Ballet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ballet - Essay Example For instance in Swan Lake, an example of a classical ballet the choreography consists of movements that test and display the dancers’ skills in performing advanced ballet skills such as the pas de deux, multiple turns, extended balances and intricate footwork (128). Whereas classical ballet focuses more on the skills in technique execution by the dancers, romantic ballet gives greater emphasis on expressing emotions through dance, while still maintaining the execution of technique aspect (123). It is also relatively more recent that classical ballet, since aside from the increase in male dancers in the repertoire the themes in most romantic ballet gravitate around mythical stories or legends with fantastic or romantic elements (127). Also, romantic ballet productions are relatively more lavish compared to classical ballet, wherein not only do dancers need to be graceful and skilled, but are also required to be very expressive and have powerful acting abilities. One example of a ballet production that requires the female dancers to have all of these skills is Giselle. In the ballet’s choreography, the prima ballerina playing as Giselle as well as the other ballerinas must be skilled enough to maintain flexibility in performing both the roles of the light and dark swans, shifting from innocent to mature in each act (127). It is important to distinctly portray each role to make each scene and the whole production to be both credible and moving to viewers. This makes the dramatic quality of a romantic ballet such as Giselle distinct from classical ballet such as Swan Lake that focuses on technique execution and