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Research into the Characteristics of Classicism present in Opera Ballet - Focusing on「 Temple of Glory」-

ji-won Lee 1

1이화여자대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The Arts has been revered and accepted in France, claiming the era of Enlightenment and Baroque as Classicism. This research commenced on the query that while other art forms of the 17^(th) and 18^(th) century were referred to as Classicism, it was not until the 19^(th) century that Classicism appeared in the history of dance. Therefore, the classicism presented in opera ballet, which had a flourishing foundation will be discussed in length. The first approach will be whether any factors that can be considered as Classicism in terms of the Arts arose in dance of that era. Many historians and philosophers emphasized ‘returning to the Ancient Greek; thus, stressed emulating nature, respecting rules and order under the rationality of mankind, and volunteering as a game of the upper class upon form and organization’. These factors are identifiable as a commonality in early history of opera ballet. Ballet, after the 17^(th) century, was strictly educated and controlled under the name of tradition when the France royal ballet academy was built. Accordingly, order and form was thoroughly obeyed in organizing movement. Content also held an ideal for Classicism. In 「Temple of Glory」, it includes heroes reflecting classic preferences, and dramatic themes on gods and myth, while movement was composed with a ideal portrayal of mankind by imitating nature which is comparable to Greek statues. By applying the statues’ pose and proportion onto the dancer’s body, the Greek’s tendency toward imitating nature could be reflected. Also a dual structure of ‘top’ and ‘bottom’, which was the Academy’s official aesthetic norm, was applied and followed under strict control. Thus, deducing from the origins of the Ancient Greeks, Classicism was formed in the Enlightenment, and later these accomplishments came to form the universality of ballet. In brief, the Classic context of ballet history is summarized in the table below. Considering the 17^(th) century, when the Royal dance academy was formed, as the Classicism origin, the 18^(th) century, when all became specialized and accommodated, comprises Classicism, and what formed in Russia comprises not Classicism but New Classicism. The historic context of ballet should be examined in these terms. The concept of Classicism, in reality, includes a wide scope of problems and specific queries. However, it is anticipated that based on fundamental research on early ballet, a comprehensive and diverse approach can invigorate further discussions on Classicism research.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.