The origins of ballet - Jennifer Tortorello and Adrienne Westwood

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

Can you imagine a party where every movement,

Možete li da zamislite zabavu na kojoj je svaki pokret,

from the slightest gesture to walking across the room,

od najmanjeg gesta do prelaska preko prostorije,

and every visual detail,

i svaki vidljivi detalj,

from furniture to hemline length,

od nameštaja do oboda toalete,

were governed by a complex system of rules and procedures?

vođen složenim sistemom pravila i procedura?

For centuries, such rituals were commonplace for European nobility.

Vekovima su slični rituali bili svakodnevnica evropskih plemića.

And while they've gone out of fashion,

I, iako su izašli iz mode,

we recognize the components under a familiar label:

njihove sastavne delove prepoznajemo pod poznatom oznakom -

ballet.

balet.

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

Balet, od italijanske reči "baletto", to jest mali ples,

originated in Renaissance Italy as a combination of social dance

nastao je u renesansnoj Italiji kao spoj društvenog plesa

and choreographed display at aristocratic gatherings.

i koreografskog prikaza na aristokratskim okupljanjima.

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

Na razne načine, to je bio vid kontrole ljudi na dvoru

with acceptable forms of behavior,

prihvatljivim načinom ponašanja,

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

poput manira kojim ljudi prilaze, prave naklon ili uzimaju nečiju ruku.

It also involved rules governing everything from attire

On je takođe uključivao pravila koja su određivala sve, od odeće

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

do mesta gde neko može da hoda ili sedi u odnosu na kralja.

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

Vremenom, izučavanje baleta je postalo središnji element života na dvoru,

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

a pravilno shvatanje ovih manira

je moglo stvoriti ili uništiti nečiji dvorski uspeh.

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

Mnogi od ovih dvorskih gestova

se i dalje mogu videti u modernim baletskim tehnikama.

Ballet was brought to France in the 16th century

Balet je u XVI veku u Francusku donela

by Catherine de' Medici,

Katarina de Mediči,

the Italian wife of King Henry II.

italijanska žena kralja Anrija II.

As celebrations became more lavish, so did the dance,

Kako su proslave postajale sve raskošnije, tako je i ples,

with dancing masters teaching elaborate steps to young nobles

uz majstore plesa koji su podučavali mlade plemiće složenim koracima

and story elements providing a unifying theme.

i elementima priče kako bi obezbedili jedinstvenu temu.

The focus shifted from participation to performance,

Fokus je prešao sa učešća na izvedbu,

and the form acquired more theatrical trappings,

a forma je dobila teatralnije obeležje,

such as professionally designed sets

poput profesionalno osmišljenih postavki

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

i blago podignute platforme ili scene sa zavesama i odeljcima.

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

Ali tek je u XVII veku na dvoru Luja XIV

that ballet was refined into the art we know today.

balet pretvoren u umetnost kakva nam je danas poznata.

Louis himself had been trained in ballet from childhood.

Sami Luj je obučavan baletu od svog detinjstva.

His early role as the sun god Apollo at age fifteen

Njegova rana uloga boga sunca Apolona kad je imao petnaest godina

cemented the central role ballet would play during his reign.

je zacementirala središnju ulogu koju će balet imati tokom njegove vladavine.

It also earned him the title of Sun King,

Takođe mu je obezbedila titulu Kralja Sunca,

with his splendid golden costume and choreography

zahvaljujući njegovom bleštavom zlatnom kostimu i koreografiji

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

koja je promovisala ideju kralja kao bogom poslatog vladara.

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

Luj će nastupiti u 80 uloga u 40 značajnijih baleta,

either as a majestic lead,

bilo kao veličanstveni vođa

or sometimes playing minor or comedic parts

ili je ponekad igrao manje ili komične uloge,

before emerging in the lead role as the end.

pre nego što bi se pojavio u glavnoj ulozi na kraju.

He trained daily in ballet,

Svakodnevno je vežbao balet,

as well as fencing and riding,

kao i mačevanje i jahanje;

and through his example,

i kroz njegov primer

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

je ples postao suštinska veština za svu gospodu tog doba.

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

Ali glavni doprinos Luja XIV baletu neće biti njegove izvedbe.

His founding of the Royal Academy of Dance in 1661

Osnivanje Kraljevske plesne akademije 1661.

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

je preusmerilo kontrolu nad baletom od lokalnih esnafa do kraljevskog dvora.

As director,

Kao direktora

he appointed his personal ballet master and frequent performance partner

postavio je svog ličnog majstora baleta i uobičajenog baletskog partnera,

Pierre Beauchamp,

Pjera Bošama,

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

koji je kodifikovao pet osnovnih pozicija tela koje se i danas koriste.

Through is collaborations with Jean-Baptiste Lully,

Kroz saradnju sa Žan-Baptistom Lilijem,

the director of the Royal Music Academy,

direktorom Kraljevske muzičke akademije,

and famed playwright Molière,

i čuvenim dramskim piscem Molijerom,

Beauchamp helped establish ballet as a grand spectacle.

Bošam je pomogao u učvršćivanju baleta kao velikog spektakla.

And in 1669, a separate ballet academy was founded.

A 1669. je osnovana druga baletska akademija.

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

Pariska baletska opera i danas postoji kao najstarija baletska kompanija u svetu.

Ballet moved away from the royal court to the theater

Balet se preselio sa kraljevskog dvora u pozorište

and survived the democratic revolutions and reforms

i preživeo je demokratske revolucije i reforme

that followed over the next century.

koje su usledile u narednom veku.

With the advent of the romantic movement,

Nastupanjem pokreta romantizma,

fantasy and folklore themes became common motifs.

fantazija i teme iz folklora su postale česti motivi.

And though the influence of ballet in France would decline,

I iako će uticaj baleta slabiti u Francuskoj,

other countries, such as Russia,

druge države, poput Rusije,

would play a major role in its further development.

će da odigraju važnu ulogu u njegovom daljem razvoju.

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

Srećom, danas većina nas ne mora da uči komplikovan skup pokreta

just to socialize at a wedding.

samo da bismo opštili na svadbama.

Instead, we can go to the theater to see professionals

Umesto toga, možemo da odemo u pozorište i da gledamo profesionalce

who spend their lives training rigorously

koji su proveli svoj život rigorozno trenirajući

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

kako bi izveli podvige koji bi bili nezamislivi u vreme Luja XIV.