What’s the point(e) of ballet? - Ming Luke

翻译人员: Yuwei Duan 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

A baby cursed at birth. A fierce battle of good and evil.

出生时受到诅咒的婴儿。

善恶之间的激烈战争，

A true love awoken with a kiss.

一段被吻唤醒的真爱。

Sleeping Beauty is one of the world’s favorite folktales.

《睡美人》是世界上 最受欢迎的民间故事之一。

But one of its most famous renditions tells the story without a single word.

然而，它有一种最著名的呈现方式， 无需语言就能讲述这个故事。

Since premiering in 1890,

自 1890 年首演以来，

"The Sleeping Beauty" has become

《睡美人》就成了历史上 最常被出演的芭蕾舞剧之一。

one of the most frequently staged ballets in history.

So what makes this piece so beloved?

这个作品为何如此受人欢迎？

And what exactly does ballet bring to this— or any other story?

以及芭蕾舞究竟赋予了这个作品，

或任何其他故事什么不同的东西？

At the heart of ballet are dozens of gestures

芭蕾舞的灵魂是数十种姿势，

that dancers painstakingly perfect over thousands of hours of practice.

舞者通常要刻苦练习 数千个小时才能完美呈现。

This unique set of gestures has been used for centuries,

数世纪以来一直沿用 这组独特的姿势，

each movement rich with meaning and history.

每个姿势背后都有丰富的含义和历史，

But you don’t need to study them to understand ballet,

但是你不需要研究它们， 也能看懂芭蕾，

any more than you need to study music to be moved by a song.

正如你不用精通音乐 也一样可以被歌曲感动。

And just as composers combine notes and phrases to form pieces of music,

作曲家将音符和乐句结合， 打造出音乐作品，

choreographers string these gestures together with new movements

编舞家将基本姿势和新动作串联起来

to form expressive combinations.

形成意味深长的组合。

Working alongside the orchestra’s live score,

与现场交响乐团搭配演出，

ballerinas precisely perform these combinations to convey narrative,

芭蕾舞者精准地跳出这些动作组合

emotion, and character.

来演绎故事、传达情感、演绎角色。

In "The Sleeping Beauty’s" opening scene,

在《睡美人》的开场中，

a flurry of techniques depicts the fairy court

一连串的技巧舞蹈

描绘了宫廷仙女 为奥罗拉公主出生献礼的场景。

bestowing gifts on baby Princess Aurora.

The Fairy of Generosity delicately walks “en pointe”—

慷慨仙子优雅地 走着 “en pointe” 步法——

meaning on the tips of her toes—

也意味着用她的足尖踮地——

in step with the light plucking of violins.

精准地踩在小提琴拨弦的节拍上，

The ballerina moves in perfect harmony with the music,

芭蕾舞者与音乐完美配合，

even mimicing the violins’ trill with an elegant bourrée.

甚至用优雅的布雷舞步 （bourrée）模仿小提琴的颤音。

The Fairy of Temperance, bestowing the gift of strong will on Aurora,

节制仙子赐予奥罗拉的是坚强的意志。

is choreographed as if shooting bolts of electricity from her fingers.

她的编舞仿佛从指尖射出的闪电，

她的大跳跨越整个舞台，

She bounds across the stage,

spinning with quick chaînés before decisively jetéing.

快速的追赶步 (chaînés) 旋转之后 紧接着精准的大跳 (jetéing)，

Some movements are even more literal than this.

有些动作甚至更加跃然纸上。

The evil fairy Carabosse curses the princess with a lethal “X,”

邪恶仙子卡拉波斯 用致命的 “X” 姿势诅咒了公主，

and the benevolent Lilac Fairy counters that curse.

而仁慈的丁香仙子反击了诅咒。

Of course, the relationship between music and movement

当然，音乐和动作之间的关系

isn’t always this straightforward.

并非总是这么直白。

While classical ballet gestures often respond to musical elements,

古典芭蕾的姿势 通常都与音乐元素呼应，

the degree to which the dancers and orchestra align

而舞者和交响乐队的整齐程度，

is another choreographic tool.

则是另一个编舞者的工具。

Some characters and scenes move in sync to create rhythmic clarity,

某些角色和场景会完全同步 以创造出鲜明的节奏感，

while others deliberately diverge from the orchestra.

而其他角色会有意与乐团不同。

Dancers and musicians maintain this delicate balance

整场表演中，

通过把握速度和节奏的配合，

throughout each performance,

engaging in a live negotiation of speed and rhythm.

舞蹈和音乐得以 维持着这种精美的平衡。

But prior to the performance, a ballet’s most important relationship

但是在表演之前，最重要的是

编舞家和音乐之间的关系。

is between the choreographer and the music.

Choreographer Marius Petipa and composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

编舞家莫里斯 · 珀蒂帕 和作曲家彼得 · 伊里奇 · 柴可夫斯基

worked together on every second of "The Sleeping Beauty."

在《睡美人》的每一秒 都保持着紧密的合作

This is particularly noticeable in Princess Aurora’s exuberant entrance

最明显可以看到这种合作之处，

是奥罗拉公主在十六岁生日时 热情洋溢的出场。

on her 16th birthday.

Tchaikovsky’s enthusiastic music tumbles forward in fits and starts,

柴可夫斯基的音乐同样充满热情 一阵一阵地涌上前来，

even cutting short some musical phrases to capture her impatience.

他甚至将某些乐句缩短 来捕捉她的急性子。

Petipa choreographs Aurora bouncing back and forth with “pas de chat”—

珀蒂帕为奥萝拉 在等候派对开始时所编的舞步

名为 “pas de chat”—— 也就是法语的“猫步”。

French for "cat steps"— as she waits for her party to begin.

Once the celebration starts, it’s up to the dancers to deliver

当庆典开始时，就完全交给舞者

用优美绝伦的舞姿讲述故事。

on the physical spectacle of performing these gestures with grace.

Aurora has the hardest part of all: her famous Rose Adagio.

奥罗拉最难表演的部分是 著名的 “玫瑰慢板 (Rose Adagio)”。

As four suitors vie for her hand,

四个追求者相互竞争 只为获得和她牵手共舞的机会

the Princess performs a dizzying array of balances, all en pointe.

公主保持足尖姿势 表演出令人瞠目结舌的平衡动作，

She briefly takes each suitor’s hand, but then balances unassisted—

她短暂地牵过每位追求者的手，

却不依靠对方而保持平衡，

a breath-taking display of physical strength and skill.

这是一个叹为观止的 身体力量和技巧。

However, it’s not just technique that carries meaning,

然而这段足尖舞 并不仅仅是为了展现技巧

but also style and personality.

还体现了角色的风格和个性。

Like an actor delivering their lines,

就像演员念台词一样，

ballerinas can execute their movements to convey a wide range of emotion.

芭蕾舞者通过完成自己的 动作来传达广泛的情感。

Aurora can be elegant and restrained,

通过伸展手臂 而摆脱追求者这一动作，

throwing her arms in independence from her suitors.

显得奥罗拉公主优雅而内敛；

Or she can be coy and flirtatious, descending from en pointe with grace

优美且自信地用足尖姿势落回地面，

则会让她显得腼腆中带着点轻佻。

and knowing confidence.

"The Sleeping Beauty" offers a showcase for so much of what ballet can do.

《睡美人》向世人展示了 芭蕾舞能发挥到什么程度。

Its graceful spectacle, dramatic physical vocabulary,

它的优雅场面和戏剧性的身体语言，

and enchanting coordination of music and movement

以及音乐与动作之间的相辅相成，

perfectly reflect the themes of this fantastical romance.

完美地表达了这段梦幻的爱情故事。

But ballet isn’t just for epic fairytales.

但芭蕾舞不仅仅局限于 表达史诗般的的童话，

Ballets can be non-narrative emotional journeys,

芭蕾舞也可以是 非叙事性的情绪之旅，

experimental deconstructions of form,

也可以是实验性的解构，

or pure demonstrations of skill.

或者是纯粹的技巧展示。

The artform is always experimenting with a centuries old set of rules,

这种艺术一直在用数世纪 沿用的规则做实验，

making it the perfect medium for stories old and new.

无论故事是新是旧， 都能通过芭蕾这一形式完美呈现。