"Sleeping Beauty," A Legend in Progress [Hardcover]

Professor Tim Scholl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2004

In 1999 the Maryinsky (formerly Kirov) Ballet and Theatre in St. Petersburg recreated its 1890 production of Sleeping Beauty. The revival showed the classic work in its original sets and costumes and restored pantomime and choreography that had been eliminated over the past century. Nevertheless, the work proved unexpectedly controversial, with many Russian dance professionals and historians denouncing it. In order to understand how a historically informed performance could be ridiculed by those responsible for writing the history of Russian and Soviet ballet, Tim Scholl discusses the tradition, ideology, and popular legend that have shaped the development of Sleeping Beauty. In the process he provides a history of Russian and Soviet ballet during the twentieth century. A fascinating slice of cultural history, the book will appeal not only to dance historians but also to those interested in the arts and cultural policies of the Soviet and post-Soviet periods.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...extremely well researched and written. Essential...[for all] interested in ballet history and the arts...of the Soviet/post-Soviet periods." -- Choice

"[In] his fantastic new book...Scholl follows the ballet over the course of its century-long existence." -- Gia Kourias, Time Out New York

From the Back Cover

"This admirable book is nothing less than a history of Russian and Soviet ballet during the twentieth century. Scholl not only charts the changes that took place in Sleeping Beauty over time but also registers the changing attitudes toward the ballet and its aesthetic and how these attitudes reflected the ideological shifts of the past hundred years."-Lynn Garafola, co-editor of The Ballet Russes and Its World

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (April 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300099568
• ISBN-13: 978-0300099560
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,876,433 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing in-depth book!, January 6, 2011

By 

Francesca Astra Moradi - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: "Sleeping Beauty," A Legend in Progress (Hardcover)

While this book may not be as hefty as other similar titles, it packs quite a punch! While sometimes difficult to follow and very dense, you'll be sure to learn a great deal both about the ballet, Sleeping Beauty, as well about that period (in history) of ballet. Would highly recommend to anyone who loves dance history and/or the ballet itself. Since the title is Yale Press, expect a great quality book (binding, etc).

5.0 out of 5 stars Narrowly, but interestingly focused, February 22, 2012

By 

Deborah Verlen "Deborah" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: "Sleeping Beauty," A Legend in Progress (Hardcover)

First off, if you pick this book up, you need to love the ballet Sleeping Beauty and what Russian ballet brings to the table for the genre. It focuses on the 1999 reproduction of the 1890 work of Sleeping Beauty by the Maryinsky (formerly Kirov) Ballet and Theater. The 1999 version was faithful to the 1890 work and sparked much dialogue within the ballet public.

As the author states on page 131:

"If the 1890 production of Sleeping Beauty was meant to awake, like Aurora, from a long sleep in 1999, the revival seemed more like Giselle emerging from the grave to some: the production returned to haunt members of a St.Petersburg ballet public that loved to reminiscence about 1890 but actually preferred that the past remain there. Like all reconstructions, the 1890/1999 production of Sleeping Beauty occupied a strange half-life: it was neither a truly radical nor a genuinely conservative gesture."

The author delves into this unique translation that did its best to recreate what was performed in 1890 by interweaving history, politics, and art. This is a ballet that has been performed and interpreted by many. The 1890 version is the first production of this famous ballet. As the years went on and choreographers and dancers interpreted the ballet, the original production's staging, dancing and art faded into the background.

Tim Scholl allows you to revisit the past and compare it to today as his rhetoric searches for the "authentic" Sleeping Beauty. As one person mentioned in the book after viewing the reproduction of the 1890 Sleeping Beauty at the Met--it changed the way they forever would view the ballet.

The author includes fascinating reviews of the original ballet. One of my favorites was from the Theater Echo (page 176):

"A new ballet!...An occasion in the ballet anthill!...As always, there are many who like it and many who don't! On one hand: lovely, delightful. And on the other: dissatisfaction and spiteful whispering with crooked smiles on the lips. Ummmyeah! The costumes really are good! The sets, very nice, but what's the sense of it? They didn't skimp, but with money you can make any sort of set you want!...
There's no plot and no dancing!"'

Sounds like with the reproduction that this review is apropos today.