What is a ballerina costume made of? Ballerina costume for a girl: description, sewing tips

MBOU Secondary school No. 26
Essay

in the discipline "Classical dance"

"History of the ballet costume"

Completed:

Kuyanichenko Daria

Zaitseva L.A.

Kurgan, 2012

1. Concept: ballet and ballet costume.
BALLET(French ballet, from Italian balletto, from late Latin ballo - I dance), a type of musical and theatrical art, the content of which is expressed in choreographic images. As a rule, the term serves to designate an art form that developed during the 16th-19th centuries. in Europe and Russia, and spread throughout the world in the 20th century. Among other arts, ballet belongs to the spectacular synthetic, spatio-temporal types of artistic creativity. It includes dramaturgy, music, choreography, visual arts. But all of them exist in the ballet not by themselves and are not united mechanically, but are subordinated to the choreography, which is the center of their synthesis.

ballet costume it is part of the overall artistic intent. A costume in ballet should not only reveal the historical, social, national, individual characteristics of a particular character, but also be light, comfortable for dancing, and emphasize the structure of the body and dance. movement. The basis of the ballet costume is the dance "uniform" (leotard, tunic, "leotard", tunic, tutu), visually developed depending on specific images.

To a greater extent, the costumes of the main characters are usually individualized. The corps de ballet is more often dressed in the same way (at the same time, the costumes of the groups sometimes differ), except when it depicts a real, diverse crowd (examples are the first act of Don Quixote in the design of K. Korovin, the folk dances of Romeo and Juliet in the design of P. Williams and others). The unification of costumes in a mass dance (for example, in the dances of jeeps, swans, nereids from classical ballets or Katerina's friends in "The Stone Flower", Mekhmene Baku's "thoughts" in "The Legend of Love", etc.) emphasizes its emotional and symbolic meaning and corresponds to the unity and generalization of the dance composition. In creating costumes for individual characters, the artist in ballet achieves the unity of pictorial character and dance.

The task of the ballet artist is to express the ideological core of the performance, to create the environment and appearance of the action in forms that correspond to the figurative essence of the choreography. In this case, the artistic integrity of the performance is achieved, in which the visual solution embodies dramaturgy, music and choreography in their unity.

Costume in ballet, one of the important components of the design of the performance, which meets the requirements of both a specific ideological and figurative content, and the specifics of choreographic. art. The role of K. in b. more significant than in drama or opera, since ballet is devoid of verbal text and its spectacular side carries an increased load. As in other types of theater, K. in b. characterizes the characters, reveals their historical, social, national, individual characteristics. However, K. in b. must meet the requirements of danceability, i.e., be light and comfortable for dancing, not hide, but reveal the structure of the body, not constrain movements, but help them and emphasize them. Requirements figuratively-characteristic. concreteness and danceability often come into conflict with each other. As excessive "everything" and schematic. depletion K. in b. are extremes that can be justified in individual cases only by the special content and genre of a particular work. The skill of the artist in ballet lies in overcoming these contradictions and extremes, in achieving an organic unity of imagery and dance.
K. in b., being the clothes of the characters, at the same time there is an element of a holistic art. solving the performance, which puts forward the task of its coloristic and color coordination with the scenery, "fitting" into a single pictorial picture. The costume is the most "mobile" element to portray. ballet decor. Therefore, he can bring dynamic into it. the beginning, to fill with rhythms corresponding to the rhythms of the music. In this sense, K. in b. is, as it were, a connecting link in the synthesis of images. art and music in a ballet performance.
The costumes of the main characters are usually more individualized than those of the corps de ballet. The unification of the costumes of the corps de ballet emphasizes his emotional, and does not portray. meaning, corresponds to the unity and generalization of dances. compositions. The difference in color, and sometimes in the form of costumes, often reveals a contrast of decomp. corps de ballet groups in a mass dance or in polyphonically complex choreographic. compositions (for example, in the procession scene in the "Legend of Love", staged by Yu. N. Grigorovich, artist S. B. Virsaladze). In cases where the corps de ballet depicts a real, diverse crowd, its costumes can also be individualized (for example, the people in the 1st act of Don Quixote, staged by A. A. Gorsky, artist K. A. Korovin , 1900). The costumes of the main characters are usually consistent in cut and color with the costumes of the corps de ballet, combined with them according to the principle of unity or contrast, depending on the specific figurative content of the dance.
K. in b. historically changed in connection with the evolution of the choreographic. art. At the first stages of development, it almost did not differ from the everyday clothes of the court-aristocratic. environment. In baroque performances, the costume was especially lush and often heavy. During the period of classicism, a stylized antique tunic (tunic) appeared, and folk costumes began to penetrate into comedy ballets. The reformer of the ballet theater J. J. Nover in con. 18th century He made major changes to dress code, lightening it, simplifying shoes, and shortening women's dresses. However, the radical reform of K. in b., which led to the formation of its modern. foundations, occurred in the art of romanticism ("La Sylphide", 1832, "Giselle" in post. F. Taglioni and others). Instead of a household skirt, they began to use a long tunic (not to be confused with an antique tunic!), which became the predecessor of the pack; shoes with heels were replaced with special ballet shoes that allowed dancing en pointe. Contrasting real and fantastic. worlds were emphasized by costumes. The generalized-idealized nature of the symphony. dance compositions was expressed in the unity of the corps de ballet costumes. In the performances of A. Saint-Leon and M. I. Petipa, the romantic. the tunic was transformed into a pack, which later became shorter and shorter.
A significant contribution to the development of K. in b. brought Russian. early artists 20th century In L. S. Bakst, the very idea of ​​​​K. in b. was born in connection with the choreographic. movement; in his sketches, the costumes are presented in the sharply characteristic, often exaggerated movements of the dancers. The costumes of K. A. Korovin differ in color. richness and picturesque unity with the scenery. The subtle sense of the era and the individuality of the character, characteristic of A. N. Benois, was also reflected in his costumes. In the costumes of N. K. Roerich, the elemental power and primitive exoticism of his characters are conveyed. The artists of the "World of Art" often absolutized the colorful meaning of K. in b. and interpreted it as a purely picturesque spot in the overall picture, sometimes ignoring or even suppressing the dancer (for example, B. I. Anisfeld). But at the same time they unusually enriched the arts. expressiveness and figurativeness of K. in b.
In the owls ballet style costumes created in the 1920s. F. F. Fedorovsky and A. Ya. Golovin, was partly close to the painting traditions of the "World of Art". At the same time, representatives of free dance (followers of A. Duncan) revived the ancient tunic (tunic). In the experiments of K. Ya. Goleizovsky, the dancers performed their numbers in leotards, "leotards", which exposed the body, but at the same time the costume was reduced to a ballet uniform. Studio "Drum Ballet" N. S. Gremina cultivated everyday costume. Features of constructivism were reflected in the sketches of A. A. Exter, in "Dances of Machines" by N. M. Forreger, in the introduction of production uniforms in ballets about modernity ("The Bolt" in the design of T. G. Bruni, etc.). In the ballet drama of the 30-50s. artists strove for the maximum historical, social, everyday concretization of the costume, bringing it closer to dramatic costumes. theater ("Lost Illusions" by Asafiev in the design of V.V. Dmitriev, 1936, etc.). Of great importance in these years was the creation of the stage. options for nar. costumes, in connection with the wide distribution of ensembles of bunks. dance, national ballet troupes and popular scenes in ballet performances (The Flames of Paris, 1932, and Partisan Days by Asafiev, 1937, designed by Dmitriev; Heart of the Mountains, 1938, and Laurencia, 1939, designed by S. B. . Virsaladze and others). In contrast to the trends in the development of a ballet costume, characteristic of this period, from the end. 50s features of abstraction and schematism, monotony and monotony of ballet in ballet began to appear, especially in staging plotless ballets to the symphony. music.
Outstanding master K. in b. is S. B. Virsaladze. His works (especially in the performances staged by Yu. N. Grigorovich) are characterized by organic. unity of figurative characterization and danceability. The artist never impoverishes the costume, never turns it into a clean uniform and an abstract scheme. His costume always reflects the figurative features of the hero and at the same time is conceived in motion, created in unity with the idea and work of the choreographer. Virsaladze dresses not so much the characters as the dance. His costumes are distinguished by high, often refined taste. Their cut and color bring out and emphasize the dance. movement. The costumes in Virsaladze's performances are brought into a certain system that corresponds to the peculiarities of the choreography. They are matched in color with the scenery, developing their pictorial theme, adding new colorful strokes, dynamizing them in accordance with the dance and music. The works of Virsaladze are characterized by a kind of "picturesque symphonism", which means. the least created by the K. system in b.
Modern ballet theater is characterized by a variety of arts. costume solutions. He transforms the whole history. experience in the development of k. in b., subordinating it to special arts. objectives of a particular show.

(Source: Ballet. Encyclopedia, SE, 1981)

Balet tutu is of two types. "Chopin"

Both are sewn according to the most common "sun-flared" pattern - i.e. circle with a hole in the middle. Only the circle is taken with a deliberately larger diameter and the hole is made larger than the waist circumference. Then the resulting "ring" is collected in folds and sewn to the belt.

For a classic tutu, they take a very hard tulle, which costs a stake. For the Chopin tutu, organza is more often taken, it is softer.
In general, a classic (short) ballet tutu usually takes at least 2.5 meters of material, a Chopin one can take all 5-6.

Pointe shoes are a special type of footwear, which is fixed on the leg with the help of ribbons, and the toe is reinforced with a hard block. The word pointe comes from the French "tip".

1. 
   Ballet - early 17th century.

Ballroom dances, held at the court of monarchs, turn into performances where the dance was a clear geometric figure. The skill of ballet professionals was to ensure that each dancer was able to perform complex pirouettes and pas. For the first time, the teacher of the Royal Dance Academy, Pierre Beauchamp, clearly outlined the basic rules of ballet. This choreographer singled out the leading movements of the actor, without which he simply could not imagine ballet. Pierre Beauchamp believed that if you adhere to all the criteria, you can not only achieve perfection in dance, but also masterfully perform your ballet part on stage. In his rules, the choreographer of the Royal Academy considered the positions of the legs and arms, which have become key and it is on them that the whole dance is based. Since that time, the court dance turned into a ballet dance and began to be shown on the big stage.

French classical ballet was greatly influenced by Italian dance skills. What was an unbreakable tradition for French dancers, a departure from which was unacceptable, for Italian choreographers, the main thing in the dance was virtuosity, which determined the skill of the dancer. In the 17th-18th centuries, not only the dance itself began to be transformed, but the costumes of the actors also changed. In addition, if earlier only male dancers shone on the stage, then in the era of the Renaissance and Romanticism, women become symbols of ballet. However, often the women's costume was quite heavy and did not allow the performer to perform more complex movements, so it was believed that men were much more dexterous dancers. But the established stereotypes are broken in one hour by the ballerina Marie Camargo. She refuses long skirts, shortening hers as much as possible. And this gave freedom in movements and contributed to the virtuosity of performance. Gradually choreographers improve the technique of dance performance.

The Frenchman Jean Nover brought much to this, who criticized ballet dancers who used masks and costumes to express the character of the hero, while body movements corresponded only to classical ideas about ballet. Nover promotes that ballet should express all the features of the character through dance and music. Only the body, according to the choreographer, is so perfect that everyone can understand its language. At this time, ballet acquires the status of a genre of dramatic art and is actively staged on the stages of different countries of the world.

1. 
   The appearance of the ballet tutu.

Ballet, as an art, arose much earlier than modern clothes and accessories for ballet appeared. The first ballet tutu, similar to the one we now know, appeared as part of the general costume of the dancer Marie Taglioni during the show of "La Sylphide" in 1839. Like many other fashions of the time, it was created by French designer Eugène Lamy.

Talking about the ballet tutu, it is rather difficult not to go into history.

The history of the ballet costume is quite logical. When slow minuets dominated the stage, the costumes were long, heavy, embroidered with precious stones, with many petticoats and petticoats. As the dance became more complex, the costume evolved accordingly. At first, corsets were removed, skirts became shorter and lighter, and the neckline became more and more frank.

For the first time in what is now called a “tutu”, the ballerina Maria Taglioni, the first Sylphide and progenitor of the “romantic ballet” fluttered onto the stage (* Taglioni is also known for the fact that she was the first ballerina in the world to become pointe shoes, but more on that in the next once).

The hitherto unknown gauze skirt, woven, it seemed, out of thin air, legitimized the ballet costume. At first, dancers (especially with ugly crooked legs) even violently protested against innovations, but then they calmed down - this airy cloud looked very beautiful.

In general, as you understand, the more technical the dance became, the costume became simpler and shorter. Packs came to the form we are used to now somewhere in the middle of the 20th century.

Now let's deal with the names. Tutus are different and change their appearance, depending on the ballet.

Tutu- a funny French word that just translates as a pack. It is this word that is used in English to refer to a ballet skirt.

classic tutu- pancake-like round skirt. Ballerinas dance in such, as you probably guessed, in the most classical ballets: Swan Lake, Paquita, Corsair, Acts 2 and 3 of La Bayadère, The Nutcracker, etc.

The standard radius of the tutu is 48 cm. But most often the size of the circle varies - depending on the height of the ballerina, the party and the general style of the performance. Soloists, depending on their physical data, can independently choose the shape of the pack - decorating their legs: they are even, parallel to the floor, slightly lowered, with a magnificent bottom, or, conversely, completely flat.

But here is the thing: the classic tutu is a real Procrustean bed. It shows the slightest flaws in the figure, short knees and the lack of rehearsals.

There is even such a thing as non-tutu ballerina". Usually, this is a ballerina with not very long limbs, legs of an irregular shape or a shape that goes beyond what is permitted - in a word, with magnificent forms. “Non-pack ballerina” can also be called a ballerina whose role is bravura demi-character or, conversely, romantic parts. That is, Kitri, Giselle, Sylphide, but not Odette-Odile or Nikiya. The most striking examples of "non-tufted ballerinas" are Natalya Osipova and Diana Vishneva.

Diana Vishneva

Natalya Osipova

They managed to step over the role prescribed for them, and even in tutus that do not really decorate them, they look great - that's what charisma does to artists! By the way, the contradictory Osipova, the best Kitri in the world, recently appeared in Swan Lake - it would seem that the part of Odette-Odile was contraindicated for her. And nothing, many cried)

Romantic tutu or "chopinka"- long tulle skirt. It is she who is responsible for the creation of "otherworldly" fantastic images - the ghost of the deceased Giselle, the beautiful spirit of the Sylph. And the apotheosis of the romantic ballet "Chopiniana" is completely impossible to imagine without these wonderful airy skirts - they create the illusion of flight, air, freedom, the absolute unreality of what is happening.

A long fluffy skirt, of course, hides the ballerina's legs. On the one hand, it distracts from possible shortcomings, and on the other hand, it draws all attention to the feet. But romantic ballets are saturated with fine technique and ugly non-working feet without a high lift somewhat knock down the romantic mood.

There is also such a thing as tunic or tunic- this is the same tutu, ballet skirt.

Chiton- This is a one-layer skirt most often made of chiffon. In the chiton, for example, the part of Juliet is performed.

Packs, chopins, tunics, etc. there are both stage and rehearsal.

If the costume, for example, of Odette, in which the ballerina enters the stage, is a single whole - that is, the upper (bodice) and lower part (actually, the tutu) are sewn together, then the rehearsal costume is only a skirt with "panties" that is put on rehearsal leotard (shopenki - no panties, just a skirt on a yoke).

Rehearsal packs consist of fewer layers.

You ask, why a tutu at a rehearsal? After all, it is quite possible to get by with the standard rehearsal clothes- leotard and swimsuit. But it is imperative to rehearse in what the ballerina will then take to the stage - this way you can make sure that the skirt does not ride up, that the partner does not cling to it, in order to control the overall pattern of the dance.

1. 
   Maria Taglioni is her contribution to the history of ballet costume.

Before pointe, they danced in Louis XVI style high-heeled shoes or Greek sandals. Striving for airiness, the ballerinas rose on their toes (hence the term sur les pointes, to dance on the tips of their fingers): for this they put pieces of cork in their shoes. Such a trick, along with the lounges that helped to "fly" over the stage, was used in 1796 by the Frenchman Charles Didelot. He, along with the Italian Carlo Blasis, who described this dance technique in the book "Dance of Terpsichore", is credited with the invention of pointe shoes. The first ballerina who danced the ballet Zephyr and Flora in 1830 only on pointe shoes is the Italian Maria Taglioni. After the tour in St. Petersburg, fans bought her shoes and ... ate them with sauce. "Isn't that where the expression 'beef like a sole' comes from, which we hear so often in restaurants?" - thought the ballet historian Alexander Pleshcheev.

There is a legend: when Maria Taglioni crossed the border of Russia, at the customs she was asked: "Madame, where are your jewelry?" Taglioni lifted her skirts and, pointing to her legs, answered: "Here they are." Yes, her legs really were diamonds, and her dance literally made the audience cry with happiness. Taglioni first appeared before the St. Petersburg audience in 1837. It was not a success, but a triumph. Her name gained such popularity that the Taglioni caramel, the waltz The Return of Maria Taglioni, and even the Taglioni hats appeared. But in addition to ballet pointe shoes, Maria Taglioni presented art and the audience with another novelty, also presented for the first time in the ballet La Sylphide, - a snow-white tutu, which soon became a symbol of romantic ballet. This "cloud of gas" was invented by the artist and fashion designer Eugene Lamy. The light, weightless tunic, shaped like a half-blown flower, not only helped the dancer perform weightless, but technically complex jumps, but seemed to radiate a special, unearthly light, so necessary for romantic ballet. True, the image that Taglioni embodied on stage, long before the premiere, was offered to Parisians by all fashion magazines. Open shoulders, flowing streams of light fabric, some detachment.

But the Parisian women of fashion, in turn, borrowed her airy shawl from the ballet heroine: thrown over her shoulders and falling over her arms, she gave the lady's silhouette a melancholy look, like a sylph stopped in flight. But, of course, the main thing in the art of Taglioni, born April 23, 1804 in Stockholm, was her dance. She began to learn the basics of dance at the age of eight, and her debut took place on June 1, 1822 at the Vienna Theater in the part of Nyfma, in the ballet Reception of a Young Nymph at the Court of Terpsichore, staged by her father. Taglioni's contemporaries say that after the daily lesson given to her by her father, she often fell unconscious to the floor. With such bloody labor, she got a half-hour evening celebration.

The tale of Sylphide, the spirit of the air, mysterious and beautiful, who, with her love for the earthly youth, destroys both herself and him, turned out to be the point of application of all the creative forces of both father and daughter. Costume! It was in "Sylphide" that he was brought to perfection and remained unchanged to this day. The well-known artist and fashion designer E. Lamy was involved in its creation, using multi-layered lightweight fabric to create a lush and at the same time weightless tunic, or pack, as it was called in Russia.

In addition to the airy, bell-shaped skirt behind Taglioni's shoulders, light transparent wings were attached to the straps of the bodice. This theatrical detail now looks like a completely natural addition to the figure of the Sylph, equally capable of rising into the air and sinking to the ground at her whim. Mary's head was neatly combed and adorned with an elegant white corolla.

For the first time in La Sylphide, Taglioni danced not on half-toes, but on pointe shoes, which created the illusion of a light, almost accidental touch on the surface of the stage. It was a new means of expression - the audience saw Sylphide and her friends literally hovering above the ground.

Taglioni seemed to be woven from moonlight, mysteriously illuminating the stage. The audience involuntarily pressed back into their chairs, embraced by an anxiously admiring feeling of the unreality of what was happening: the ballerina had lost her human shell - she was floating in the air. This was contrary to common sense.

All in all, Taglioni's "La Sylphide" became an event with such a resonance that only social storms and great battles can claim. People experienced a genuine shock, they saw with their own eyes what talent is. But the part of the Sylph was alien to all sorts of technical effects. But this is what Taglioni's quiet revolution consisted of - a change in orientations, preferences, in the triumph of romanticism as a new era in choreography. How many years have passed since then, how many applause the scene saw when it seemed that in one easy jump the Sylph would be carried away forever!

In 1832, Marie married the Comte de Voisin, but continued to bear her maiden name and did not give up the stage. Leaving the theater in 1847, she lived mainly in Italy, in her own villas. Maria, in the first two years of marriage, gave birth to two children: a son and a daughter. She gave ballet lessons. Once again, she appeared in Paris, but only to encourage her student Emma Levy, a rising star who revived the classical ballet traditions that had been forgotten for some time after Taglioni's departure. For the same debutante, she wrote the ballet "Butterfly".

Maria Taglioni died in Marseille in 1884 and was buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery. On the tombstone is the following epitaph: "Ô terre ne pèse pas trop sur elle, elle a si peu pesé sur toi" (Earth, do not press too hard on it, because it stepped on you so easily).

1. 
   Pointe shoes

In God we trust. All others must bring data.

Battle for the body or Men's ballet costume: from camisole and pantaloons to full nudity

Today it seems that the body in dance has always been open to the viewer: the less it is worn, the better. In fact, the ballet was born swaddled from head to toe. Everything was hiding and hiding, but the dance could not come to terms with such injustice. And the great battle began for the body, free from costume shackles.

For men in a ballet costume, it all started with such a bells and whistles that today it is impossible to even imagine how in such outfits one could not only dance, but simply move around the stage. But the dancers showed themselves to be real fighters for the complete liberation of the body from the rag shackles. True, the path that they had to travel to appear in front of the audience almost naked, only covering the "shame" with a fig leaf called a bandage, or even naked, turned out to be long, thorny and scandalous.

Skirt on the frame

What was a dancer in the early days of ballet? The artist's face was hidden by a mask, his head was decorated with a high wig with fluffy fluffy hair, the ends of which fell on his back. Over the wig was put on another incredible headdress. Suit fabrics were heavy, dense, generously whipped. The dancer appeared on stage in a skirt on a frame, reaching almost to the knee, and in high-heeled shoes. Mantles of gold and silver brocade were also used in men's attire, reaching back to the heels. Well, just a Christmas tree, just not glowing with multi-colored electric bulbs.

By the end of the 18th century, the ballet costume gradually began to change, becoming lighter and more elegant. The reason is the more complicated dance technique, which requires the release of the male body from heavy outfits. Costume innovations, as always, are dictated by the trendsetter - Paris. The lead performer now wears a Greek tunic and sandals, the straps of which wrap around the ankle and base of the calf of the bare legs. The dancer of the demi-character genre performs in a short camisole, knickers and long stockings, the dancer of the characteristic role - in a theatrical shirt with an open collar, jacket and pants. In the second half of the 18th century, such an important attribute of men's attire appears, which, by the way, has survived to this day, as a flesh-colored tights. This amazing invention is attributed to the costume designer of the Paris Opera Mallo. But this talented monsieur hardly imagined that in the 20th century his tightly knit product would turn into something elastic, seductively fitting not only the legs, but also the bulges between them. Why is a man's dignity, if it is, of course, a dignity tightly covered with a translucent fabric, will look extremely erotic, attracting the eager attention of some spectators who especially love ballet. But before that it was still far away.

Albert without pants

Everything went according to tradition and decency, until the great reformer of the ballet theater and a passionate admirer of the hot male body, Sergei Diaghilev, showed the world his entreprise - Diaghilev's Russian Seasons. This is where it all started - scandals, noise, hysteria and all sorts of stories associated with both Diaghilev himself and his lovers. After all, if earlier a ballerina reigned on the stage, and the dancer played the role of an obedient gentleman with her - he helped with rotation so that he would not fall, lifted him higher to show the balletomanes what was under her skirts, then Diaghilev makes the dancer the main character of his performances. And, as a rule, a dancer with whom he lives an active sex life.

To work on his ballets, Diaghilev attracts outstanding artists of our time. Some of them are also partial to the male body.

A loud scandal, connected not with Diaghilev's special sexual orientation, but only with a stage costume, erupted in 1911 at the play "Giselle", in which Vaslav Nijinsky - Diaghilev's official lover - danced Count Albert. The dancer was wearing everything that was required for the role - a leotard, a shirt, a short tunic, but there were no panties, which were mandatory for a dancer at that time. And therefore, Nijinsky's expressive hips appeared to the audience in their frank appetizing, which outraged Empress Maria Feodorovna, who was present at the performance.

The scandalous story ended with the dismissal of Nijinsky "for disobedience and disrespect" to the imperial stage. But the dance search for the artist did not stop, he continued his struggle for the freedom of the body in dance. In the same year, Nijinsky appeared in the ballet "The Phantom of the Rose" in a costume designed by Lev Bakst, fitting the figure like a glove. A little later, in The Afternoon of a Faun, the dancer Nijinsky appears on stage in such a bold leotard, which still looks modern and sexy today. True, all these revelations are already taking place outside the native, but stubborn Russia.

That sweet word is bandage

In the fifties, the wizard of dance, idolizing the body, especially the male, Maurice Bejart came up with a universal outfit for the dancer and dancer: a girl in black tights, a young man in tights and bare-chested. Then the young man's outfit is improved, and the young man remains in only one bandage.

What is a bandage? It's such a spiciness! Something like swimming trunks, but the buttocks are completely open, and between them there is a thin ribbon, which is not visible at all, because it is buried between the buttocks, revealing to the audience all their seductive charm.

Buttocks, elastic as two melons

But in the Soviet Union, as you know, there was no sex. He was not on the ballet stage either. Yes, of course, love existed, but pure - "The Fountain of Bakhchisaray", "Romeo and Juliet", but no frankness. This also applies to men's clothing. The dancer put on tight underpants, over them tights, and on top of the tights also cotton-wool pants. Even though you look through the most powerful telescope, you will not see any charms. All this disfigured the figure, was contrary to the aesthetics of dance, but correlated with the laws of the country of victorious socialism, where there is neither sex nor a naked body.

The phrase of the Minister of Culture Ekaterina Furtseva, addressed to Maya Plisetskaya, who danced in the Carmen Suite with very open legs, sounds like an anecdote today: "Maya, cover your thighs, this is the Bolshoi Theater!" But it was the 70s. And is it not an anecdote that in the magazine "Soviet Ballet" the editor-in-chief personally looked at the photographs of the dancers. Since the bulges that are in the groin of men could be printed on the photo. And the Central Committee did not approve of such frankness. That's why the editor-in-chief was worried. And if she found a criminal photograph with a man's dignity clearly expressed on it, then the dignity was necessarily retouched.

Nevertheless, there were shameless daredevils in the Soviet fatherland who did not want to put up with such a uniform. They say that at one of the performances at the Kirov (Mariinsky) Theater, in 1957, the outstanding dancer Vakhtang Chabukiani appeared on stage in a very frank form: in white leggings worn directly on his naked body. Success has surpassed all conceivable limits. Sharp-tongued, the outstanding ballet teacher Agrippina Vaganova, at the sight of the dancer, turned to those sitting with her in the box and quipped: "I see such a bouquet even without eyepieces!"

In the footsteps of Chabukiani, another Kirovsky dancer followed, at that time not yet a ballet dissident and a world-famous gay, but just a theater soloist, Rudolf Nureyev. The first two acts of "Don Quixote" he danced in a traditional costume, permitted by the Soviet authorities - in tights, over which short pants with puffs were worn. Before the third act, a real scandal erupted behind the scenes: the artist wanted to wear only a white tight-fitting leotard over a special ballet bandage and no pants: “I don’t need these lampshades,” he said. The theatrical authorities dragged out the intermission for an hour, trying to persuade Nureyev. When the curtain finally opened, the audience was shocked: it seemed to everyone that he forgot to put on his pants.

Rudolf generally strove for maximum nudity. In Corsair, he went out with a bare chest, and in Don Quixote, an incredibly thin leotard created the illusion of bare skin. But at full power, the artist turned around already outside the Soviet homeland. So, in the "Sleeping Beauty", staged by him for the National Ballet of Canada, Nureyev appears wrapped in a floor-length cloak. Then he turns his back to the audience and slowly, slowly lowers the cloak until it freezes just below the buttocks.

For the ballet "Lucifer" designer Holston designed Rudolph a gold bandage with precious stones, which he decided to sew directly on the dancer. One can only imagine what feelings overwhelmed the designer, who buried his nose in Nureyev's crotch and felt the sweetest parts of his body! But Nureyev had no time for feelings - a few days ago he twisted his ankle and therefore yelled angrily at Holston: "Take my bandage and do whatever you want with it, but let me rest for at least an hour!" Holston was very offended, promising never to work with Nureyev again.

Nureyev was a pioneer in nudity in Leningrad, and in Moscow he was rivaled by Maris Liepa. Like Nureyev, he adored his body and just as resolutely exposed it. It was Liepa who was the first in the capital to take the stage in a bandage worn under a tights. His son, Andris Liepa, in the years when there were no taboos regarding the costume, appeared with a naked torso and in tights, which, it seemed, would burst in the most seductive places from overexertion.

Between the legs - coat shoulder

Theater artist Alla Kozhenkova says:

We did one ballet performance. During the fitting of the costume, the soloist tells me that he does not like the costume. I can’t understand what’s the matter: everything fits well, he looks great in this suit ... And suddenly it dawns on me - he doesn’t like the codpiece, it seems that it is too small. The next day I say to the dressmaker: "Please take the shoulder from the coat and insert it into the bandage." She told me: "Why? Why?" I told her: "Listen, I know what I'm saying, he will like it." At the next fitting, the dancer puts on the same costume and happily tells me: "You see, it has become much better." And after a second he adds: "Only it seems to me that you inserted a female shoulder, but it is small ... you need to insert a male one." I couldn't help laughing, but I did as he asked. The dressmaker sewed a shoulder from the raglan sleeve of a man's coat into the bandage. The artist was in seventh heaven with happiness.

Once a hare's foot was inserted, but now it is no longer in fashion - not the format, but the coat shoulder is what you need.

Everything is filmed

In fact, today you can’t surprise the audience with anything: neither a man in a tutu, nor the tightest leotards, or even a bandage. If only with a naked body... Today, more and more often, a naked body appears in groups that practice modern dance. This is a kind of bait and seductive toy. A naked body can be sad, pathetic or playful.

Such a joke was played in Moscow a few years ago by the American troupe Ted Shawn's Dancing Men. Young people appeared on the stage, modestly dressed in short women's dresses, reminiscent of combinations. No sooner had the dance begun than the auditorium went into ecstasy. The fact is that under the skirts the men were wearing nothing. The audience, in a mad desire to get a better look at the rich men's economy, which suddenly opened up to them, almost flew off their seats. The heads of the enthusiastic spectators twisted after the dance pirouettes, and the eyes seemed to be going out of the eyepieces of the binoculars, which in an instant stuck to the stage where the dancers frolicked heartily in their mischievous dance. It was both funny and exciting, stronger than any of the coolest striptease.

At the end of the 20th century, the body won over the costume in the struggle for its freedom. And it's natural. After all, what is a ballet performance? It is a dance of bodies awakening the bodies of the spectators. And it is best to watch such a performance with the body, not with the eyes. It is for this bodily awakening of the audience that the dance body needs complete freedom. So long live freedom!

Baranova Anastasia, student of 5 "B" class

The history of creation and features of the Russian ballet costume

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What is ballet?

Ballet ( fr. ballet, from ital. ballo - dancing) - kind of stage performanceart; performance, the content of which is embodied in musical and choreographic images. A classic ballet performance is based on a certain plot,dramatic idea, libretto, V XX centurya plotless ballet appeared, the dramaturgy of which is based on the development inherent in music. The main types of dance in ballet areclassical dance And character dance. An important role is playedpantomime, with the help of which the actors convey the feelings of the characters, their "conversation" among themselves, the essence of what is happening. In modern ballet, other dance techniques are widely used, as well as elements of gymnastics, acrobatics, martial arts, etc.

The birth of ballet.

Dance classEdgar Degas,

At the beginning - as a dance scene united by a single action or mood, an episode in a musical performance, an opera. Borrowed fromItaly, in Franceblooms like a magnificent solemn spectacle -court ballet. The beginning of the ballet era in France and around the world should be considered October 151581, when a spectacle was presented at the French court, which is considered to be the first ballet - “The Comedy Ballet of the Queen” (or “Cerceus”), staged by an Italian violinist, “chief quartermaster of music”Baltasarini de Belgioso. The musical basis of the first ballets was court dances, which were part of the old suite. In the second half17th centurynew theatrical genres are emerging, such ascomedy-ballet, opera-ballet, in which a significant place is given to ballet music, and attempts are made todramatize. But ballet becomes an independent type of stage art only in the second half of theXVIII centurythanks to the reforms carried out by the French choreographerJean Georges Noverre.

Russian ballet.

In Russia, the first ballet performance took place on February 8, 1673 at the court of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow. The national identity of Russian ballet began to take shape at the beginning of the 19th century thanks to the work of the French choreographer Charles-Louis Didelot. A real revolution in ballet music was made by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who introduced continuous symphonic development, deep figurative content, and dramatic expressiveness into it. The music of his ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, along with the symphonic music, acquired the ability to reveal the inner course of the action, embody the characters of the characters in their interaction, development, and struggle. The beginning of the 20th century was marked by innovative searches, the desire to overcome the stereotypes and conventions of the academic ballet of the 19th century...

Ballet costume: what do ballerinas dance in?

The history of the ballet costume is quite logical. When slow minuets dominated the stage, the costumes were long, heavy, embroidered with precious stones, with many petticoats and petticoats. As the dance became more complex, the costume evolved accordingly. At first, corsets were removed, skirts became shorter and lighter, and the neckline became more and more frank.

Pack.

For the first time in what is now called a "tutu", the ballerina Maria Taglioni, the first Sylph and progenitor of"romantic ballet" (Taglioni is also known for the fact that she was the first ballerina in the world to become pointe shoes, but more on that later).

The hitherto unknown gauze skirt, woven, it seemed, out of thin air, legitimized the ballet costume. At first, the dancers (especially those with ugly crooked legs) even violently protested against the innovations, but then they calmed down - this airy cloud looked very beautiful.

In general, as you understand, the more technical the dance became, the costume became simpler and shorter. Packs came to the form we are used to now somewhere in the middle of the 20th century.

Now let's deal with the names. Tutus are different and change their appearance, depending on the ballet.

Tutu is a funny French word that just translates as a pack. It is this word that is used in English to refer to a ballet skirt.

The classic tutu is a pancake-like round skirt. Ballerinas dance in such, as you probably guessed, in the most classical ballets: Swan Lake, Paquita, Corsair, Acts 2 and 3 of La Bayadère, The Nutcracker, etc.

The standard radius of the tutu is 48 cm. But most often the size of the circle varies - depending on the height of the ballerina, the party and the general style of the performance. Soloists, depending on their physical data, can independently choose the shape of the pack - decorating their legs: they are even, parallel to the floor, slightly lowered, with a magnificent bottom, or, conversely, completely flat.

Romantic tutu or "chopinka"- long tulle skirt. It is she who is responsible for the creation of "otherworldly" fantastic images - the ghost of the deceased Giselle, the beautiful spirit of the Sylph. And the apotheosis of the romantic ballet "Chopiniana" is completely impossible to imagine without these wonderful airy skirts - they create the illusion of flight, air, freedom, the absolute unreality of what is happening.

A long fluffy skirt, of course, hides the ballerina's legs. On the one hand, it distracts from possible shortcomings, and on the other hand, it attractsall attention to the feet. But romantic ballets are saturated with fine technique and ugly non-working feet without a high lift somewhat knock down the romantic mood.

There is also such a thing astunic or tunic- this is the same tutu, ballet skirt.

Chiton - This is a one-layer skirt most often made of chiffon. In the chiton, for example, the part of Juliet is performed.

Packs, chopins, tunics, etc. are like stage and rehearsal.

If the costume, for example, of Odette, in which the ballerina enters the stage, is a single whole - that is, the upper (bodice) and lower part (actually, the tutu) are sewn together, then the rehearsal costume is only a skirt with "panties" that is put on rehearsal leotard (shopenki - no panties, just a skirt on a yoke).

Rehearsal packs consist of fewer layers.

You ask, why a tutu at a rehearsal? After all, it is quite possible to get by with standard rehearsal clothes - leotards and a swimsuit. But it is imperative to rehearse in what the ballerina will then take to the stage - this way you can make sure that the skirt does not ride up, that the partner does not cling to it, in order to control the overall pattern of the dance.

Pointe shoes

Pointe shoes (from fr. pointe - point; sometimes pegs or helmets) -shoes, which is centuries, gradually turning into an indispensable element of classical ballet. Pointe dance is exclusively female.

This word has two closely related meanings.

1. Pointe shoes are called the tips of the toes. To dance on pointe - means to dance, relying not entirely on the entire foot, but only on pointe shoes. This system of ballet dance began to be used at the very beginning of the 19th century.

2. Pointe shoes are special ballet slippers in which the ballerina dances, leaning on the tips of her toes (on pointe shoes). Used when performing female classicaldance.

For the first time on stage in pointe shoes with a hard cork lining, she appeared on July 3, 1830.Maria Taglionias Flora in the ballet "Zephyr and Flora" V covent garden , London. She was the very first to dance on pointe-fingers - in 1832 in a ParisianGrand Opera in the ballet sylph» staged F. Taglioni . And the very first Russian ballerina - a pointe performer is calledAvdotya Istomin.

Men's ballet costume.

The history of the men's ballet costume began with costumes of such a complex design that it is now very difficult to imagine how one could even just walk in such outfits, not to mention how to perform various complex tricks while dancing. But over time, ballet dancers won the difficult struggle to free themselves not only from complicated and uncomfortable costumes, but also from a large number of clothes in principle.

However, for this they had to go a long and hard way. The first ballet dancers performed in masks and high wigs with luxuriantly whipped hair, over which a headdress was worn. They wore knee-length framed skirts, long robes, and the like. Dancing men in high-heeled shoes. By the end of the 18th century, the dance technique became more complicated, and the costumes became lighter and more elegant. And over the following centuries, costumes become lighter and more frank, reaching such extremes as a bandage and even full nudity. Today, classical ballet dancers usually perform in tight leotards and turtlenecks or with an open torso, striking the audience with the grace of their movements and the perfection of a trained body.

The costumes of the "princes" in various performances can be considered a real work of art. Since the decoration uses a large amount of brocade, velvet, gold and silver cords and braid, various jewelry and stones. Ballet costumes of courtiers (tunics orcamisoles), also richly decorated with a variety of finishes. The costumes of minor characters, although they do not have bright finishes, also look interesting, for example, the armor of knights or the guards of the Sultan.

When, during the performance, music, dance, light, scenery and costumes merge together, you experience a real feeling of delight. Especially if you watch classical productions - The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Karsary, Swan Lake and others. Amazing performances performed by real ballet masters.

On March 12, 1839, the ballet tutu appeared. In this outfit, Maria Taglioni appeared on the Parisian stage, performing the part of the Sylph in the production of the same name. The tutu, which is a puffy multi-layered skirt, made a splash. Over time, this particular costume has become traditional for ballerinas.

How did ballerinas dress before the advent of the tutu.

A ballerina in the mind of any person is certainly represented in a tutu. This stage costume has become an integral part of classical ballet. However, this was not always the case. The modern image of a ballerina, before being finally formed, has undergone a lot of changes and has come a long way.

Many may be surprised, but until the second half of the 19th century, ballerinas performed on stage simply in elegant dresses, which differed little from those in which the spectators came. It was a dress with a corset, a little shorter than usual, rather bulky. Ballerinas always performed in heels. The share of ballerinas was a little facilitated by the new fashion for antiquity. By the way, mythological plots began to be used in ballet, for example, Cupid and Psyche. Ladies began to wear airy, translucent dresses with a high waist. They were even slightly wetted so that the fabric fits the body better. Tights were worn under the dresses, and sandals were worn on the feet. But over time, the technique of ballerinas became more complicated and lighter clothes were required for the stage. First, the prima abandoned corsets, then shortened the skirts, and the dress itself began to fit like a second skin.

Who invented the pack.

For the first time in a ballet tutu, Maria Taglione appeared before the audience on March 12, 1839. On this day, there was the premiere of "La Sylphide", in which the ballerina performed the main part of the fairy fairy. For such a role, an appropriate outfit was required. It was invented for the daughter of Filippo Taglioni. According to one version, the clumsy figure of Mary became the impetus for the creation of the later classical ballet clothes. To hide the flaws, Taglioni came up with a dress that gave the whole appearance of the heroine airiness and grace. The dress was created according to the sketches of Eugene Lamy. Then the skirt was sewn from tulle. True, in those days the tutu was not at all as short as it is now. The next "transformation" of the pack happened a little later. But at first the ballet world took even such a modest attire with hostility. The tutu was especially not to the taste of ballerinas with not very beautiful legs. But the delight of the audience and art critics, who admired the airiness of the dancers, knew no bounds. Not the last role in this was played by a pack. So this costume took root, and then became a classic.

By the way, there is a legend about Maria Taglioni. When she passed the border with Russia, the customs officers asked if she was carrying jewelry. Then the ballerina lifted her skirt and showed her legs. Maria was the first to take pointe shoes.

Maria Tiglioni in the ballet Zephyr and Flora. This is what the first pack looked like, now it is called "shopenka"

How the tutu got accustomed in Russia.

Tsarist Russia was conservative and did not immediately accept the novelty. This happened only half a century later. But it was in our country that the pack changed again. The innovator was the prima of the Bolshoi Theater Adeline Dzhuri in the early 1900s. The capricious lady did not like the long skirt in which she was to pose for photographers. The ballerina just took the scissors and cut off a decent piece of the hem. Since then, the fashion for short packs has gone.

How else has the pack changed.

Although since the beginning of the 20th century the tutu has acquired the shape and form that we know to this day, people have always experimented with it. In productions such as those of Marius Petipa, the ballerina could change into different styles of costume. In some scenes, she appeared in the usual "civilian" dress, and for solo parts she put on a tutu to demonstrate all her skills and talent. Anna Pavlova performed in a long and wide skirt. In the 1930s and 1940s, the ballet tutu from the 19th century returned to the stage. Only now she was called differently - "shopenka". And all because Mikhail Fokin dressed the dancers in his Chopiniana. Other directors at the same time used a short and lush tutu. And since the 60s, it has turned into just a flat circle. Whatever the pack is decorated with: rhinestones, glass beads, feathers, precious stones.

What are packs made of?

Ballet tutus are sewn from a light translucent fabric - tulle. First, designers create a sketch. Of course, the features of the figure of each ballerina are taken into account, and therefore the sketch of the dress for each dancer is different. The width of the tutu depends on the height of the ballerina. On average, its radius is 48 cm. Next, seamstresses get down to business. This is painstaking work, because the craftswomen need to lay the folds of the fabric in a certain way. One pack takes more than 11 meters of tulle. It takes about two weeks to make one pack. With all the variety of models, there are strict rules for tailoring. For example, neither zippers nor buttons are ever sewn onto packs, which can come off during a performance. Only hooks are used as fasteners, but in strict sequence, or rather, in a checkerboard pattern. And sometimes, if the production is particularly difficult, the tutus are sewn up by hand on the dancer before going on stage.

What are the packs.

The pack has many names. So, if you hear the words “tunic” or “tutu” somewhere, know that they mean the same pack. Now let's figure out what types of packs are.

The classic tutu is a pancake-shaped skirt. By the way, the soloists are directly involved in the creation of their costume. They can opt for a tutu shape that can be parallel to the floor or with a slightly dropped skirt.

"Shopenka", a long skirt, I also sew from tulle. This form of skirt is very good for creating mythical characters or inanimate creatures. The advantage of such an outfit is that it hides insufficiently tightened knees and other shortcomings, but it draws attention to the feet.

Another type of dress that does not go out of ballet use is a tunic. His skirt is single-layer, sewn more often from chiffon. In this dress, the role of Juliet is played.

General rehearsal of the ballet "Onegin" by John Cranko

Why do we need tutus during rehearsals.

For rehearsals of ballet performances, tutus are sewn separately. They are easier to put on and take off than those in which ballerinas go on stage. So, all parts of a stage costume can be sewn together, while for rehearsals a bodice is not needed, but only a skirt with panties is used. Also, rehearsal packs don't have that many layers. A rehearsal tutu is a must. After all, dancers should immediately see where the tutu will interfere, where it can ride up or be hurt by a partner. And the director will be able to form a dance pattern.

Where is the tutu used?

The tutu is so firmly entrenched that it is used not only on the ballet stage. True, outside of her pack serves for comic numbers of variety artists and even in the circus.

Grace that captivates the eye, magnificent pantomime, music that stirs to the depths of the soul - these are the words I describe my feelings after attending the ballet. Ballerinas flutter like butterflies, barely touching the stage. Each movement seems light and airy, and you can’t take your eyes off the elegant costumes of the dancers .

The history of ballet began around 1400. The birthplace of this dance is Italy, but many associate ballet with France.

This is because it was in France that he gained strength and gained popularity, thanks to the choreographer Jean Georges Nover. The ballet costume at that time consisted of many layers and heavy fabrics, which did not allow dancers to perform the most elegant poses and movements. for long puffy and heavy skirts.

The revolution in the world of ballet fashion in the 19th century was made by the Italian ballerina Maria Taglioni. Even as a girl, Taglioni participated in various productions, but each of her appearances was different in that she refused the then fashionable high-heeled shoes, puffy dresses, makeup and wigs, and appeared on stage in a simple dress. It was she who first performed the dance on pointe socks and in a tutu skirt, which was made especially for her in 1839 according to a sketch by designer Eugene Lamy. A light tunic flowing through the air, resembling the shape of a flower, helped the ballerina perform movement technique and radiate fabulous unearthly light.

In France, there is even a custom among young people to leave their first pointe shoes on the grave of their predecessor. This spectacle, however, is not very impressive ...

Pointe shoes
The first ballet shoes appeared in the 19th century, before that, special corks, about 2 fingers thick, were put into ballerinas' shoes. Because of this, the shoes quickly wore out and became unusable.
Modern ballet shoes are made individually for each dancer, and not according to the usual standard sizes. Measurements are taken from the legs of ballerinas and a wooden block is processed, repeating the contour of the foot. A strong leather sole is nailed to the block, which is much smaller than the size of the foot and sheathed with material, most often satin fabric. Pointe shoes must be the same shape as the last, so they are hammered to the perfect shape. The insoles in pointe shoes are usually made of cardboard and leather, which gives flexibility to the movements of the foot. .After drying, the block becomes so hard that it can even hammer nails.

ballet tutu
As I wrote above, for the first time a ballet tutu was created for the romantic and fragile Taglioni. There are two types of ballet tutu skirts: classical and chopinka (tunic).
The classic tutu is multi-layered, 10-15 layers of material and a rigid hoop are used in its manufacture. It takes about three days of painstaking and constant work to make one such tutu. a magnificent view, it is stored in a suspended state.