Neoclassical ballet
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Neoclassical ballet is a term describing the ballet style which uses traditional ballet vocabulary, but is generally more expansive than the classical structure allowed. For example, dancers often dance at more extreme tempos and perform more technical feats. Spacing in neoclassical ballet is usually more modern or complex than in classical ballet. Although organization in neoclassical ballet is more varied, the focus on structure is a defining characteristic of neoclassical ballet.
It is style of 20th century classical ballet exemplified by the works of George Balanchine. It draws on the advanced technique of 19th century Russian Imperial dance, but strips it of its detailed narrative and heavy theatrical setting. What is left is the dance itself, sophisticated but sleekly modern, retaining the pointe shoe aesthetic, but eschewing the well upholstered drama and mime of the full length story ballet.
Tim Scholl, author of From Petipa to Balanchine, considers George Balanchine's Apollo in 1928 to be the first neoclassical ballet. Apollo represented a return to form in response to Serge Diaghilev's abstract ballets.
[edit] Significant People and Work
Although much of Balanchine's work epitomized the genre, British choreographers Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan were also great neoclassical choreographers.
- George Balanchine
- Frederick Ashton
- Symphonic Variations 1946
- Cinderella 1948
- Romeo and Juliet 1956
- La Fille Mal Gardee 1960
- The Dream 1964
- Kenneth MacMillan
- Romeo and Juliet 1955
- Anastasia 1967
- Manon 1974
- Jerome Robbins
