Diaghilev's Ballet Russes

Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes were seen to be the bridge between the Classical
Ballet and the beginnings of Modernism in dance. What do you think were some of
the reasons for this? Please answer the question by giving a few specific examples
found in the reading.
Diaghilev, a renaissance man of his time, was the main name that presided over the
Ballet Russes company. A Russian arts critic and art lover who collaborated with many
artists of the era; painters, designers, musicians, composers etc. Ballet Russes sought to
experiment with new forms of art which were emerging at the time. Diaghilev worked
with (or rather, collected) renowned artists of the time such as Picasso and Matisse, as
well as composers like Prokofiev and Stravinsky. These artists pushed boundaries,
discovered uncharted territories of music and art, and pulled away from realism whilst
embracing the simplistic styles of art as well as the surreal and grotesque.
Dance was no different. It was also evolving in this respect. Diaghilev wanted to extend
the expressive possibilities of classical ballet with innovative movement. It was a period
of vast transition in the arts. It saw the rise of various art movements such as cubism,
primitivism, symbolism and futurism, to mention a few. The Ballet Russes, therefore, was
the progenitor of modern ballet. Nijinski carried forward modernism, Massine; futurism,
Nijinska; constructivism and Balanchine; Modernism. Having said this, the Ballet Russes
kept classical ballet in its roots and never forgot its heritage.
Ballet Russes was born shortly after the retirement of Marius Petipa from the Russian
Imperial Theatre. Until the end of Petipa’s rein on classical dance, ballet always seemed
to depict an ideal world, almost supernatural, in a sense. There was an obsession with the
irrational and the exotic. It was a means for the populace to sit at the theatre and escape
from the world around them via the utopian worlds that were being depicted in these
romantic ballets. The Ballet Russes, however, sought to depict the realities around it, to
express the subjective vision of their world. It reflected the social composition of its
audience, depicted people from all walks of life, and embraced political and artistic
revolutions. This turned ballet’s subject matter from idyllic and peaceful to somewhat
macabre and unsettling.
Classical ballet was the epitome of poise and elegance. Female dancers on their pointes,
almost like nymphs floating on the stage, doing things hitherto undreamt of by the lay
person. Their bodies encased in corsets and tight fitting boned bodices allowed for
minimal upper body movement. It encouraged static groups and poses that depicted
ideal and beautiful scenes as beautiful and aurally pleasing music was played in the
background.
In Diaghilev’s ballets, however, we see a total diversion from traditional ballet. In the Rite
of Spring, for instance, we see a frenzy of macabre and contorted movement married
with unsettling and dissonant music. We see turned in feet, jumps with bent legs, free
arms that don’t conform to traditional port de bras forms. A journalist called these
movements “jerky gestures of prehistoric automans”. The ballets depicted anything but
the graceful movement within idyllic scenes of traditional ballet. It seems almost
inevitable that Diaghilev’s legacy would continue with the pioneers of modern dance.
Diaghilev’s ballets, in this regard, certainly paved the way for dancers like Isadora
Duncan, who moved and jumped in the space freely with turned in feet, free arm
movement, and torso liberated of tight corsets, allowing it to do much more than simply
tilt forward. Costumes played a large role in the modernization of dance in Diaghilev’s
ballets. He made away with tight corsets and bonified costumes altogether. As they were
eliminated, so was the need for the torso to remain still. In fact, we see many distorted
and ‘bent double’ movements which would have been impossible with the costumes of
their predecessors.
Diaghilev completely revolutionized the world of ballet in his time. He provided a healthy
break away from traditional ballet, that completely shook audiences around Europe, and
eventually the Americas. He represented everything that was exciting in theatre, fashion
and painting at the time. His influence on future artists, namely dancers and
choreographers, is inevitable, given the popularity and innovativeness of his company.
Without him, for instance, companies like Royal ballet, American Ballet Theatre and the
Paris Opera would not have come to be the way that they are now. It is even noteworthy
to point out that after his death, many of his dancers and choreographers went on to
form their own dance companies, allowing his legacy to continue for future generations
of dancers, choreographers and audiences to come.

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Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes were seen to be the bridge between the Classical

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