Ballet in the 19th Century reflects social change as vividly shown in the new techniques that transformed ballerinas such as Genevieve Gosselin, Marie Taglioni and Fanny Elssler into prominent stage icons. Ballet slippers were invented to support the new technique with the creation of pointework that soared the popularity of ballerinas.
The Russian ballet developed socialist realist pieces under the ideological pressure of the Soviet rule; however, most of them did not stay long in the county's famous repertoire. Some remarkable socialist realist arts were: The Romeo and Juliet of Prokofiev and Lavrovsky; The Flames of Paris; The Fountain of Bakhchisarai choreographed by Zakharov; and the Cinderella with music from Prokofiev.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, these ballet pieces gained more recognition from the International scene such as The Fountain of Bakhchisarai which was an outstanding performance in New York City by the Kirov Ballet. One distinguishing characteristic that defines the talent of contemporary Russian ballerinas is that they put so much discipline in technique, talent and strength, something that exceeds the custom of Western dancers.
The talent of primadonnas like Galina Ulanova and Natalya Dudinskya is a spectacle worth keeping as they showcase perfection and precision of the ballet art.
Many innovative ballet dancers flourished in the United States and Germany since year 1920s and 1930s. Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey of America, Mary Wigman of Germany created their own expressive movement styles and choreographed dances that were intimately related to daily living. Contemporary ballet in America and Germany reflected the birth of realism in dance world. In 1932, an anti-war ballet named The Green Table was created by Kurt Joss, a German choreographer.
Another realist ballet production was developed by Antony Tudor which was classified as psychological ballet, a dance which uncovered the inner being of the characters. Modern dance also experimented on the diverse movement and the use of body parts such as the torso. Contemporary ballet also incorporated other dance form such as jazz, most of the creator of this change are Americans. Balanchine also pioneered the plot less ballets in which the ballet story is based on the music flow.
Huge upsurge of popularity including among the younger audience emerged in the 1960s. The dance became as enjoyable as sports and challenging and daring steps were highly acclaimed. Music genres such as pop music, rock and roll and jazz began its popularity among the producers and audience of ballet.
Today, ballet repertoire offers wide variety, re-productions and re-constructions. Modern choreographers are more playful in experimenting variety of styles and forms as audiences seek trends and expansion of the dance usual range. Contemporary ballet companies also produces tours providing spectacle productions throughout the World.
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