Giselle's Mad Scene: A Demonstration and Comparison of 21st Century and 19th Century Paris Opéra Stagings
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Date
2011-06
Authors
Urista, Dawn
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This project entailed restaging Act 1's Mad Scene from the ballet <italic>Giselle</italic> to compare, contrast and analyze the character of Giselle within Henri Justamant's 1860's choreographic notation for the Paris Opéra Ballet and Sorella Englund's version at the Royal Danish Ballet Summer 2010 workshop. Using my journal from the workshop with Ms. Englund, I coached the cast using similar prompts and exercises she had given. To restage the Justamant ballet, we utilized his newly discovered choreographic notebook in conjunction with Joan Lawson's <italic>Mime.</italic> Preparations for the rehearsals, including translations, obtaining recordings of the original score, and the developments and revelations that emerged from the cast's exploration of the characters, are addressed and assessed. This research provides insight into the original nature of this Romantic ballet and reflects upon oral coaching versus restaging from a script, use and disuse of music, and interpretations and archetypes discussed in the review of literature.
Description
ix, 47 p. : ill. A DVD of the April 2, 2011 performance is archived in the Department of Dance at the University of Oregon. Please call 541-346-3386 for information.
Keywords
Dance, Performing arts, Ballet, Giselle, Justamant, Restaging