos por sus or genes en la prehistoria, cuando el gesto y la necesidad de comunicarnos se unieron; conocerernos la danza m gica y "Los Misterios"; recorreremos el Renacimiento y los bailes de sal n; pasearemos por el barroco hasta llegar al Ballet comique de la Reine; encontraremos a Noverre y Angiolini; llegaremos con La filie mal gard e al Romanticismo y seguiremos con Giselle, ou Les willis; iremos a Rusia con el Clacisismo y Petipa y Tschaikovsky, disfrutando de El lago de los cisnes y Don Quixote; despu s, asistiremos a la revoluci n de Diaghilev-Fokin-Nijinsky-Stravinsky y admiraremos Petrushka y La consagraci n de la primavera y conoceremos las distintas escuelas; y concluiremos nuestro viaje en las danzas moderna y contempor nea. Este libro es escrito para Ud., para que disfrute la danza. Es mi mejor deseo.

A richly interdisciplinary study of Strauss's contributions to ballet, his collaboration with prominent dance artists of his time, and his explorations of musical modernism. Richard Strauss contributed music to several ballets during his career, collaborating with prominent dance artists of his time. His ballets include an unfinished Die Insel Kythere (The Island of Cythera), 1900], inspired by French Rococo paintings; Josephslegende (The Legend of Joseph, 1914), choreographed by Leonide Massine for the Ballets Russes; a 1923 Ballettsoiree with dances by Heinrich Kroeller, showcasing the Vienna Ballet and including Strauss's arrangements of music by Francois Couperin; Schlagobers (Whipped Cream, 1924), a "Comic Viennese Ballet" choreographed by Kroeller; and Verklungene Feste: Tanzvisionen aus Zwei Jahrhunderten (Faded Celebrations: Dance Visions from Two Centuries, 1941), premiered in Munich with meta-historical dances by the dancer-choreographer team Pia and Pino Mlakar. In The Ballet Collaborations of Richard Strauss, Heisler considers Strauss's ballet scores alongside story, mise-en-scene, and choreography, revealing Strauss's shift from a parodic conception of classical dance in the years leading up to World War I to a belatedobsession with Romantic-era ballet in its aftermath. Heisler explores issues central to Strauss's relationship to modernism: his mining in Die Insel Kythere (1900) of the decorative aspects of dance, suggesting a shared sensibility with fin-de-siecle Jugendstil and a critique of Romanticism; the dynamics of collective creation and Strauss's penchant for parody in relation to Josephslegende (1914); his stance on interwar cultural politics through the 1923 Ballettsoiree and Schlagobers (1924); and Verklungene Feste (1941) as this composer's autumnal meditation on the conceit of music and dance as vehicles for transcendence. The Ballet Collaborations of Richard Strauss is a richly interdisciplinary study that promises to nuance the popular, critical, and academic reception of this ever-popular composer. Wayne Heisler Jr. is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Historical and Cultural Studies in Music at The College of New Jersey.

The literature on Balanchine is vast, but it is primarily biographical. "Balanchine Variations "is the first book to concentrate on the ballets themselves, providing critical analysis and detailed descriptions of what the dancers actually do. Beginning with "Apollo" (1928), Balanchine's first extant work, and ending with one of his last ballets, "Ballo della Regina" (1978), Nancy Goldner offers detailed insights into more than twenty individual ballets. Based on lectures given across the United States, under the auspices of the Balanchine Foundation, they are intended to illuminate his art. Goldner discusses the history of each ballet, places each in the context of Balanchine's life and sensibility. She also addresses his taste in music and whether his style can be considered particularly American. The ballets Balanchine choreographed for the New York City Ballet are danced by companies around the world, and this innovative book is sure to become an indispensable guide to dancers and spectators alike.

Multi-disciplined artist Mihail Chemiakin's exquisitely drawn costume sketches, stage sets and production design come to life in this extraordinary record of the two-act ballet premiered in St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theater in 2005. Based on "The Story of a Hard Nut" from the Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann, "The Magic Nut" is a ballet conceived by artist Mihail Chemiakin as a prologue to "The Nutcracker" in which we learn how the Nutcracker comes to be. Here Chemiakin tells the story of The Nutcracker's origins creating a fairy tale with a cast of bird-people, sea monsters, satyrs, cats, jellyfish, and, of course, a whole society of rats. In this phantasmagorical interpretation of Hoffman's tale the audience discovers the kind and heroic qualities of young Drosselmeyer, fated to be turned into a Nutcracker for his virtuous deeds. The story contains many of the elements of the classic fairy tale but the anticipated happy ending is ultimately postponed - until the story continues in the Tchaikovsky ballet. The book leads the reader through the ballet, scene by scene, with detailed sketches of the sets, costumes, masks and props created for the production. A virtuoso of invention, of expression through color and unexpected interpretation, the work of Chemiakin could not be better fitted to fairytales. Humorous and engaging, the colorful drawings featured here will delight ballet fans, costume designers, students of theater and art lovers alike.

From Christiane Vaussard in Paris, to David Howard in New York City and Larisa Sklyanskaya in San Francisco, Gretchen Warren profiles ten world-renowned master ballet teachers to capture their philosophies, training methods and the classroom presence that makes their instruction magical. Based on extensive interviews and classroom observation, each profile is an entertaining and enlightening mix of personal anecdotes and details about teaching techniques, class content and organisation. Warren also includes a section of signature exercises drawn from each teacher. Because of the master teacher's diversity of styles and methods, as well as their occasional disputes with traditional wisdom, the book offers a brisk stimulant for reflecting on the values of developing and holding true to one's own style and beliefs. Warren combines her years of experience as a dancer and master ballet teacher and her engaging writing style to create a living history of 20th-century classical ballet training. Like their legions of students, readers should appreciate not only these teachers' philosophies, their endless curiosity and their devotion to ballet, but also what distinguishes them. As Warren observes, ""A great teacher, like a great chef, is a master at presentation, at making something - even something as painstakingly difficult as the study of classical ballet - so palatable that students swallow without hesitation. And do so joyfully!"".

In the history of twentieth-century ballet, no company has had so profound and far-reaching an influence as the Ballets Russes. Under the direction of impresario extraordinaire Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929), the Ballets Russes radically transformed the nature of ballet--its subject matter, movement idiom, choreographic style, stage space, music, scenic design, costume, even the dancer's physical appearance. From 1909 to 1929, it nurtured some of the greatest choreographers in dance history--Fokine, Nijinsky, Massine, and Balanchine--and created such classics as "Les Sylphides, Firebird, Petrouchka, L'Apres-midi d'un Faune, Les Noces," and "Apollo." Diaghilev brought together some of the leading artists of his time, including composers Stravinsky, Debussy, and Prokofiev; artists Picasso, Braque, and Matisse, and poets Hoffmansthal and Cocteau. "Diaghilev's Ballets Russes" is the most authoritative history of the company ever written and the first to examine it as a totality--its art, enterprise, and audience. Combining social and cultural history with illuminating discussions of dance, drama, music, art, economics, and public reception, Lynn Garafola paints an extraordinary portrait of the company that shaped ballet into what it is today.

Long out of print, the three beautiful volumes contained here offer the modern reader a rare opportunity to see Vaslav Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova, and Isadora Duncan through the eyes of their contemporaries and admirers, and to share the excitement they were causing at the height of their careers. Originally published in conjunction with the Ballet Society, founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, the books present essays, reviews, memoirs, photographs, and sketches, many of which are had to find elsewhere. These books are companions to the art of Nijinsky, Pavlova, and Duncan, providing insights that are essential for a complete picture of the dancers' achievements. Nijinsky: The six appreciations collected here illuminate Nijinsky's genius and character, and thirty pages of photographs portray his every move and gesture with singular fidelity. This book features Edwin Denby's famous essay, "Notes on Nijinsky Photographs," as well as an intimate account by Robert Edmond Jones of his collaboration with Nijinsky on "Til Eulenspiegel," the dancer's last work before the onset of madness. Pavlova: This volume captures the intangible personal qualities that made Anna Pavlova one of the most charismatic ballerinas of all time. An autobiographical sketch, "Pages of My Life," reveals her intense striving for perfection. Following this are excerpts from Carl Van Vechten's critique on Pavlova's performance at the Met,the first major study of the Russian dance in the United States. Finally, the brilliant commentary by poet Marianne Moore that accompanies photographs of Pavlova aids the reader to reconstruct the unique nature of Pavlova's style and technique. Isadora Duncan: The career of Isadora Duncan remains, fifty years after her death, one of the indestructible legends of the theatre. She is a beacon to women everywhere, to all American dancers, and especially to those who dance solo. Included here are the comments of Carl Van Vechten on the occasion of Isadora Duncan's first Carnegie Hall concert. John Martin analyzes her style and contribution to dancing. A poem by Gordon Braig and a memoir by Allan Ross Macdougall, who worked with Duncan, bring the incandescent Isadora to stunning life.

To many people, Lucia Chase (1897-1986) was the American Ballet Theatre, and her reign as the queen of American ballet lasted for more than four decades.It was Chase who brought Nureyev, Bujones, Kirkland, and eventually Baryshnikov to ABT. Under her leadership, the company worked with such legends as Agnes de Mille, Anthony Tudor, Jerome Robbins, and Twyla Tharp. Her drive, ambition, tenacity, and money kept the doors open even during the lean years.A dancer when the company made its debut in 1940, she was artistic director for an unprecedented thirty-five years, from 1945 to 1980. Over the course of her career, she received numerous honors and awards, including the U.S. Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Combining unique personal insights as Chase's son along with experience garnered from his own professional dance and administrative career, Alex Ewing offers the definitive story of one of the true pioneers in the world of American ballet.

Dancer Robert Barnett trained under legendary choreographer Bronislava Nijinska. His professional ballet career was launched when he joined the Colonel de Basil Original Ballet Russe company. In the late 1940s, when George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein formed the New York City Ballet, Barnett was among of the first generation of dancers. Under Balanchine's direction, he rose from corps de ballet to soloist. In 1958 he became principal dancer and associate artistic director of the Atlanta Ballet-the oldest continuously operating company in America-and served as artistic director for more than thirty years. He was head coach of the American delegation to the International Ballet Competitions in Varna, Bulgaria, in 1980, and in Moscow in 1981. Today he serves as a guest teacher and coach at schools and companies throughout the U.S., and remains remains active with Atlanta Ballet. Barnett's autobiography recounts the life of a dancer and director, offers insight on what is involved in pursuing a professional career in dance and provides a history of ballet in America from the early 1920s through 2018.

London during the Blitz was a time of hardship, heroism and hope. For Gillian Lynne - a budding ballerina - it was also a time of great change as she was evacuated from war-torn London to a crumbling mansion, where dance classes took place in the faded ballroom. Life was hard, but her talent and dedication shone through and an astonishing journey ensued, which saw Gillian dancing a triumphant debut in Swan Lake, performing in the West End with doodlebugs falling and touring a devastated Europe entertaining the troops. A Dancer in Wartime paints a vivid and moving picture of what life was really like during the hard years of the Blitz and brings to life a lost world.

A beautiful gift book packed with pictures from over twenty productions from the year 2017-18 at The Royal Ballet - a richly illustrated companion to The Royal Ballet company.

This addition to the Royal Ballet Yearbook series includes extra editorial features and exclusive behind-the-scenes content - in addition to the usual selection of beautiful ballet images. This lavish book opens with a Welcome note by Royal Ballet Director Kevin O'Hare, followed by the company's news and promotions. There follows numerous superb photographs of the 2017-18 Season, which included a tribute to choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, marking the 25th anniversary of his death. As well as featuring well-known starts such as Natalia Osipova, Lauren Cuthbertson and Steven McRae, it also includes images of newer members and visiting companies such as Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. Finally the Yearbook offers lively and informative articles, including an article on the company's history by Sarah Crompton. The addition of rehearsal shots and headshots of the entire company make this is a richly illustrated companion to The Royal Ballet, its history, repertory, dancers and staff.

The Royal Ballet Yearbook series is back, with extra editorial features and exclusive behind-the-scenes content - in addition to the usual selection of beautiful ballet images. Featuring lavish photographs of last Season's performances, a special preview of the new Season and lively and informative articles, The Royal Ballet 2016/17 is a richly illustrated companion to The Royal Ballet, its history, repertory, dancers and staff.

Over the years, methods of classical ballet instruction have been codified into a variety of canonical approaches. One of the most commonly taught systems is that of the French school. This thirty-three-week training manual parallels the presentation of basic steps, positions, and alignment that first-year, pre-professional students are taught. It fills a gap in existing instructional literature for teachers and students of the French school of classical ballet. Critical elements of placement and alignment are fully described with proper French terminology, and more than one hundred photographs illustrate key positions. Organised for ease of use with a syllabus, The French School of Classical Ballet presents poses and sequences in the order in which a ballet instructor would present them in a typical course-starting with the simplest positions and movements and building on them to gradually increase the level of difficulty. Weekly lesson plans, measurable goals, and an easy-to-follow progression make this a must-have instructional manual, as well as a practical tool for the serious student away from class. The French School of Classical Ballet serves as a blueprint for a complete beginning ballet curriculum or simply as a source of reference for certain steps, positions, or exercises that exemplify French ballet training.

Praise for Balanchine Variations "If you like Balanchine, you must read Nancy Goldner's Balanchine Variations. She has the best ear for music and dance musicality of any dance critic writing today."--Alastair Macaulay, New York Times "The book is modest and, at the same time, utterly self-assured. Anyone who cares about Balanchine should buy it immediately."--Joan Acocella, New Yorker "A remarkable new book. Immediately takes its place among the half-dozen or so essential books on George Balanchine."--Robert Gottlieb in the New York Review of Books In this deliciously evocative new volume, Nancy Goldner returns to offer in-depth discussions of twenty more of George Balanchine's ballets. As in the critically acclaimed Balanchine Variations, Goldner's focus is not on history or biography but on the dances themselves: the technique, the coordination with music, the storytelling, and the evolution of Balanchine's style. This encore performance features provocative and insightful descriptions and analyses of a group of works spanning forty years (1941-1981) and includes profiles of Ballet Imperial, Bugaku, Coppelia, Divertimento No. 15, La Valse, Symphony in C, and Union Jack, among many others. Inspiring, exquisite, and thought-provoking, More Balanchine Variations is both a delightful meditation on and an essential critical examination of some of the twentieth century's most extraordinary works of art. "Pure joy. Even more exciting and wonderfully imaginative than the author's previous volume, this collection of personal essays about some of George Balanchine's most beloved ballets takes a reader through deep levels of Balanchine's sensibility. Nancy Goldner illuminates the organization of the works, their construction on the level of dance technique and its coordination with music, and--most marvelous--the spooky and passionate stories embedded within their 'plotless' maneuvers."--Mindy Aloff, editor of Leaps in the Dark Nancy Goldner, author of Balanchine Variations, was a dance critic for the Christian Science Monitor, the Nation, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Dance News for twenty five years. BALANCHINE is a registered trademark of The George Balanchine Trust.

The only authorized biography about the creator of the renowned Russian ballet curriculum-for the first time in English. The first English edition of the only authorized biography of Agrippina Vaganova (1897-1951) was originally published in Russian in 1989. It tells the story of one of the most important dance teachers of the 20th century, who created a system of teaching ballet that spread throughout the former Soviet Union and beyond. Vaganova rose through the ranks to become a ballerina in the Imperial Ballet during the last days of Tsarist Russia. After the Revolution of 1917, she became a teacher and transformed the St. Petersburg/Leningrad School of Ballet into a premier institution. She also served as the artistic director of the Kirov Theater. Written by a direct eyewitness to many of the described incidents, someone who knew Vaganova intimately, the biography is a window into the personality and thinking of this great teacher. It vividly recounts the training and individual styles of such world-renowned ballerinas as Marina Semyonova, Natalia Dudinskaya, Galina Ulanova, and Tatiana Vecheslova, and it offers a unique insight into the world of classical ballet during the era of Tsarist Russia and the early Soviet years.

The average length of a professional dancer's career is 10 to 15 years. Similar to professional athletes, once the prime years of physical prowess have passed, retirement is inevitable. After retirement, there are still many years of adult life ahead for dancers. Making the transition to a new career is challenging to many. Motivated by her own career transition, author Nancy Upper interviewed former ballet dancers who have made successful transitions into new careers after they stopped performing. Part 1 of the book features interviews with individuals who remained in ballet-related careers. Part 2 discusses the experiences of four dancers who moved on to careers outside the field of dance. Part 3 focuses on former dancers who have used their non-dance careers to help dancers and to promote ballet awareness. Appendices provide information about marketable qualities dancers develop as a result of their training, career transition tips, transition resources and a graph mapping the transition process.