2.5: The Romantic Ballet (1800s)

Romanticism is a brief artistic movement popularized in Western civilization from the late 18th to the mid-19th century. “Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental” (Britannica, 2023).

Romanticism in ballet spans an even shorter period of time, 1830s-1840s. Characteristics of Romantic ballets include: a fascination with the supernatural, other-worldly women (sylphs, willis, and ghosts) entrapping the hearts of mortal men, and the impossibility of happily ever after. In performance we see women dancing so high up on relevé that it appears they are floating, infusing their jumps with quality of ballon, as well as the use of flying harnesses. An obsession with the exotic becomes another fixture in Romantic ballets. Stories are set in faraway lands (Scotland, Spain, and the Middle East) featuring gypsy and “oriental” heroines; divertissements within these ballets include passionate folk or national dances. Do keep in mind this fascination with the exotic which permeates Romantic ballet casts a long shadow. We are still today dealing with stereotypes and caricatures ingrained as ballet canon. Lastly, as we see ballerinas push their way downstage for starring roles, the male dancer is pulled back to a supporting part (D. Craine and J. Mackrell, 2004).

Chasing Technique: The Romantic Tutu

Ballets of the Romantic era are also called ballet blancs (white ballets), referring to gauzy white dresses with bell-like skirts made popular at this time. These tutus reach mid-calf, allowing for greater technique and artistry. In regard to technique, this is an interesting time. There is almost a feedback loop between ballerinas and audiences: women hone their technique raising audiences’ expectations; women render masculine posturing to announce bravura steps passé by moving effortlessly to execute technical feats; ballerinas evolve toe dancing– furthering the illusion of their supernatural performances leaving the crowds wanting more (Cass, 1993).

Women Dancing, Part III

Marie Taglioni (1804-1884)

Figure 2.13 Taglioni dancing La Sylphide

( https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Marie_Taglioni_(ballerina).jpg&oldid=663155624 )

Ballerina Marie Taglioni is the embodiment of the right person at the right time. Though an unlikely ballet figure, Marie Taglioni takes advantage of family lineage, ballet’s reformation, and a stunt move called toe dancing. Taglioni is born into an Italian family of performers with an allegiance to the noble French style. In 1821 Marie joins her ballet master father Filippo in Vienna. Upon Marie’s arrival, Filippo is dismayed by his daughter’s technique. With technique lacking, slumped shoulders, and generally regarded as unattractive Marie and Filippo spend six hours a day for next six months transforming Marie.

Ballet and Marie Taglioni are both in flux. What is ballet with the decline of male bravura style of dance and the absence of royal influence? Marie’s answer: to composite a technique with a “strong French aristocratic cast but was tempered and offset by a wilder Italian virtuosity and the difficulties posed by her own irregular proportions” (Homans 2010, p. 142). The final piece of the puzzle is Taglioni’s appropriation and refinement of “toe dancing”– a dazzling trick performed by Grotteschi Italian performers. “Although Taglioni did not invent the use of the foot– rising up to, and moving on the very tips of the toes– she did popularize it by the light, floating quality she gave the steps” (Cass, 1993, p.106). At the time, Taglioni considers this stunt move as crude and spends hours refining her ability to effortlessly rise up beyond relevé without telegraphing the exertion needed to perform such a feat.

Keep in mind, pointe shoes and pointe technique doesn’t exist in the early 1800s. Marie Taglioni performs in shoes comparable to street shoes of the day:

…soft satin, they had leather soles and a rounded or square toe, with delicate ribbons attached at the arch that laced up around the ankle; they wore not hard or boxed like today’s pointe shoe but soft and round except for a layer of supportive darning sewn underneath the metatarsal and toe (Homans, 2010, p. 140).

Though Taglioni elevates “toe dancing”, she is not dancing on the platform of the shoe like ballet dancers of today. Instead, she dances as high as possible on her demi pointe; modern-day dancers would know this to be between dancing on the platform of the pointe shoe (see Image 2.15) and a relevé.

Figure 2.14 European streetwear shoe of the 1800s

(https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Shoes_MET_CI45.68.69ab_F.jpg&oldid=630413113

Figure 2.15 Contemporary pointe shoe

(https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.phpsearch=pointe+shoe+construction&title=Special:MediaSearch&go=Go&type=image)

Deep Dive: Taking a Setback and Creating a Positive

Just like jazz dance legend Bob Fosse, Marie Taglioni camouflages her physical shortcomings by retooling ballet technique. Can you think of other artists (from any discipline) who have taken a perceived shortcoming and flipped that attribute into a career changing asset?

Fanny Elssler (1810-1887)

Figure 2.16 Fanny Elssler in La Cachucha (1836)

(https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Elssler_Cachucha.jpg&oldid=481966348 )

With upbringing and training in Vienna, Elssler is deliberately pitted against Taglioni to maintain public interest in ballet. While Taglioni capitalizes on the Romantic era’s infatuation with the ethereal, Elssler occupies the other side of the coin: earthly exoticism (Cass, 1993, p. 119). Elssler’s acting ability paired with character dances– specifically her Spanish cachucha– enchants audiences and helps her to stand out from the crowded field of Romantic ballerinas (Cass, 1993, p. 120).

Carlotta Grisi (1819-1899)

Figure 2.17 Carlotta Grisi performing in Giselle, 1841

( https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Giselle_-Carlotta_Grisi_-1841_-1.jpg&oldid=629441447 )

Italian born and trained, Grisi is the perfect blend of Elssler’s earthbound performance quality and Taglioni’s other-worldly technical ability. “The central axis of Giselle lay in the three related Romantic obsessions–madness, the waltz, and an idealized Christian and medieval past” (Homans, 2010, p. 167). This mix of Romantic era characteristics and Grisi’s natural attributes are put on display when Grisi originates the role of Giselle.

Notable Romantic Ballets

Figure 2.18 Ballet of the Nuns

(https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Meyerbeer_RobertDiableCiceri.jpg&oldid=763851302)

Figure 2.19 La Sylphide

(https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:La_Sylphide_de_G._L%C3%A9paulle_(Petit_Palais,_Paris)_(48654608647).jpg&oldid=615687276)

Figure 2.20 Giselle

(https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Nathalie_Fitzjames_and_Auguste_Mabille_in_Giselle.jpg&oldid=673823794)

Figure 2.21 Pas de Quatre

(https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Pas_de_quatre1845.jpg&oldid=504749784 )

Figure 2.22 Coppélia

(https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:BosacchiCopp%C3%A9lia.jpg&oldid=489138418)

Cult of the Ballerina

While the fervor surrounding ballerinas of this era burns white hot, this level of intensity is unsustainable. Scholars have a handful of theories as to why the cult following of ballerinas and their starring roles fall out of favor with audiences.

• Just like clothing trends fading in and out of style (think 1990s fashions having a resurgence in the 2020s) we see the pendulum swing from centuries of unrivaled male dancers to ballerinas dominating the stage, only to swing toward a more balanced partnership between the danseur and the ballerina in Classical ballets.
• Since live theatre is the main form of entertainment, the public has an unquenchable thirst for new content. With so many theatres open to the public it is difficult to maintain both high quality performers and create quality content. These downturns on stage also encourage seedy dealings and prostitution backstage.
• Society is pivoting away from Romanticism’s obsession with emotion (from the rational thought of the Renaissance to the self-indulgence of the Romantic era to practical concerns of the Industrial Revolution).
• Additionally, there are a series of conflicts both abroad: the American Civil war in 1865; and on the European continent: the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 and the Russian Revolution in 1917 (California Ballet, 2010).

Definition: Danseur

A male ballet dancer.

Deep Dive: Who's Performing Ballet and Why

Though male dancers are mostly relegated to character roles in Romantic ballets (think Dr Coppélius in Coppélia) there are still male characters on stage. There are many instances of women performing en travesti in ballets. For example, Thérèse Elssler, partners her younger sister Fanny Elssler. Men aren't completely banished from ballet. There are enclaves throughout Europe (Italy, Denmark, and Russia) continuing to feature and develop male dancing. Some names should be familiar: Paul Taglioni (1808-1884), Jules Perrot (1810-18920), and Arthur Saint-Léon (1821-1870).

Takeaway:

This brief and highly specific period in ballet history is directly shaped by post-war attitudes and the romantic literary movement. Can you think of another instance when something is so thoroughly changed by outside forces?

Teaching Exercise

In small groups take a nursery rhyme and turn it into a romantic style ballet. Decide on three ballet steps you will use within your mini ballet. Will you need to change the plot to keep your ballet in the romantic style?