thumb|Scene from the ballet Swan Lake
A narrative ballet, also known as classical ballet or story ballet is a form of ballet that has a plot and characters. It is typically a production with full sets and costumes. It was an invention of the eighteenth century.
thumb|Scene from [[Cinderella, Pas de Deux]]
When performing a story ballet, it not only essential that dancers have good technique but that they have the ability to act. This is because in ballet there are no spoken words. It is the responsibility of the dancer to be able to use their movements and facial expressions to the communicate with the audience, or else the plot isn't properly conveyed. The ability to tell a story and how emotion without words is known as "classical mime", which plays an important role in ballet.
Narrative ballets are essential to a ballet company's repertoire, because they tend to generate the highest sales and bring families with children to see the ballet. People enjoy watching an art form where they are transformed into a different world. It's entertaining and exciting. Many newer narrative ballets are adapted from familiar stories or literature because they are recognizable to audiences. The Nutcracker is the story of how a young girl named Clara falls in love with a Nutcracker that magically comes to life and defeats an army of evil rats to save her life. Clara and the nutcracker then travel to the land of the sweets where Clara is introduced to the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, and beautiful Arabian Princesses, Russian Cossacks, French ballet dancers and even exotic flowers, who all dance in her honor. The ballet Romeo and Juliet follows the same story as the famous Shakespearean play it is based on, the only difference between the two being the medium used is dance rather than acting. Lastly, the ballet L'histoire de Manon follows the love story of Manon and Grieux and their search for love and fortune.
Other forms of ballet
While narrative ballet is easily the most well-known and appreciated form of ballet, there are many others that are important as well. There are considered to be four main styles of ballet: Classical, Neoclassical, Contemporary, and Romantic. Neoclassical ballet evolved from classical ballet, distinguishing itself for typically being abstract. The music of choice tends to be neoclassical as well, from musicians such as Roussel and Stravinsky. Contemporary ballet takes inspiration from classical ballet elements and adding modern techniques of jazz and other dance forms, and focuses more on athleticism and bigger and swifter tempos.
Creating narrative ballets in the 21st century
Christopher Wheeldon, composer of The Winter's Tale, states that in today's age, "Design and the use of technology are important tools in storytelling... such as the well integrated use of projection in his ballet 'Alice' and 'Winter's tale'". While we love the classics such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella, modern ballets should reflect the modern days changing technology. While classic ballets are interesting to the audience because of its unique plot and characters, it's a good idea to make minor tweak to the original work to hold the audiences' attention. This could mean adding a new character or making changes to a character's costume. However, any changes need to still reflect the original storyline. For example, costumes need to be appealing and reflect a character's personality. The lighting and staging needs to complement the storyline to keep it engaging.
Notable narrative ballets
- Swan Lake
- Giselle
- The Nutcracker
- Romeo and Juliet
- L'histoire de Manon
- Cinderella
- Sleeping Beauty
See also
- Ballet d'action
- Comic ballet
- List of ballets by title
- List of historical ballet characters
References
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