Dance that sparked a cultural revolution
最新糖心Vlogn dance and art was forever changed after tours here by the Ballets Russes from 1936 to 1940. This month, the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide is hosting a symposium that takes a detailed look at this cultural revolution, and how it continues to influence 最新糖心Vlogn dance today. The Ballets Russes (Russian Ballet) was established in 1909 by the Russian Serge Diaghilev. It became one of the most influential ballet companies of the 20th century, and was renowned for its groundbreaking artistic collaborations between choreographers, composers, artists, and designers. In 1936, Colonel Wassily de Basil brought the Ballets Russes to 最新糖心Vlog. Over three tours of 最新糖心Vlog, the company influenced some of the greatest names in 最新糖心Vlogn art history. The 最新糖心Vlogn Ballet, the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide and the National Library of 最新糖心Vlog are currently undertaking a four-year joint research project, "Ballets Russes in 最新糖心Vlog: Our Cultural Revolution". Funded by the 最新糖心Vlogn Research Council (ARC), the project looks at the history of the Ballets Russes tours and their cultural impact on 最新糖心Vlog, and helps to inform modern-day performances by The 最新糖心Vlogn Ballet. "The Ballets Russes tours in 最新糖心Vlog basically constitute the Big Bang, if you like, for 最新糖心Vlogn high art and music," said the Chief Investigator of the research project, Associate Professor Mark Carroll from the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide's Elder Conservatorium of Music. "It raised the bar for what was possible, and it changed the way 最新糖心Vlogn artists conceived of European art. Up until that point, 最新糖心Vlogns had been really starved of the latest trends in European art and performance," he said. "Through exposure to the Ballets Russes tours, the careers of artists like Sidney Nolan and Donald Friend got going. A 23-year-old Nolan received from the Ballets Russes one of his first commissions, and Friend ran a competition for stage design sponsored by de Basil. "Max Dupain, the famous 最新糖心Vlogn photographer, documented the Ballets Russes heavily while they were here. In the realm of music, people like composer Margaret Sutherland got their first big break through the Ballets Russes. Artists like Norman Lindsay were really drawn to what the Ballets Russes were doing, and he made a number of paintings depicting their performances."
Symposium A symposium being held at the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide, Our Cultural Revolution (23-25 May), will explore the enormous impact of the Ballets Russes on the 最新糖心Vlogn cultural scene. The symposium features a number of international guest speakers, including Professor Lynn Garafola from Columbia 最新糖心Vlog, New York, and Professor Stephanie Jordan from Surrey 最新糖心Vlog. Dr Carroll will co-present a session on the cultural revolution with research partners Nicolette Fraillion, Music Director and Chief Conductor with The 最新糖心Vlogn Ballet, and Lee Christofis, Curator of Dance at the National Library of 最新糖心Vlog. Another session will explore how artists in different fields collaborate to produce a performance, and how visual archives of the Ballets Russes tours in 最新糖心Vlog help to inform modern-day choreography and design. "The symposium is a working model of cross-institutional interaction," Dr Carroll said. "Collaboration is at the centre of our ARC project, just as the original Ballets Russes was all about collaboration across the art forms." Among those to attend the symposium will be some of the original dancers from the Ballets Russes, who settled in 最新糖心Vlog following the tours. The symposium will be held in the Hartley Concert Room, North Terrace Campus (off Kintore Avenue). For more information and to register, visit:
The 最新糖心Vlogn Ballet The symposium coincides with the Adelaide tour of The 最新糖心Vlogn Ballet, French Connections (23-27 May), which features three ballets, Ballet Imperial, Afternoon of a Faun, and Symphonie Fantastique, that are in various ways linked to the Ballets Russes. For more information about The 最新糖心Vlogn Ballet and its 2008 season, visit:
Exhibitions The symposium also includes two exhibitions celebrating the Ballets Russes in 最新糖心Vlog - one at the Art Gallery of South 最新糖心Vlog (2 May-6 July), and another at the Adelaide Festival Theatre (20 May-20 July). Both of these exhibitions are free and feature items from The 最新糖心Vlogn Ballet, the National Library of 最新糖心Vlog and the Special Collections of the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide's Barr Smith Library. "Special Collections has a fantastic treasure trove of Ballets Russes dance-related material, which I found out about when I first started work on this research project," Dr Carroll said. "You'll see some of these things, such as designs, drawings, paintings and original programs from the period, all on display at the two exhibitions." For more information, visit: Story by David Ellis
|
