The evening was spent in an isolated bar that looked more like a beautiful abandoned villa, right in the heart of Bucharest. The décor was a rustic vintage feel; ripped floral wallpaper on the walls in olive colours, what looked like Turkish rugs, and bell lamps that created a very cosy atmosphere for their people enjoying their drink. From a casual night of laughter, the night had unconsciously evolved to a stream of deep conversation over the topic of the arts somehow.
Mind mapping my way through the conversation this morning (hope I haven't forgotten anything important), I discovered many things, not dance related necessarily but some real eye opening issues that have caught my attention and would love to get more into throughout the course of my studies.
Some questions that were raised on the table were about the quality of performances taking place in big ballet companies at the moment. How much is it of an artistic attribute and how much of a crowd attraction? - What the person who whom I was having this talk with called it 'Ballet Tinsel'. How far are we going out of tradition in order to fit in the times we live in? Is tradition losing its value, or are we simply progressing to the future of dance?
It is unavoidable that a ballet will not look the same as the original version created, since the same production can be performed for years after. Times change and so do the dancers and productions to fit in the present and attract the audience. There is a fine line in sustaining the tradition and evolving with the times. Your market in performing arts is your audience, so a company would have to adapt and fit in with what the audience wants to see. As long as that doesn't have an negative affect on the quality of productions by producing 'Ballet Tinsel'.
As a passionate person of the arts, I am all for the arts moving forward and developing, as I have mentioned in previous blogs. However, I am also a strong believer of recognising the roots and the history behind the art. And when I see a recreated ballet being stretched and altered so much from what the original that it becomes unrecognisable it takes me some time to decide what to think about it. I am talking both on the artistc side and production of a ballet. Naturally, the dancers' technique has really developed throughout the generations. A greater awareness is given to correct placement and use of leg work due to the knowledge in training accessible nowadays. There is a safer in training benefiting the dancers in having a long career. Professional dancers now are generally more flexible, more technically correct, have stronger and leaner bodies (because of alternative exercise and awareness of good nutrition which are encouraged usually). So that is already a change, and as a result, the ballet is bound to look different from what it used to be in the 19th century for example. That is development! One of my wonders tough is if this focus on strong physique and technique taking away from the artistry and style of the ballet? Are we forgetting about the roots, the purity of dance? The history?
The issue had been brought up by a comparison from a person in the table, leading to an interesting observation; Taking example the controversy of taking down the Statue of Cecil Rhodes in Oxford University (April 2015). Not knowing much about the history, I researched about his actions and dominant role in South Africa in discrimination. A big debate and poll took place to take his statue down, since it represented controversial and inexcusable ideas. However, others believed that 'the battle isn't won by taking the statue away and pretending those people don't exist'. These people saw that it was an 'important reminder of the complexity of history and of the legacies of colonialism felt today.' (references bellow) ...This brings be back to our observation. By drifting away from the traditions in dance, are we forgetting about the history?
Leading me to my next question...Can we bring awareness to the issue? What can we do to sustain the value of the history, and origins of dance?
>>The one thing we can do is to expand the exposure and to share the knowledge with the people. We can do this from a young age by introducing occasional trips not just to museums but also galleries and the theatre. This way, you are giving the youth the option and the opportunity to discover a part of their personalities they perhaps were not aware of. The are not making blind conclusions about the art, but instead they are building their knowledge through their own view point. This way we can sustain the importance that origin and history plays in arts.
>>Perhaps lowering prices to an affordable amount for students going the theatre. Therefore, the theatre is not excluding a vital community involved in the future of performing arts.
Creating an awareness about this is the first step. I would be very interested to hear your ideas on this!
(Methods of Reflective Writing -Task 2b - I have used writing this are Description, List, Mind Mapping Evaluation and through asking myself questions! I found myself discovering so many dimensions that I could expand my thoughts in!)
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http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32131829
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jan/28/cecil-rhodes-statue-will-not-be-removed--oxford-university
Leading me to my next question...Can we bring awareness to the issue? What can we do to sustain the value of the history, and origins of dance?
>>The one thing we can do is to expand the exposure and to share the knowledge with the people. We can do this from a young age by introducing occasional trips not just to museums but also galleries and the theatre. This way, you are giving the youth the option and the opportunity to discover a part of their personalities they perhaps were not aware of. The are not making blind conclusions about the art, but instead they are building their knowledge through their own view point. This way we can sustain the importance that origin and history plays in arts.
>>Perhaps lowering prices to an affordable amount for students going the theatre. Therefore, the theatre is not excluding a vital community involved in the future of performing arts.
Creating an awareness about this is the first step. I would be very interested to hear your ideas on this!
(Methods of Reflective Writing -Task 2b - I have used writing this are Description, List, Mind Mapping Evaluation and through asking myself questions! I found myself discovering so many dimensions that I could expand my thoughts in!)
..........................................................................
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32131829
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jan/28/cecil-rhodes-statue-will-not-be-removed--oxford-university
Thanks for sharing you holiday and the conversation about the arts - good questions about the arts and the times - the role of the avant garde and how is it interpreted today - "And when I see a recreated ballet being stretched and altered so much from what the original that it becomes unrecognisable it takes me some time to decide what to think about it." and how this relates to Ballet Tinsel?"Your market in performing arts is your audience, so a company would have to adapt and fit in with what the audience wants to see." new- mainstream- popular- trends - and educated audience? and arts creation for our generations... how do we know when something is different in a good way - do we rely on the art critics anymore or the audience?
ReplyDeleteHi Taz, I found this a really interesting read so thank you! I think we have similar situations in musical theatre. Some musicals that I consider to be classics have changed or 'updated' their choreography but why? Times change, people change but something was obviously working for it to become a classic. I remember a discussion I had with a resident choreographer at work about updating choreography for a show I was involved in. Their view was, 'it's worked for this many years, why would we change it?' - a view I agree with. I think the development of technology has changed a lot of things and has certainly developed aspects such as special effects, set design etc which in turn modernises several productions. It would be interesting to think about the theatre and its use for escapism, for both the audience and the artists. The theatre is a place in which people can escape their everyday lives including the avid use of computers etc so surely keeping shows in their traditional state is a good thing? I do feel that we can loose the artistry of the performers as some shows become more of a spectacle nowadays.
ReplyDeleteI also think Paula's question 'how do we know when something is different in a good way?' is really interesting. It's similar to discussing how do we know if someone is talented or not? A question a close friend approached me with during his uni assignments. There are elements of the performer i.e. Technique which demonstrate talent however the artistry, musicality and other elements are surely down to opinion. If the same casting director cast every show and everyone had the same opinion, no one else would ever get a job and alternative, new shows that keep the industry kicking would never get a chance. 'Do we rely on the art critics anymore or the audience?' Theses days celebrity figures are used, particularly in pantomimes, to draw in the modern day audience. That's what often draws in the public and helps ticket sales. It also means that if a show receives a bad review, chances are that a lot of people will still go to see it because of this person. I think critic reviews are still acknowledged and taken into consideration, but audiences can appreciate that we all have differing opinions and if it interests us, we'll still go to see it. We may not 'know' if something is different in a good way but ultimately it is the audience we are hoping to affect by our performances and art, their reaction in the form of applause, feedback, standing ovations etc is definitely a good indicator I think. Cheers guys!
ReplyDeleteThank you Megan and Paula! Great observations made! The way a performance sells and is appreciated because of mainstream ideals or the quality/ popularity is something that has been baffling be for a while now. As you said Megan, a lot of it is down to opinion at the end of the day, just like any form of art or literature, but I believe how a work sells has a big role to play on overall. Perhaps it has to do a lot with business. How long in the future the work will be appreciate for , will speak for the quality and the entertainment it provides. Will that ballet/musical theatre performance/ opera be seen as outdated eventually? Until it is missed (example of Cats in the West End-now performed worldwide in different languages) I guess this is a work in process which leaves the audience and the ticket sales to judge the future of a performance’s lifespan!
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