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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 潘 可儿

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

出生即受詛咒的嬰兒。

善惡之間的激烈戰爭。

A true love awoken with a kiss.

用一個吻喚醒的真愛。

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

《睡美人》是世界上 最受歡迎的民間故事之一。

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

但其中一種最著名的詮釋方式 卻完全不需要靠言語表達。

Since premiering in 1890,

《睡美人》在 1890 年首演之後，

"The Sleeping Beauty" has become

one of the most frequently staged ballets in history.

就成為了歷史上 演出次數最多的芭蕾劇之一。

So what makes this piece so beloved?

那麼，這部作品為何如此受歡迎？

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

此外，芭蕾能把什麼元素帶入 這個故事——或任何其他故事？

At the heart of ballet are dozens of gestures

芭蕾的核心有數十種姿勢，

that dancers painstakingly perfect over thousands of hours of practice.

舞者要辛苦地練習 數千個小時才能做到完美。

This unique set of gestures has been used for centuries,

這組獨特的姿勢， 被沿用了幾百年。

each movement rich with meaning and history.

每個動作都有豐富的意涵和歷史。

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

但你不用專門研究動作 也可以懂芭蕾，

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

就像你不用研究音樂 也可以被歌曲感動。

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

如同作曲家將音符和句子 譜成音樂作品，

choreographers string these gestures together with new movements

編舞家將這些姿勢 和新動作串接起來，

to form expressive combinations.

形成極具表現力的組合。

Working alongside the orchestra’s live score,

搭配現場交響樂團的演出，

ballerinas precisely perform these combinations to convey narrative,

芭蕾舞伶精準地表演出這些組合，

來敘事、傳達情緒和展現角色。

emotion, and character.

In "The Sleeping Beauty’s" opening scene,

在《睡美人》的開場，

a flurry of techniques depicts the fairy court

一段技巧表演描繪出仙子宮廷

bestowing gifts on baby Princess Aurora.

將禮物賜予剛出生的奧蘿拉公主。

The Fairy of Generosity delicately walks “en pointe”—

慷慨仙子優美地 走著「en pointe」步法——

meaning on the tips of her toes—

意即用足尖點地——

in step with the light plucking of violins.

與小提琴的輕彈聲完全合拍。

The ballerina moves in perfect harmony with the music,

芭蕾舞伶完美地配合著音樂，

even mimicing the violins’ trill with an elegant bourrée.

甚至用優雅的 bourrée 舞步 來模仿小提琴的顫音。

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

節欲仙子贈予奧蘿拉的 禮物是堅強的意志，

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

她的編舞就彷彿從指尖射出閃電。

She bounds across the stage,

她在整個舞台上飛躍，

spinning with quick chaînés before decisively jetéing.

用快速的 chaînés 舞步旋轉， 接著是果斷的 jetéing 舞步。

Some movements are even more literal than this.

有些動作甚至還比這些更如實。

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

邪惡仙子卡拉波斯用 致命的「X」來詛咒公主，

and the benevolent Lilac Fairy counters that curse.

而仁慈的紫色仙子回擊了那詛咒。

Of course, the relationship between music and movement

當然，音樂和動作之間的關係

isn’t always this straightforward.

不見得都會如此直白。

While classical ballet gestures often respond to musical elements,

雖然古典芭蕾姿勢 通常都會呼應音樂元素，

the degree to which the dancers and orchestra align

舞者和交響樂的配合程度

is another choreographic tool.

又是另一種編舞工具了。

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

有些角色和場景會完全同步， 以創造出節奏的清晰感，

while others deliberately diverge from the orchestra.

有的則會故意偏離交響樂。

Dancers and musicians maintain this delicate balance

舞者和音樂家在整場表演中 一直維持這種精細的平衡，

throughout each performance,

即時與速度及節奏協商。

engaging in a live negotiation of speed and rhythm.

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

但在表演之前， 芭蕾最重要的關係

is between the choreographer and the music.

是編舞家和音樂之間的關係。

Choreographer Marius Petipa and composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

編舞家莫里斯·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 都配合得天衣無縫。

This is particularly noticeable in Princess Aurora’s exuberant entrance

這種配合最為明顯之處，

在於奧蘿拉在十六歲生日時 熱情洋溢的出場。

on her 16th birthday.

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

柴可夫斯基充滿熱情的音樂 一陣一陣地向前翻滾，

even cutting short some musical phrases to capture her impatience.

甚至將一些樂句縮短 以捕捉她的不耐煩感。

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

珀蒂帕為奧蘿拉在等候 派對開始時所編的舞步

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

是用「pas de chat」—— 「貓步」的法文——做回彈跳。

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

一旦慶祝開始了， 就完全交給舞者，

優雅地用身體來表演 這些姿勢，實際呈現。

on the physical spectacle of performing these gestures with grace.

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

最困難的部分是奧蘿拉 著名的的玫瑰慢板。

As four suitors vie for her hand,

四位追求者互相競爭 要搶奪她的手時，

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

公主要演出令人眼花繚亂的一連串 平衡動作，都只能足尖點地。

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

她短暫地牽過每位追求者的手， 但接著在無助力的情況下平衡——

a breath-taking display of physical strength and skill.

展現出身體的力量 和技能，讓人摒息。

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

然而，帶有意涵的不僅是技巧，

but also style and personality.

還有風格和個性。

Like an actor delivering their lines,

就像演員唸台詞一樣，

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

芭蕾舞伶透過執行動作 來傳遞各種情緒。

Aurora can be elegant and restrained,

有時，奧蘿拉既優雅又拘謹，

throwing her arms in independence from her suitors.

獨立於她的追求者， 甩動她的手臂。

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

有時，她會很靦腆地調情， 帶著優美和自信

從腳趾點地的姿勢降回地面。

and knowing confidence.

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

《睡美人》展示了 芭蕾能發揮到什麼程度。

Its graceful spectacle, dramatic physical vocabulary,

它的優雅場面、 戲劇性的身體語彙，

and enchanting coordination of music and movement

以及音樂與動作之間的迷人協調，

perfectly reflect the themes of this fantastical romance.

完美地反映出 這段奇想愛情的主題。

But ballet isn’t just for epic fairytales.

但是芭蕾不僅能 展現壯麗的童話。

Ballets can be non-narrative emotional journeys,

芭蕾也有可能是 非敘事性的情緒之旅、

experimental deconstructions of form,

實驗性的破壞形式，

or pure demonstrations of skill.

或者純粹的技巧展示。

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

這種藝術總是在用有數世紀 悠久歷史的規則在做實驗，

making it the perfect medium for stories old and new.

新老故事皆能透過 這一完美的媒介來呈現。