1. Primitivism in Dance Developments in art paved the way for dance
Picasso, Matisse, and Derain all had an interest in the rhythm and physicality of dancers in motion
What do we already know about primitivism in art?

2. Primitivism in Dance
“The Ballet Russes seemed to fuse all of the underlying currents of modernism into a single electrifying charge…[It was] a visceral assault on all of the senses” (Homans 316).
Diaghilev, the director of this company, figured that he could capitalize on what was happening in music, in art, and take it one step further. Moving bodies in conjunction with art and music.

3. Serge Diaghilev
Often known inside Russia as Sergei, arts entrepreneur - impresario

4. Serge Diaghilev
Born in Perm, Russia, studied law in St. Petersburg
There he met two designers who introduced him to ballet

5. Serge Diaghilev
Born in Perm, Russia, studied law in St. Petersburg
1899 appointed artistic advisor of the Maryinsky

6. Serge Diaghilev
Born in Perm, Russia, studied law in St. Petersburg
1899 – appointed artistic advisor of the Maryinsky
1901 – resigned and started arranging art exhibitions

7. Serge Diaghilev
Born in Perm, Russia, studied law in St. Petersburg
1899 – appointed artistic advisor of the Maryinsky
1901 – resigned and started arranging art exhibitions
1911 – forms Ballet Russes as an independent company
1907 – organized music concert in Paris
1908 – returned with an opera with very famous singer
He’d taken a small group to Paris in 1909
Desire was always to create something new and avant-garde – supervised a whole slew of choreographers and dancers who became world-reknown
Wanted a complete theatrical experience – ballet supported by all other arts – engaged a variety of artists
Always dramatic, company never had a home, was always close to financial ruin, was also unashamedly gay
Company folded with his death in 1929

8. Vaslav Nijinsky

9. Vaslav Nijinsky 1890 - 1950 Joined Ballet Russes in
1909, premiere season
Studied at the Imperial Ballet School, graduated 1908

10. Vaslav Nijinsky 1890 - 1950 Joined Ballet Russes in
1909, premiere season
Astounding elevation
and leaps

11. Vaslav Nijinsky 1890 - 1950 Joined Ballet Russes in
1909, premiere season
Astounding elevation
and leaps
1912, became
choreographer
Choreographer for Ballet Russes when Fokine left

12. Vaslav Nijinsky 1890 - 1950 Joined Ballet Russes in
1909, premiere season
Astounding elevation
and leaps
1912, became
choreographer
L’Après-midi d’un faune,
1912

13. Vaslav Nijinsky 1890 - 1950 Joined Ballet Russes in
1909, premiere season
Astounding elevation
and leaps
1912, became
choreographer
L’Après-midi d’un faune,
1912
Le Sacre du Printemps,
1913
Ballets created new demands for dancers who were so used to classical ballet
Use of rhythm and movement
From Harvard scholar Thomas Kelly: “The Rite of Spring” turned out to be anything but spring-like. One of the dancers recalled that Vaslav Nijinsky's shocking choreography was physically unnatural to perform. "With every leap we landed heavily enough to jar every organ in us." The music itself was angular, dissonant and totally unpredictable. In the introduction, Stravinksy called for a bassoon to play higher in its range than anyone else had ever done. In fact, the instrument was virtually unrecognizable as a bassoon. When the curtain rose and the dancing began, there appeared a musical theme without a melody, only a loud, pulsating, dissonant chord with jarring, irregular accents. The audience responded to the ballet with such a din of hisses and catcalls that the performers could barely hear each other.

14. Vaslav Nijinsky 1890 - 1950 Joined Ballet Russes in
1909, premiere season
Astounding elevation
and leaps
1912, became
choreographer
L’Après-midi d’un faune,
1912
Le Sacre du Printemps,
1913
1917, leaves Ballet Russes
Clear that he was mentally ill, spent the rest of his life in a mental institution

15. L’après-midi d’un faune 1912
What do you notice about these images? Movement is flat, two-dimensional, turned in, angular
How is the woman dressed?
Now, let’s dance
Then watch:
Nijinsky wanted to create something new, something expressive. Dancers hated it; told them to jump like goats, went against everything they’d trained for…

16. Ballet Russes and WWI Watch short documentary – play from 16:00-19:45
This is when Nijinksy started showing signs of madness, got married to a woman, Diaghilev was ticked off, hired Massine as choreographer (but still invited Nijinsky on the US tour as a dancer)

17. Parade (1917) Post WWI, Ballet Russes is more international
Less tied to Paris, Diaghilev increasingly cut off from Russia

18. Parade (1917) Post WWI, Ballet Russes is more international
Diaghilev turns to more Western artists and musicians
Picasso, Matisse, Derain, Poulenc, Satie, Ravel

19. Parade (1917) Post WWI, Ballet Russes is more international
Diaghilev turns to more Western artists and musicians
The choreography needed to be Russian.
The company produced Russian dancers, but he’s without Nijinsky

20. Parade (1917) Post WWI, Ballet Russes is more international
Diaghilev turns to more Western artists and musicians
The choreography needed to be Russian.
Léonide Massine, choreographer
But Massine was really a dancer; he hadn’t been trained in the same palce as the other choreographers and dancers in Ballet Russes, he didn’t have the mind Nijinsky had – he couldn’t push the art form; he could really do what’s been done, just get the job done

21. Parade (1917) Post WWI, Ballet Russes is more international
Diaghilev turns to more Western artists and musicians
The choreography needed to be Russian.
Léonide Massine, choreographer
Libretto by Jean Cocteau
Music by Erik Satie
Costumes and set design by Pablo Picasso
Cocteau was a French writer, playright
Wanted it to be shocking like “Rite of Spring” but it was a flimsy plot, everything outside the theatre – people blamed Picasso to some extent

22. Parade (1917)
Isadora Duncan: “The Russian ballet are hopping madly about in Picasso pictures…sort of epileptic gymnastic with no strength or center…If that is Art I prefer Aviation” (Homans 329).
Say who Isadora Duncan was