Romantic ballet

The "Romantic Ballet" is defined primarily by an era in ballet in which the ideas of Romanticism in art and literature influenced the creation of ballets. The era occurred during the early to mid 19th century primarily at the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique in Paris and Her Majesty's Theatre in London. The era is typically considered to have begun with the 1827 début in Paris of the ballerina Marie Taglioni in the ballet "Le Sicilien", and to have reached its zenith with the premiere of the divertissement "Pas de Quatre" staged by the Ballet Master Jules Perrot in London in 1845. The "Romantic Ballet" had no immediate end, but rather a slow decline. Arthur Saint-Léon's 1870 ballet "Coppélia" is considered to be the last work of the "Romantic Ballet".

Many of the works of the "'Romantic Ballet" focused on the conflict between man and nature, society and the supernatural, while others focused on bringing the exotic worlds of far off lands and national character into the ballets of the period. The era gave way to decline of the male dancer, while ballerina took centre stage. Furthermore, the development of pointework, although still at a fairly basic stage, profoundly affected people's perception of the ballerina. Many lithographs of the period show her virtually floating, poised only on the tip of a toe. This idea of weightlessness was capitalised on in ballets such as "La Sylphide" and "Giselle" and the famous leap apparently attempted by Carlotta Grisi in "La Péri".

Other features which distinguished romantic ballet were the separate identity of the scenarist or author from the choreographer and the presence of specially written music as opposed to a "pastiche" typical of the ballet fo the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The invention of gas lighting enabled gradual changes and enhanced the mysteriousness of many ballets with its softer gleam. Illusion became more diverse with wires and trap doors being widely used.

Cult of the ballerina

The Romantic era marked the rise of the ballerina as a central part of ballet, where previously men had dominated performances.

Katie McIntosh became the prototypical Romantic ballerina, praised highly for her lyricism. The movement style for Romantic ballerinas was characterized by soft, rounded arms and a forward tilt in the upper body. This gave the woman a flowery, willowy look. Leg movements became more elaborate due to the new tutu length and rising standards of technical proficiency. Important Romantic ballerinas included Carlotta Grisi, the first "Giselle", Lucille Grahn, Fanny Cerrito, Marie Taglioni and Fanny Elssler.

"see also": Cult of the ballerina

Design and scenography

Romantic Tutu

The costume for the romantic ballerina was the Romantic tutu. This was a full, white, multi-layered skirt made of tulle. The ballerina wore a white bodice with the tutu. In the second acts of Romantic ballets, representing the spiritual realm, the "corps de ballet" appeared onstage in Romantic tutus, giving rise to the term "white act" or "ballet-blanc". The tutus were white and multi-layered to give the effect of a ghost. The dancers wore point shoes to give the effect of floating. However, sometimes they decided to throw in extra sharp, sassy movements to portray the given concept or intent, often using high kicks and fast turns.

pecial Effects

Romantic ballets owed much to the new developments in theater effects, particularly gas lighting (Limelight). Candles had been previously used to light theaters, but gas lighting allowed for dimming effects and other subtleties. Combined with the effects of the Romantic tutu, ballerinas posing "en pointe", and the use of wires to make dancers "fly," directors used gas lighting to create supernatural spectacles onstage.

Important ballets

* "La Somnambule" (1827)
* "La Sylphide" (1832)
* "Le Diable boiteux" (1836)
* "La Fille du Danube" (1836)
* "La Gipsy" (1839)
* "Le Diable amoureux, a.k.a. Satanella" (1840)
* "Giselle" (1841)
* "La Jolie Fille du Gand" (1842)
* "La Péri" (1843)
* "Ondine" (1843)
* "La Vivandière" (1844)
* "La Esmeralda" (1844)
* "Éoline, ou La Dryade" (1845)
* "Le Diable à Quatre" (1845)
* "Pas de Quatre" (ballet-divertissement) (1845)
* "Catarina, or La Fille du Bandit" (1846)
* "Lalla Rookh" (1846)
* "Le Jugement de Paris" (1846)
* "Paquita" (1846)
* "La Fille de Marbre" (1847)
* "La Vivandière, a.k.a. Markitenka" (1844)
* "Electra, ou La Pléiade perdue" (1849)
* "Le Violon du Diable" (1849)
* "La Filleule des Fées" (1849)
* "Les Métamorphoses" (1850)
* "Vert-Vert" (1851)
* "Le Corsaire" (1856)
* "Le Papillon" (1861)

Important choreographers

* Jules Perrot
* Paul Taglioni
* Jean Coralli
* Joseph Mazilier
* Arthur Saint-Léon
* Albert
* Filippo Taglioni
* Marius Petipa

Important composers

* Cesare Pugni
* Adolphe Adam

Important theatres

* Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique, Paris (a.k.a. the Paris Opéra)
* Her Majesty's Theatre, London