La danse et Degas
La danse et Degas
La danse et Degas
On the occasion of the eponymous exhibition of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Mischa Scorer, who himself has filmed dance many times, explores the special relationship that Degas enjoyed with this art. We view the life of the painter through his paintings, moments at the Opéra today, and scenes of fiction of the artist in his workshop. With the help of a documented voice over, Richard Kendall and Jill DeVonyar, the exhibition curators, act as guides.
“Nothing in art should resemble an accident, even movement” noted Degas (1834-1917), who devoted more than half his work to dance. His daring compositions, viewpoints and the variety of his techniques amazed his contemporaries. Concerning his vision, Brigitte Lefèvre, the dance director at the Opéra, evokes that of a press photographer; Anne Pingeot, the curator of the Musée d'Orsay, narrates the scandal caused by the sculpture of the little dancer. The courtyards and wings interested Degas more than the pomp of the performances. Some details of his paintings allow us to identify a particular subscriber or Pygmalion watching over “his” dancer, valuable documentation for reconstructing life at the Opéra at that time. Martine Kahane, the director of the cultural department, takes us through the corridors and the rehearsal rooms: the to-and-fro movement between the paintings and the dancers, filmed in action or at rest, highlights the painter’s concern for realism.
Source : Boris France
Ballet de l'Opéra national de Paris
The Paris Opéra Ballet is the official ballet company of the Opéra national de Paris, otherwise known as the Palais Garnier, though known more popularly simply as the Paris Opéra. Its origins can be traced back to 1661 with the foundation of the Académie Royale de Danse and the Le Ballet de l'Opéra in 1713 by King Louis XIV of France.
The aim of the Académie Royale de Danse was to reestablish the perfection of dance. In the late seventeenth century, using 13 professional dancers to drive the academy, the Paris Opéra Ballet successfully transformed ballet from court entertainment to a professional performance art for the masses. It later gave birth to the Romantic Ballet, the classical form of ballet known throughout the world. The Paris Opéra Ballet dominated European ballet throughout the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and remains a leading institution in the art of ballet today.
Source: New World Encyclopedia
La danse et Degas
Artistic direction / Conception : Mischa Scorer
Interpretation : Sami Frey
Original music : David Poore
Other collaborations : basé sur les recherches de Jill Devonyar et Richard Kendall
Production / Coproduction of the video work : ARTE France - Gabrielle Babin, Idéale Audience - Françoise Gazio, Thirteen WNET BBC NHK, Opéra National de Paris, Musée d’Orsay
Western classical dance enters the modernity of the 20th century: The Ballets russes and the Ballets suédois
If the 19th century is that of romanticism, the entry into the new century is synonymous of modernity! It was a few decades later that it would be assigned, a posteriori, the name of “neo-classical”.
Carolyn Carlson, a woman of many faces
Genres and styles
Dance is a rather vast term, which covers a myriad of specificities. These depend on the culture of a country, on a period, on a place. This Journey proposes a visit through dance genres and styles.