The Reforms of Michel Fokine Essay -- essays research papers

The Reforms of Michel FokinePhotography, painting, videography, and literature have all progressed over fourth dimension. New technology, and pertly ways of thinking have brought these guiles to new levels. thereseems to be a broad misconception, though, that concert dance is an art form that does notprogress does not change. Many people assume that ballets post vocabulary of movementplaces limitations on how far the art can expand. Little do many people realize that thisvocabulary is a mere entry for the myriad of interpretations that the art went and willcontinue to go in. Michel Fokine is one revolutionary ballet choreographers, whosereforms have taken this previously monotonous art to a new level. Fokines ideas were revolutionary for his period, but ironically made perfect sense. He believed that all of the elements in a ballet should be parallel. In other words, hethought that the music, costuming, makeup, movements, and sets should all reflect thesame culture and time p eriod of the ballet. During this time in ballet there were oftenincongruencies. For example, there would be Russian music, and pointe shoes in a balletthat supposedly was based on a foreign medieval culture. Fokine was extremely andconsciously consistent in his works. Fokine explains, The ballet should be staged inconformity with the epoch represented. Fokine sets his 1911 ballet, Petrouchka, in Russia. The first scene is a street fair,which Fokine sets appropriately. He is sure to make the costumes realistic of that timeand place. Rather than dressing the dancers in tutus and leotards, they wear dresses that are brightly colored and long. They are bundled up appropriately in many colorful layers,considering the chilling temperatures of Russian winters. They also do not wear pointe Atkins 2shoes with long laces, but instead high heel character shoes that were typical of the timeperiod. Fokine also successfully creates personalities for the three dolls, partly by theircostumes. Petro uchka, who is a forlorn rag doll, wears a thin suit that is as lifeless andlimp as his personality. The costume and makeup is effective in showing his lack ofmotivation and sadness. The Moor doll on the other hand, who is a very bold and visionarycharacter is seen in dress that corres... ...ure to not let the music dictate the dance, as many artists before him haddone. In his Memoirs of a Ballet Master, he wrote The choreography for a pas de deuxI performed with Anna Pavlova we mostly staged ourselves . . . We did whatever we feltwe could do best, (Fokine quoted in Cass). This superficial movement was completelyagainst what Fokine believed in. Movement that did not contribute to the purpose and patch af the piece was useless. Due to his intense focus on his intent, he successfully gavethe music, choreography, costumes, and sets equal importance and relevance to the entirecreation. Fokines exceptional dedication to his art is quite obvious. It is simply seenthorough his opinion of applause, that his focus is his art, more than any recognition hemay get for it. While most artists would bask in the glory of each set of applause, Fokinedespised it, except at completely appropriate times. He believed that to move on fromtradition, one must be soundly trained in that technique, which he was. His manydaring reforms truly opened the world of ballet up to new possibilities, while not straying excessively far from traditional technique.