Background Les Fêtes Chinoises

noverre, 1807

jean-georges noverre born in paris 29 april 1727 , studied dance under louis dupré. began professional career in 1743 appearances @ opéra-comique in paris. there, learned direct gesture , movement , observed italian comedians emphasis on improvisational , physical theatre. before noverre there no dance technique involved in ballets; such spectacles loosely organized around story or theme, dance movement largely formal , ornamental, limited range of mime gestures convey action. used new, revolutionary production response , contrast ballets of time. noverre points out, kind of performer rare. he…thinks actor-dancer must rise challenge of translating verbal description stage action, involves not performance, interpretation. @ age of twenty noverre became ballet master in marseilles , choreographed les fêtes chinoises music jean-philippe rameau, though noverre did not specify composer in libretto. ballet first performed in 1751 or earlier, possibly @ marseilles or strasbourg. after brief artistic sojourns in lyon (where ballet revived during 1751 season) , strasbourg, noverre returned paris in 1754. les fêtes chinoises staged in production impresario jean monnet @ opéra-comique on 1 july 1754 great acclaim.

the ballet designs fruit of boucher s friendship jean monnet, had resulted in designs monnet @ théâtre de la foire de saint laurent 1743. le nouveau calendrier des spectacles de paris described scene of les fêtes chinoises avenue ending in terraces , flight of steps leading palace changing public square decorated festival , continuing subsequent scene shifts of calendrier remarked m. monnet has spared nothing possibly assist m. noverre s rich imagination .

les fêtes chinoises semi-realistic in style , consisted of danced pictures little plot. elements of real , ideal incorporated work, evoked exotic china of travellers , explorers, , fantastic cathay of chinoiserie designers of rococo. instead of presenting miscellaneous divertissements or suite de danses, noverre went beyond traditional court ballets in les fêtes chinoises create cohesive, integrated work consistent in locale , atmosphere, , 1 focused on single rich style little dramatic action. such presentation was, audience, new , striking. in years of career, noverre felt types, nationalities, , conditions of men fit depiction in dance, @ close of career recanted , wrote nobly born heroes , heroines (mostly of antiquity) appropriate dignity of stage dancing. late in life took dislike les fêtes , omitted published librettos.

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