ONLINE: This course examines the development of the art and history of classical ballet from its beginnings in the Italian city-states of the Renaissance, through the Romantic era, to ballet’s final crystallization in Russia from 1860 to 1910. Because the Renaissance marked a rediscovery of ideas and scholarship from classical antiquity, we will also take a brief look at the narrative of the body from ancient Greece and Rome through the Christian Middle Ages. Ballet history will be studied through the lens of contemporary movements in the arts, sciences and philosophy. Technological developments will be discussed as they directly affect ballet production, ballet narratives and ballet technique. Students will gain insights into the meshing of contemporary social and intellectual forces with ballet that helped to define its evolution. This lecture-based course will be accompanied by videos and PowerPoint slides with time for Q&A. | Lecture + Q&A.
Max enrollment: 50.
Class sessions are recorded.
