Об отражении стиля барокко в русском балетном искусстве

Abstract

The article is devoted to the theme of the Baroque style on the Russian ballet scene of the end of the 19th century, and the focus of attention of this research steps over the bounds of the indicated time period, dwelling upon the reflection of Baroque subject matter on the 20th and early 21st century art of ballet. The author does not analyze the plotline basis of ballet performances and does not attempt to search for stylistic attributes of the Baroque period which would confirm the ballet’s pertaining to the Baroque era. The author determines as her main goal the aspiration to comprehend the fundamental — philosophical, value-based and spiritually significant — dominant ideas of human existence which are relevant beyond time and, hence, significant today, as well: the themes of personality, time, good and evil, stereotypes and algorithms (the theme of liberty), the theme of allusions. The author finds it important to comprehend how, conformably with the baroque worldview, they disclosed themselves in the late 19th century art of ballet (during the era of Marius Petitpas’ late productions, which was the flourishing of the Baroque style in ballet), exerting an impact on its plotline and architectonic structure. While preserving the retrospective-explorative vector of her research, the author poses the question, why do these specific concepts of the epoch’s worldview, as well as the constructive peculiarities of the baroque manner of ballet production has manifested itself in the art of 20th and 21st century ballet-masters George Balanchine and Alexei Miroshnichenko.