Opera Dance Research Articles

PLACE AND ROLE OF DANCE IN THE BEIJING OPERA

Dance in the Beijing Opera is distinguished by its unique aesthetic system, ex-cellent performing mastery, symbolism, submission to certain canons allowing to create a bright artistic image of the character of the performance. The article describes the characteristic features of opera dance, reveals its functions and forms. Special attention is paid to the specifics of the actor’s performing art in opera dance.

Plastic Solution of the Main Heroine's Image in J. Bizet's Opera "Carmen"

The author of the article considered the peculiarities of the plastic interpretation of Carmen image in Bizet's opera in terms of the concept of "Soul and body: opposition or harmony?". The urgency of the study is due to the need to rethink the image of the protagonist in the new paradigm of theatrical art. The purpose of the study is to determine the stylistic features of the plastic solution of the image of the main character in the evolutionary development of the role-playing game. The author of the research applied the methodology based on an integrated approaches conditioned by the synthesis of the comparative method (innovative approaches of the composer to the opera), genrestylistic method (specifics of dance in opera), analytical method (characteristic features of Carmen's image), interpretive method (plastic interpretation of the metamorphoses of the spiritual and physical principles of the protagonist). The scientific novelty lies in the delineation of significant changes in the relationship between the spiritual and the corporeal in the plastic communication of Jose and Carmen. J. Bizet's innovative approaches to the composition of the opera "Carmen" are clarified which consists in identifying the following points: the creation of a realistic psychological drama, its expansion beyond the genre of comic opera; choosing a new type of the main character, who acts as herald of female images cult in the decadence era. The author emphasizes the important place of dance in the plastic images of the main characters of the opera, its effectiveness in the development of the plot line of the work in contrast to the illustrative divertissement samples of previous operas. The "exotic" type of the main heroine is outlined, whose appearance in theatrical themes became an announcer of the formation of the fundamental beginnings of the Art Nouveau style. The symbolic moments of plastic communication between Jose (rhythmic pantomime) and Carmen (dance pantomime) prove the gradual evolution of the spiritual and physical essences of the main character from opposition to harmony. Prospects for further explorations in terms of compositional and architectural solutions of mass ballet scenes in accordance with modern realities are predicted.

Architectonics of the "Dance of The Seven Veils "From Richard Strauss's Opera "Salome" Through the Prism of Historical Reconstruction

The phenomenon of the popularity of R. Strauss's opera "Salome" is explained through the prism of a new paradigm of performing arts, which is due to the rethinking of works of the modern era in the context of postmodern aesthetics. A comprehensive intersectional integrated analysis of musicological, iconographic, culturological, theological, social, psychological and physiological components of the work has been carried out. The methodology of key aspects of the research is determined: features of musical drama — genre-stylistic; content of ancient entertainments —historical and stylistic reconstruction; creation of psychological portraits of characters — system analysis; the concept of dance in opera is an interpretive method. The libretto of the opera is compared with O. Wilde's drama highlighting differences in the image of the main character: in the drama — two "Salome lines", in the libretto — three with the addition of "Dance of the Seven Veils" as an important scene in the conflict, personifying the story of the tragic love of a young princess. The peculiarities of the musical drama of the dance scene in the opera are studied, two opposing points of view on its role and place in the score of the work, the thoughts of the composer R. Strauss on this subject are outlined. The nature of dance entertainment at the courts of ancient rulers, the specifics of the performance of dances "Almeh" and "Ghawazi", which could serve as a prototype of the "Dance of the Seven Veils" performed by princess Salome is described in the article. The stylistics of the "Almeh" dances included a demonstration of highly artistic eroticism, and the "Ghawazi" dances a Bacchic seduction. In the dance scene, it is possible to combine these opposite patterns in the context to solve the musical drama of the work. The psychological and physiological features of Salome's age are analyzed, her characteristic features are explained, which could elucidate the logic of the young princess's actions. Psychological portraits of Salome, Jochanaan, Herodes and Herodias have been made, which directly or indirectly influence the specifics of the interpretation of the dance scene. The key aspects of the architectonics of the specified scene, the content of its parts, the correspondence of the nature of the dance performance to their content are determined, which determines the scientific novelty of the research. The results of the research are compared with modern incarnations of the dance scene in the opera, their partial correspondence is revealed in four out of five parts of dance drama, except for the development of the action. In the latter, there is a loss of tempo due to the mismatch between the gradual growth and decline of the musical drama of the dance scene with its choreographic embodiment. The necessity of using the concept of different branches of knowledge to establish a holistic picture of events in this scene is proved. Prospects for research of the chosen issues through the prism of the latest achievements in the field of musical theater, the attraction of modern interpretations to neo-syncretism are predicted.

Evolutionary modifications of dance scenes in the context of the genesis of the ukrainian opera

The relevance of the research lies in the search for a solution to the problem of the plasticchoreographic image of the work, the peculiarities of the interpretation of dance in the process of the formation of the Ukrainian national opera school, taking into account the author's intention, its rethinking in the realities of our time. Scientific novelty lies in the definition of conceptual approaches to the genre-style interpretation of dance scenes in Ukrainian opera in accordance with the theatrical aesthetics of a particular time. The purpose of the publication is to determine the evolutionary modifications of the solution of plastic-choreographic scenes of musical and theatrical works in accordance with the aesthe-tic concepts of different stages of the formation of the Ukrainian national opera school. Research methods. In the context of an integrated intersectoral approach at the junction of philosophy, sociology, psychology, cultural studies, musicology and theatre studies, comparative and art history research methods are chosen as determinants. Their use makes it possible to determine the similarity and difference between genre-style interpretations of dance scenes in accordance with the theatrical aesthetics of a particular time. The main results and conclusions of the study. The article examines the process of formation of dance scenes in the historical context of the development of the Ukrainian opera school. The features of the use of dance at different stages of the formation of the national repertoire in various configurations of the Ukrainian musical theatre from its origins to the present day are outlined. The fundamental principles of the interpretation of dance in Ukrainian opera, laid down in the predecessors of the national musical theatre – old games, a puppet nativity scene, baroque school drama, palace theatres of Ukrainian, Polish, Russian magnates of the era of classicism, are character-rized. The evolutionary modifications of the plastic-choreographic solution of opera performances against the background of the genesis of the Ukrainian musical theatre are analyzed. The well-established key approaches to the interpretation of dance scenes in the Ukrainian opera are determined, mainly the positive role of choreography in solving the musical drama of the performance. The author highlights the differences between Ukrainian opera content and Western European and Russian traditions, where vocals as the personification of a person's soul or the image of a friend, and dance as the embodiment of temptations or the image of an enemy are quite often in opposition to each other. The specificity of the interpretation of dance in the Ukrainian opera through the prism of its historical formation is clarified: from the use of divertissement samples of the times of classicism through illustrative and pictorial eras of romanticism, efficiently expressive epochs of realism and Soviet reality to conventionally symbolic, conventionally abstract in the culture of modernity and postmodernism. Different approaches to the solution of dance in opera performances in evacuation and in the occupied territories with distinction in the East and West of Ukraine have been established. The conceptual approaches of the genre-style interpretation of dance scenes in the Ukrainian opera are revealed in accordance with the theatrical aesthetics of a particular time. Attention is focused on the prospects for the emergence of new genre-stylistic forms with the gravitation of their plastic-choreographic solution to neosyncretism.

BENTUK PERTUNJUKAN OPERA TIMUN EMAS KARYA JONET SRI KUNCORO

The Opera Timun Emas is an Opera-shaped dance work in Directed by Jonet Sri Kuncoro on birthday Soeryo Soemirat Dance Workshop to 34 in 2016. Problem in this research is how the process of scrattering and how Opera Timun Emas performances. Based on the object examined this research uses qualitative methods with a process approach to and shape. To know about the process of using the the thought of Rahayu Supanggah about the garrison covering the material, facilities, and furniture, and a garage, and a Working on. Discussing form issues using form concepts Suzane K. Langer which is explained by the opinion of R. M Soedarsono Discussing elements that include dance movements, formations, makeup, fashion, Dance music, dramatic design, theme, choreography group of places Staging, lighting, and arrangement of events. The results showed that the Opera Timun Emas includes in the genre of opera dance dramas, which are directed by In consideration of the garap, penggarap, facilities, furniture, and a line of Opera Timun Emas takes the basic idea of concern for a child’s world Folklore. Portrayed by the students of the Soeryo Soemirat. The Opera Timun Emas form can be seen from the existing elements Dance, formations, makeup, fashion, dance music, dramatic design, themes, the choreography of a group of staging, lighting, and The event was directed into a intact unity.Keywords: Opera, Garap, shape.

Dance in Opera in London, 1673–1685

This article looks at the extent to which French styles of theatrical dancing influenced opera in London during the years 1673–1685. In the 1670s the emergence of opera in London owed much to Stuart Court culture and its interest in French ballets de cour and English masques. Meanwhile on the London stage in the 1670s, English theatrical dance was now enhanced by the ability of the Duke of York's new theatre at Dorset Garden to offer the sort of spectacular staging already known in Paris and which suited opera so well. These influences – the love of French music and dancing as balanced by the continued interest in vernacular theatre and its new capacity for spectacle – resulted in an English approach to opera in which the dancing and scenography rarely remained completely French or completely English. This article considers opera dancing in London, from the addition of dance to a reworked Shakespeare play in 1673, followed the next year by the first opera sung in French to be staged in London, and the sometimes hybrid applications of English and French dance in opera thereafter. That the fascination with French opera had diminished after 1685 is reinforced by the unsuccessful attempt to stage one of Lully's tragédies-en-musique in a London theatre the following year.

Between Opera and Dance

In 2006 Simon Morrison and Stephanie Jordan guest edited an issue of this journal entitled “Sound Moves.” In it, they announced the emergence of “choreomusicology,” a new discipline forged by scholars possessing a certain skill set, namely, “a sensitive ear” and the ability to read multiple forms of notation.1 Eight years later, the tandem study of music and dance has attained greater visibility, a fact nowhere more evident than in the establishment in 2012 of a Music and Dance Study Group under the auspices of the American Musicological Society. The Group hosted its inaugural session, “Getting Musicology to Dance,” at the Society's 2013 annual meeting.2 In spite of these developments, however, it seems likely that at least within the precincts of musicology the study of dance will remain a marginal interest—a “Group” rather than a robust subdiscipline. However, within the field of opera studies, studious attention to dance is not a new phenomenon. Indeed, the study of dance has fit rather comfortably under the banner of opera studies for many years now. Today, a class of scholars has arrived, specializing in what we might call “dance in opera.” In addition to the scholarship of Morrison and Jordan, work by Daniel Albright, Irene Alm, Rebecca Harris-Warrick, Bruce Alan Brown, Wayne Heisler, Wendy Heller, Mary Ann Smart, and Marian Smith argues both for the necessity of studying these two artistic forms in tandem and demonstrates that the historical and analytical methods of musicology have much to offer to dance studies and vice versa.

Dance in Handel’s London Operas by Sarah McCleave (review)

Dance in Handel's OperasEMBODIMENT: DANCE, AND OPERA Dance in Handel's Operas. By Sarah McCleave. (Eastman Studies in Music, vol. 96.) Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2013. [xiii, 266 p. ISBN 9781580464208. $80.] Music examples, illustrations, tables, bibliography, index.In her impeccably researched book, Dance in Handel's Operas, Sarah McCleave introduces her readers to a historical world where theatrical dance was as dramatically useful as the da capo aria. Focusing on London's most prominent eighteenth-century composer, McCleave shows how and why Handel integrated different styles and genres of dances into his operas for the stage. Yet her title masks the true scope of her book: she does not limit herself to Handel, or even to opera seria. On a broader scale, her project revises the history of theatrical music in using a new, illuminating argument: that dance had a varied range of affective, dramatic, and stylistic uses and meanings, rather than simply providing decorative spectacle. In order to accomplish her ambitious project, McCleave unites musical and dramatic analysis with documentary evidence from texts, libretti, and published dance manuals. Her book is an exemplary model of how to breathe new life into operas that have been studied as a vocal repertory.McCleave's project is also a necessary step in reevaluating England as a center of cultural, national, and musical diversity in the eighteenth century. Her book's argumentative thread claims that Handel embraced different styles of dance (French, Italian, and homegrown English influences) for the purposes of connecting to and manipulating his audience's understanding of the affective and dramatic meanings behind these styles and corresponding genres. She identifies eight major influences on the different ways in which Handel incorporated and integrated dance into his operas, and she treats all of these in her book's chapters: (1) seventeenthcentury Italian libretti, (2) French tragedies en musique (Jean-Baptist Lully/Philippe Quinault), (3) English theatrical dance, (4) his training in Hamburg, (5) contemporary Italian practices, (6) the tastes of his audiences, (7) pantomimes, and (8) contemporary social dance (pp. 182- 88). Such a multitude of influences demonstrate that understanding the dramatic meaning behind Handel's dances is a complex enterprise, not only for us as modern readers, but for eighteenth-century audiences as well.Significantly, Handel was not the first, nor the last, to approach the integration of dance styles into opera in this way. Throughout the book, which is organized chronologically, McCleave makes a considerable effort to connect Handel's innovations with both his English predecessors as well as those who worked in during the first and second Royal Academies: London provides early examples of operas in which creative artists blended French and Italian operatic conventions, with a tradition leading from [Peter Anthony] Motteux through to Handel and [Marie] Salle, and from them to [Francesco] Vanneschi (p. 167). This is a great strength of her book, and especially of chapter 4. While focusing on opera seria, McCleave gives other theatrical genres similar weight, providing a thorough picture of how dance shaped the dramatic profiles of many different kinds of productions. Moreover, such an inclusive focus abolishes the age-old impression of Handel as a musical genius; instead, McCleave illustrates quite convincingly that Handel's integrative approach was as much influenced by his English surroundings and opportunities to work with certain dancers as by his prior training in Hamburg.While McCleave's general argument is one of multinational diversity of style and genre, her chapters analyzing Handel's use of dance in his operas (chapters 1 through 3) focus on how the composer used dance in order to create or dissipate dramatic tension. Handel's ability to shape exquisite dramatic depth in his vocal music has been of keen interest to many scholars, but McCleave shows how he accomplished similar feats in his dance music. …

To repeat (or not to repeat)? Dance cues in Restoration English opera

The article examines a simple possibility pertaining to the performance of theatrical dance in opera in the Restoration English theatre, namely that the existence of many of the dances and their accompanying music in 17th- and early 18th-century English operas is hidden in the context and score of the just-performed vocal numbers. The possibility that this could be the case in one or two specific instances has been raised elsewhere, but this article considers the evidence for the expansion of these cases into a more general convention. There can be no dispute that the role of dance in dramatick opera is a significant one. In the 11 or so works in the genre written and performed in London between 1690 and 1706, there are some 71 dances indicated in the surviving play-texts; as the period progresses, hardly an act passes by the audience without one. They became one of opera ' s drawcards and range widely in type and style. The article proposes that there was more dancing than even the already copious amounts indicated in the printed sources; the repeats proposed—particularly the final ones in musical sequences—could hold the solution to the problem of some of the apparently ' missing ' dances and resolve issues raised by attempts to co-ordinate musical and spoken sources.

Golden Calves: The Role of Dance in Opera

Golden Calves: The Role of Dance in Opera