From Petipa to Balanchine: Classical Revival and the Modernisation of Ballet [Hardcover]

Tim Scholl (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415092221 | ISBN-13: 978-0415092227 | Publication Date: March 15, 1994 | Edition: 1

In this rich interdisciplinary study Tim Scholl provides a provocative and timely re-evaluation of the development of ballet from the 1880s to the middle of the twentieth century. In the light of a thoughtful re-appraisal of dance classicism he locates the roots of modern ballet in the works of Marius Petipa, rather than in the much-celebrated choreographic experiements of Diaghilev's Ballet Russe.
Not only is this the first book to present nineteenth- and twentieth-century ballet as a continuous rather than broken tradition, From Petipa to Balanchine places works such as Sleeping Beauty, Les Sylphides, Apollo and Jewells in their proper cultural and artistic context.
The only English-language study to be based on the original Russian soures, this book will be essential reading for all dance scholars. Written in an engaging and elegant style it will also appeal to anyone interested in the history of ballet generally.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is an original and potentially controversial study of the evolution of modern ballet. Scholl (Russian studies, Oberlin Coll.) constructs a convincing argument that the choreography of George Balanchine was a 20th-century response to the innovations of Marius Petipa of 19th-century Russia. He contradicts the prevailing interpretation that modernism's beginnings lie in the work of Mikhail Fokine and Diaghilev's Ballet Russes. Balanchine rejected Diaghilev's formula for synthesizing dance, music, and the visual arts, choosing instead to return to a more basic format. Scholl's thesis is formulated from careful reading of key ballets (e.g., Les Sylphides, Sleeping Beauty, Apollo, and Jewels). Based on extensive research of dance and the related arts during this period, this book offers intelligent and insightful analyses in sensitive, clearly written prose. Highly recommended for serious dance collections.
Joan Stahl, National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

. . . the most trustworthy and readable work to emerge on the sources and progeny of St. Petersburg's ballet. Sure to cause controversy among Diaghilev worshippers, Scholl's book asks questions that dance scholars need answered and provides the wide-ranging research and thoughtful synthesis to answer those questions.
–Don Daniels, Ballet Review

Tim Scholl approaches his subject from a fresh point of view that will surely excite enthusiastic approval in some readers and violent disapproval in others ... Perhaps, in addition to its great value for setting Russian ballet in this thoroughly researched, historical context, Scholl's book is important for stirring up questions that need to be pondered. Dance can use such constructive provocation.
–Dance Chronicle

In this reevaluation of Russian classical ballet, Russian literature scholar Scholl examines the Russian ballet's classical revival in the first decades of this century, using the notion of `retrospectivism.' Rather than a comprehensive history From Petipa to Balanchine looks at several landmark works of Petipa (Sleeping Beauty) and George Balanchine (Apollo and Jewels).
–The Drama Review, Winter 1995

A definite yes.
–Dance Teacher Now

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 180 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (March 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415092221
• ISBN-13: 978-0415092227
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,832,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tim Scholl is a scholar of Russian and dance historian who has authored two volumes on the history of Russian dance: From Petipa to Balanchine, Classical Revival and the Modernization of Ballet (Routledge 1994) and Sleeping Beauty, a Legend in Progress (Yale 2004). Professor of Russian and Comparative Literature at Oberlin College, Scholl is also a docent in the Theatre Research Department of Helsinki University, where he held a Fulbright teaching/research fellowship in 2000-01.

A specialist in nineteenth- and twentieth-century ballet, his articles on dance have appeared in Playbill, The New York Times, Moscow's Kommersant Daily, Stockholm's Danstidnigen, and in programs of the New York City Ballet, Milan's La Scala Theater, London's Royal Opera House, the Paris Opera, and the Hamburg Ballet. Sleeping Beauty, a Legend in Progress was selected as an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice in 2005, and nominated for the 2006 American Association for Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL) book prize in literary/cultural studies.