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  • Essay / The romantic ideal: the supernatural of ballet - 1034

    The scene that hosted the creation of illusions for those who attended ballet after 1827, in its "golden age" (Guest, 1), has introduced a new world, but one that could not be reached. These illusions were expressed through performance in the form of “romantic ambiances”. (5) The Romantic period of the early 19th century emphasized the alienation of the individual, the spectacle of this isolation, and the Romantic ideal that perfection remains mysterious and unattainable, as opposed to the Enlightenment ideals of the late 18th century that supported rationality and tangible beings. the deepest. The spectacle of a supernatural and alienated being embodies these elements of romanticism, as was represented in the romantic ballet. Coralli and Perrot's 1841 ballet Giselle incorporated these Romantic elements into "each of (the ballet's) components – stage design...choreography and dance style" (7), as well as narrative innovations. These narratives began to project women as powerful representations of the ethereal and supernatural being, as specifically shown in the character of Giselle in Coralli and Perrot's ballet. Thanks to novelties in Romantic visual presentation in setting, movement, and narrative, the golden age of ballet was able to effectively “(reveal) the unattainable” (7) and the supernatural. With the introduction of “new set construction techniques” (Guest, 14) Romantic ballet productions succeeded in exploding the spectacle of ballet performance and illusion. Color has become a powerful contributor to creating the aura of a scene in a ballet. In Giselle, this is particularly evident in the contrast between the earthy, warm urban scenes and the ghostly, white, eerie world of the wilis. With the "introduction of gaslighting", the ballerina drew attention both physically and narratively to the increasingly vital role of the supernatural and inaccessible woman in ballet. The spectacle of the Romantic ballet could not be as exuberant without its visual presentation in the form of settings and dance style, but the pinnacle of Romantic ideals became the woman in her ethereal and supernatural presence. Giselle was constructed as a vision of romanticism as changes in lighting and illusion were centralized around its plot, as floating, skimming dance steps reinforced its ethereal qualities, and as the ballet's narrative itself projected it like an inaccessible and otherworldly being. She was an isolated spectacle, both mysterious and alienated. The ballerina became the embodiment of awe and mystical beauty by reflecting these ideals of romanticism. The ballerina was the most effective expression of a supernatural presence in romantic ballet.