The origins of ballet - Jennifer Tortorello and Adrienne Westwood

Translator: Nika Kotnik Reviewer: Matej Divjak

Can you imagine a party where every movement,

Si lahko predstavljate zabavo, kjer bi bil vsak gib,

from the slightest gesture to walking across the room,

od najneznatnejše geste do hoje čez sobo,

and every visual detail,

in vsaka vizualna podrobnost,

from furniture to hemline length,

od pohištva do dolžine roba krila,

were governed by a complex system of rules and procedures?

določal kompleksen sistem pravil in postopkov?

For centuries, such rituals were commonplace for European nobility.

Stoletja so bili taki rituali pogosti med evropskimi plemiči.

And while they've gone out of fashion,

In čeprav sedaj niso več moderni,

we recognize the components under a familiar label:

te komponente prepoznamo pod znano oznako:

ballet.

balet.

Ballet, from Italian "balletto," or little dance,

Balet, iz italijanske besede "baletto", oziroma mali ples,

originated in Renaissance Italy as a combination of social dance

izvira iz renesančne Italije kot kombinacija družabnega plesa

and choreographed display at aristocratic gatherings.

in koreografiranega nastopa na aristokratskih srečanjih.

In many aspects, it was a way of controlling people in court

V več pogledih je bil to način za nadzor dvorjanov

with acceptable forms of behavior,

s sprejemljivimi oblikami obnašanja,

such as the manner in which people stepped, bowed, or took someone's hand.

kot na primer način hoje, priklona ali stiska roke.

It also involved rules governing everything from attire

Prav tako vključuje pravila, ki določajo vse od obleke

to where one could walk or sit in relation to the King.

do tega, kje lahko nekdo hodi ali sedi glede na kralja.

Over time, the study of ballet became a central element of court life,

Čez čas je poznavanje baleta postalo osrednji element dvornega življenja

and proper grasp of the etiquette could make or break one's success as a courtier.

in poznavanje bontona je odločalo o uspehu dvorjanov.

Many of these court gestures can still be seen in modern ballet techniques.

Veliko teh dvornih gest lahko še vedno vidimo v modernem baletu.

Ballet was brought to France in the 16th century

Balet je v Francijo v 16. stoletju prinesla

by Catherine de' Medici,

Katarina Medičejska,

the Italian wife of King Henry II.

italijanska žena Henrika drugega.

As celebrations became more lavish, so did the dance,

Ko so praznovanja postala bolj razkošna, je tak postal tudi ples,

with dancing masters teaching elaborate steps to young nobles

plesni mojstri so mlade plemiče učili zapletene korake

and story elements providing a unifying theme.

in elementi zgodbe so ponujali skupno temo.

The focus shifted from participation to performance,

Fokus se je premaknil od sodelovanja k predstavi,

and the form acquired more theatrical trappings,

in forma je pridobila več teatralnih rekvizitov

such as professionally designed sets

kot na primer profesionalno oblikovano sceno

and a slightly raised platform or stage with curtains and wings.

in rahlo dvignjeno platformo ali oder z zavesami in krili.

But it was in the 17th century court of Louis XIV

A dvor Ludvika XIV. v 17. stoletju

that ballet was refined into the art we know today.

je spremenil balet v umetnost, ki jo poznamo sedaj.

Louis himself had been trained in ballet from childhood.

Ludvika so v baletu trenirali od otroštva.

His early role as the sun god Apollo at age fifteen

Njegova vloga sončnega boga Apolona pri petnajstih

cemented the central role ballet would play during his reign.

je ustoličila centralno vlogo, ki jo je balet igral med njegovo vladavino.

It also earned him the title of Sun King,

Prav tako mu je prislužila naslov Sončnega Kralja,

with his splendid golden costume and choreography

zaradi njegovega krasnega zlatega kostuma in koreografije,

that promoted the idea of the king as a divinely ordained ruler.

ki je promovirala idejo kralja, ki je poslan od boga.

Louis would go on to perform 80 roles in 40 major ballets,

Ludvik je nastopal v 80 vlogah v 40 velikih baletih

either as a majestic lead,

ali v veličastni glavni vlogi,

or sometimes playing minor or comedic parts

ali pa je včasih igral manjše ali komične vloge,

before emerging in the lead role as the end.

preden se je na koncu pokazal v glavni vlogi.

He trained daily in ballet,

Dnevno je treniral balet,

as well as fencing and riding,

tako kot mečevanje in ježo,

and through his example,

in po njegovem vzoru

dancing became an essential skill for all gentlemen of the era.

je ples postal nujna veščina za vse gospode v tem času.

But Louis XIV's main contribution to ballet was not as a performer.

A glavni prispevek Ludvika XIV. k baletu ni bil njegov ples.

His founding of the Royal Academy of Dance in 1661

Ustanovitev Kraljeve Akademije za ples leta 1661

shifted control of ballet from local guilds to the royal court.

je kontrolo baleta premaknilo z lokalnih združenj na kraljevi dvor.

As director,

Kot direktor

he appointed his personal ballet master and frequent performance partner

je namestil svojega baletnega mojstra in pogostega plesnega partnerja,

Pierre Beauchamp,

Pierra Beuchampa,

who codified the five main positions of the body still used today.

ki je določil pet glavnih drž telesa, ki so v uporabi še danes.

Through is collaborations with Jean-Baptiste Lully,

V sodelovanju z Jean-Baptistom Lullyjem,

the director of the Royal Music Academy,

direktorjem Kraljeve akademije za glasbo,

and famed playwright Molière,

in slavnim piscem Moliérom,

Beauchamp helped establish ballet as a grand spectacle.

je Beuchamp pomagal balet narediti v veliki spektakel.

And in 1669, a separate ballet academy was founded.

In leta 1669 je bila ustanovljena posebna Akademija za balet.

The Paris Opera Ballet survives today as the oldest ballet company in the world.

Balet pariške Opere je danes najstarejša baletna skupina na svetu.

Ballet moved away from the royal court to the theater

Balet se je premaknil s kraljevega dvora v gledališče

and survived the democratic revolutions and reforms

in preživel demokratične revolucije in reforme,

that followed over the next century.

ki so sledile v naslednjem stoletju.

With the advent of the romantic movement,

S prihodom romantičnega gibanja

fantasy and folklore themes became common motifs.

so fantazijske in folklorne teme postale pogost motiv.

And though the influence of ballet in France would decline,

In čeprav se je vpliv baleta v Franciji zmanjšal,

other countries, such as Russia,

je v drugih državah, na primer v Rusiji,

would play a major role in its further development.

igral veliko vlogo v njihovem nadaljnjem razvoju.

Fortunately, today most of us don't have to learn a complicated set of steps

Na srečo se večini od nas ni treba učiti zapletenih korakov,

just to socialize at a wedding.

da bi se lahko družili na poroki.

Instead, we can go to the theater to see professionals

Namesto tega gremo lahko v gledališče, da vidimo profesionalce,

who spend their lives training rigorously

ki celo življenje trdo trenirajo,

to perform feats that would have been unimagineable in Louis XIV's day.

da izvajajo mojstrovine, ki bi bile v času Ludvika XIV. nepredstavljive.