Tom47

This is an Icelandic tale entitled “Prince Hlini and Signy.” It is along similar lines to “Sleeping Beauty,” except that the sleeping beauty - Hlini - is male and the one who saves him -Signy - is female. The story is not very long and can be found here: https://steelthistles.blogspot.com/2020/09/strong-fairy-tale-heroines-29-prince.html. If you would rather you can read my summary of the tale under “spoilers.”

What about the names of the characters from Swan Lake? The names Odette and Odile seem to go very well together as when a woman is said to be dancing the role of Odette/Odile. According to this webpage http://bewitchingnames.blogspot.com/2011/03/odette.html#:~:text=Odette%20and%20Odile%20are%20the,Odalys%2C%20Otilia%2C%20and%20Ottilie, Odette and Odile are both the “same” names as they are both “feminine versions of Otto,” however, Odette is French and Odile is German. Otte means “prosperous” or “wealthy.” Another website “BabyNames.com” gives both Odette and Odile as being French and that they both mean Rich or Wealthy or Wealth, while the website “TheBump.com” gives both names as being German. There are historical Odettes and Odiles. Odette de Champdivers was born 1390 in France. She became the mistress of King Charles VI and was known as “la petit reine.” Books about her were written by French authors Honore de Balzac and Alexandre Dumas and a French rose was named for her, so her name was well known. There was a Saint Odila also known as Odile. She was born in France in the 7th century and her father was the Duke of Alsace. A mountain in Alsace is named Mont Sainte Odile. Also, there is the Saint Odilia of Cologne who lived during the 4th century. Both saints are connected with blindness. Another Odette, although not one who could have had any influence on the ballet, was born in France in 1912. In 1942, during the Second World War she became a spy for the British Government and was sent back to France. Siegfried was a legendary tragic Germainic Hero. Thus, it seems an appropriate name for the protagonist of Swan Lake. The name refers to “Victorious Peace”. (Siegreich = Victorious and Frieden = Peace) Further, Wager’s full “Ring Cycle” premiered in 1876, one year before the premier of “Swan Lake.” The opera “Siegfried” is the third part of the larger work. Rothbart is a surname that originated in the German state of Bavaria. It means Red Beard in German. (Rot = Red, Bart = Beard} The early Rothbart family was influential in various conflicts in the area. The name Benno appears to have come from the story “The Stolen Veil” (see first post). It is a German name meaning “Bear.” Prince Siegfried tutor’s name, Wolfgang, is a German name meaning “Traveling Wolf.” These names tend to be German, with the somewhat exception of Odette/Odile, which are connected with Germany and France. I’ve always felt that Swan Lake was set in Germany, because of the name Siegfried. On the Tchaikovsky Research website, under the Synopsis for “Swan Lake” it is stated that “The action takes place in medieval Germany.” This supports the idea that the story was inspired by “The Stolen Veil,” which also takes place in Germany. However, the swan maidens from “The Stolen Veil” are not German or French, but Greek. I have not found any connection with the names Odette or Odile and swans or any other type of magical birds or other magical beings. So, basically whoever named the characters in the ballet seems to have primarily picked names that were or could be German. I still don’t understand why this ballet is sometimes described as having four acts and sometimes three acts and four scenes. It makes more sense to me that it would have four acts or if not two acts and four scenes. Can anyone shed any light on this. Tom,

There are many folktales similar to the Stolen Veil. Some stories contain swan maidens or women who can become some other type of birds. There are also stories involving seals who can remove their seal skins to become human women, an example is the story “The Silkie Wife.” Just think we could’ve had Seal Cove instead of Swan Lake. In the folktale “The Six Swans” six brothers are transformed into swans by an evil stepmother and their sister has to work for six years to break the spell. During that time she cannot speak or laugh. This has little to do with the current “Swan Lake” story, except that humans are cursed to become swans and even less to do with the original story of the ballet. However, I find this story interesting because the sexes are reversed with males becoming swans and a female, their sister, being the protagonist who must heroticly save them. An animated video (12 minutes) showing this story can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-DHibAdm48. Tom,

I’ve read that in 1922 Broislava Nijinska danced the title role in “The Afternoon of a Faune” No doubt Bronislava had no problem with the technical side of this as she helped her brother in the development of this part. This intrigued me. In the ballet the Faune is visibly attracted to the Nymphs in a sexual way and appears to try to pressure them into the act of sex. On the other hand, the Nymphs are shy and they resist his advances. This led to me thinking about reversing the sex roles in this ballet. There is a myth about a Naiade - a water Nymph - who abducts a beautiful, young man named Hylas. Hylas was an Argonaut, in myth a member of the crew of the ship the Argo. In going on land one night to obtain fresh water Hylas came to a spring. As he bent down to scoop water into a pitcher, the Naiade saw him “close at hand with the rosy flush of his beauty and sweet grace.” With this Aphrodite made the Naiade’s “heart faint, and in her confusion she could scarcely gather her spirit back to her. But as soon as he dipped the pitcher in the steam, leaning to one side [. . .] straightway she laid her left arm above upon his neck yearning to kiss his tender mouth; with her right hand she drew down his elbow, and plunged him into the midst of the eddy.” Hylas cried out and was heard by one of his comrades, but was never seen again. This story has only one Naiad seeing Hylas, but a description of another version of the myth is that “From the depths of the spring, the Naiads spied the beautiful Hylas as he leant over the surface of the spring. The Naiads decided that this mortal youth should be theirs, and so one Naiad, possibly named Dryope, reached up through the water, and taking hold of Hylas pulled him beneath the surface of the spring, causing Hylas to cry out in surprise.” See here: https://www.greeklegendsandmyths.com/hylas.html. In both myths Hylas and Hercules were lovers. There are many paintings of this episode, five of which can be seen at this link: https://www.tutorialathome.in/passionate-painting/hylas-nymphs. One of the paintings is by a female artist - Henrietta Rae. The two below Henrietta Rae’s are paintings illustrating the version with only one Naiad. So, in “The Afternoon of a Faun” the male Faun can become the female Naiade and the female Nymphs could become Hylas and the male Argonauts, with the music and the style of dance remaining the same. As to the story, it could be kept the same or replaced by the story of Hylas and the Naiade. The re-imagined ballet could be called “La nuit d'une naïade.” Tom,

So, what does all this mean? First, there seems no reason from slavic mythology and in particular from the two paragraphs that Heinrich Heine wrote, for Giselle to be forever freed from the power of the Wilis and to return to her grave to rest in peace, since she is not forced to become a Wilis, but becomes one because in her heart there still remains that passion for dancing which she could not satisfy during life. Second, it appears that the word Wilis is correctly pronounced with a “V” sound at the beginning and not a “W” sound. Also, the “s” at the end appears to be redundant, as the letter “i” at the end could, in some slavic languages, signify a plural. Considering this it would make sense for the English spelling, for the plural, to be either Vilas or just Vili. In that case the “Wilis” from the ballet are Vili or Vilas or maybe Vily from slavic mythology. Further, a Mavka or a Rusalka are similar to a Vila and thus to the beings in the ballet and these cousins to the Vila and the beings from the ballet are not all bad and have a beneficial side to their natures. Even the nature of the Vili seems to have both a benevolent as well as a vindictive side. Some may think I am being picky in this and I guess I am, but I find the ending as described in the Petipa website unsatisfying. I don’t feel Giselle wants to rest peacefully - she wants to dance. Then on top of that I find all this information about mythical beings interesting. I did not know very much about slavic mythology before and I enjoyed learning about it. Tom,

MidSummer Night’s Dream is a complex story and I feel the two modern ballets dealing with it are harmed by trying to tell too much of the story. However, Mendelssohn’s music, which I enjoy, gives impressions of the characters in the story instead of telling the story. So that is what I would like the ballet to do. It could start with Mendelssohn’s Overture, Op. 21, written in 1826 then continue with his Incidental Music, Op. 61, written in 1842. Dancers would be on stage when the music suggests their characters and not necessarily in order of the story. During the 13 minute long Overture many of the characters in the ballet would at some point be dancing. This would start with the fairies. Here is a short video 3.5 minute video from the 1935 film “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” that gives an example of how that first scene could be like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlZ5oGibiDc. Of course that is a film, but I feel it could be adapted for the stage, with some dancers lying down and covered by “stage smoke” at the beginning. As the Overture continues other characters, such as the lovers and the Mechanicals, could enter and leave. This clip from the film suggests what the Scherzo scene (5 ½ minutes) of a ballet could be like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4S-eNAWitE. There would be an equal number of female and male fairies. The following parts of the Incidental Music are “March of the Fairies” 1 minutes, “Ye Spotted Snakes” 5 minutes (Titania and her fairy attendances), “Intermezzo” 4 minutes (Helena wandering through the woods; scared and searching for Lysanda and ending with the Mechanicals), “Nocturne” 7 minutes (all dancing slowly and eventually falling asleep on stage), Wedding March 5 minutes (all rise and march), “Funeral March” and “Dance of the Clowns” 3 minutes (The Mechanicals and their play), Finale, “Through the House” 5 minutes (all and conclusion). This ordering of the musical parts are from a video (48 minutes) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upMKlLVblzY. Below the video is a list of the selections. This list can be used to “jump” to any of the parts. In addition within the 1936 film there is a scene where the human characters sing to the finale of Mendelssohn’s “Scotish Symphony” and while they are singing we see their characters described by their expressions. See here (2 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET1FT0VDJow. I feel this is very effective and a scene using this music and showing the dancers mime could be inserted into a ballet between the Overture and the Scherzo. What I like most about Shakespeare’s play is the wording and in this case it might be worthwhile to have a few lines spoken offstage. Two characters that I particularly like in the play are Puck and the Fairy who serves the Fairy Queen. Here is a clip from the 1935 film showing the fairy, played by Nina Theilade and Puck, played by Mickey Rooney interact. The video is 4 minutes long and the part noted starts about halfway through: https://www.tcm.com/video/359283/midsummer-nights-dream-a-1935-i-do-wander-everywhere. Puck could be played by a female dancer to give a Peter Pan like image. One character from the play who I would not want to be in the ballet is Oberon who I despise for what he does to Titania. Tom,

Due out sometime this year (2021) is the animated film “Mavka, The Forest Song.” According to the video to be found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Ne0swwtnc a Mavka (plural Mavky) is closely related to a Rusalka except that Mavky live on land - Forests, Meadows or Mountains. (Thus connecting a Mavka with Rusalka and by extension with a Vila and a Wili.) Also based on that video a Mavky can be similar to the Wilis from the ballet “Giselle” in that in some cases Mavky are women who end their lives because of unrequited or tragic love and refuse to go to the underworld. A difference is that after their death they forget their lives including the person “that broke their heart.” Despite this a Mavka is sorrowful and longs for true love and thus she will seduce a man, but instead of dancing him to death will tickle him to death so as to avenge her suffering before her own death. It is possible that the man may save himself with kindness, empathy and by giving the Mavka a comb. A woman might also become a Mavka if after being lost in a forest she meets up with a Mavka and in some cases a woman may seek out a Mavka in order to become one. However, generally I’ve read that a Mavka is a child (girl) who died unbaptised. Based on the video Mavky are not always harmful as they will “repay kindness with even greater kindness” and in any case will take care of plants and animals. One characteristic that could distinguish a Mavka from the other female slavic mythological beings is that one can see through the back of the Mavka’s body. The film “Mavka, The Forest Song” appears to have been inspired by a play entitled “The Forest Song” (1911) by the Ukrainian writer Lesya Ukrainka. In a footnote attached to the play’s script, it is explained that “a ‘Mavka’ is another sort of fairy being, whose origin is ascribed to a female infant which dies before receiving a Christian Baptism.” In this story the Mavka is portrayed as a beneficial being; kind and helpful toward nature and she falls in love with a human male. She is generous and loves the music the man plays on his pipe. A Rusalka also figures into the plot. While listening to the Marka video I thought that the name “Mavka” sounded like the name “Martha” from the ballet and I began to wonder if there was a connection there. Does anyone know where the names of the characters of the ballet came from? Tom,

Volcano Hunter, I only wrote “your opinion” because you wrote “As far as I know” at the beginning of your comment. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge in this area in that I have learned from you and I wish that others would also share their knowledge on this topic. Tom,

Due out sometime this year (2021) is the animated film “Mavka, The Forest Song.” According to the video to be found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Ne0swwtnc a Mavka (plural Mavky) is closely related to a Rusalka except that Mavky live on land - Forests, Meadows or Mountains. (Thus connecting a Mavka with Rusalka and by extension with a Vila and a Wili.) Also based on that video a Mavky can be similar to the Wilis from the ballet “Giselle” in that in some cases Mavky are women who end their lives because of unrequited or tragic love and refuse to go to the underworld. A difference is that after their death they forget their lives including the person “that broke their heart.” Despite this a Mavka is sorrowful and longs for true love and thus she will seduce a man, but instead of dancing him to death will tickle him to death so as to avenge her suffering before her own death. It is possible that the man may save himself with kindness, empathy and by giving the Mavka a comb. A woman might also become a Mavka if after being lost in a forest she meets up with a Mavka and in some cases a woman may seek out a Mavka in order to become one. However, generally I’ve read that a Mavka is a child (girl) who died unbaptised. Based on the video Mavky are not always harmful as they will “repay kindness with even greater kindness” and in any case will take care of plants and animals. One characteristic that could distinguish a Mavka from the other female slavic mythological beings is that one can see through the back of the Mavka’s body. The film “Mavka, The Forest Song” appears to have been inspired by a play entitled “The Forest Song” (1911) by the Ukrainian writer Lesya Ukrainka. In a footnote attached to the play’s script, it is explained that “a ‘Mavka’ is another sort of fairy being, whose origin is ascribed to a female infant which dies before receiving a Christian Baptism.” In this story the Mavka is portrayed as a beneficial being; kind and helpful toward nature and she falls in love with a human male. She is generous and loves the music the man plays on his pipe. A Rusalka also figures into the plot. Tom,

Again thank you for your comment Volcano Hunter. I suspected that no Slavic language forms a plural by tacking on an “s” at the end of a noun, but I wasn’t sure of that, so I am glad you offered your opinion. As to what can be gleaned about the ballet by studying folkloric sources maybe nothing. I started this topic with the two paragraphs which inspired the ballet, then compared those paragraphs with a description from the Marius Petipa website and pointed out that they do not agree. As simple as that. In addition the world premiere of the ballet was in Paris the year prior to the Saint Petersburg premiere. It is possible that in the Paris premiere Giselle was not considered to be forever freed from the Wilis’ power and did not return to her grave to rest in peace. Does anyone know about that? In regard to the Slavic Mythological beings - Wili, Vila, Rusalka, Mavka - I find them and their possible connections very interesting and I wanted to hear what others thought of that. Tom,

Thank you volcano Hunter, for your comment. I have found cases where the plural of names of female beings similar to the “Willis” is formed by an “i” or “y” at the end instead of an “s” and in the Encyclopedia Britannica article the plural of Vila is formed by an “e” at the end. As there is no one plural ending for vila (vila/wila) it also seems that the characteristics of a Vila, Rusalka or Mavka varies across the Slavic Language area. Tom,

I have realized that I was in error when writing about the ballet Giselle, as I had assumed that at the end of the ballet Giselle continues to be a Wilis, but then I read on the Marius Petipa website that at the end “The Wilis are forced to disappear and Giselle, whose love has transcended death, is forever freed from their power and returns to her grave to rest in peace.” I find this ending to be unsatisfying. As I wrote earlier, I would rather that Giselle’s spirit joins with the other Wiles and have an afterlife with friends she can sympathise with and be relatively happy with. I feel Giselle would rather dance than “rest in peace.” I then found the two paragraphs that Heinrich Heine wrote about Wilis in his “De l’Allemagne” that when read by Theophile Gautler partly inspired the ballet Giselle. Those paragraphes can be found here: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40837168?seq=1. While the description of the Wilis in the two paragraphs is that they died before their wedding-day this death was not necessarily due to them being betrayed by the prospective groom, so they are not necessarily vengeful for that reason and that does not seem to be the reason why they cannot rest peacefully in their graves. Instead the Wilis rise up and gather on the highway because they could not satisfy their passion for dancing while alive. That is not because of any betrayal. In the entry on Giselle in the Marius Petipa website it is explained that because Giselle forgave Albrecht and protected him, she is “forever freed from their power [the Wilis] and returns to her grave to rest in peace.” However, this does not necessarily follow if within her there still remains that passion for dancing which she could not satisfy during life. So, the ending as described in the Petipa website does not fit the description in Heinrich Heine’s paragraphs as quoted above. What I would do is have Giselle’s sprite join with a group of nicer and kinder Wilis who like to dance and who are protectors of nature, but who do not venfully dance men to death. This seems to me to fit Giselle’s character as I see her as a kind and caring person. More information about this can be found at the topic “Wili, Vila, Rusalka, Mavka,” here: https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/46073-wili-vila-rusalka-mavka/. Tom,

The Encyclopedia Britannica states that a “Rusalka, plural Rusalki, in Slavic mythology, [is a] lake-dwelling soul of a child who died unbaptized or of a virgin who was drowned. . .” Note here that the encyclopedia spells the plural of Rusalka by replacing the “a” at the end with an “i.” It is also stated that around the Danube River Rusalka are called Vila, with the plural being Vile (connecting the being Rusalka with the being Vila) and that “All rusalki love to entice men - the vile to enchant them and the northern rusalki to torture them.” Then at the beginning of the summer the Rusalki come out of the lakes to dance in the moonlight and that “Any person joining them must dance until he dies.” (See here: https://www.britannica.com/topic/rusalka.) The opera “Rusalka” written by Antonin Dvorak premiered in 1901. “Song to the Moon” is sung by the title character during the first act. Tom,

Recently I came across something that gave me a new outlook on the story of the ballet La Sylphide. Originally I saw the sylphide as impulsively falling in love with James on what happened to be the young man’s wedding day. Thus, I saw the sylphide as maybe not really caring too much for James. But, this 2 minute video explaining a mime scene in the first act shows something different: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=728TQeVyIJk. Based on this video the sylphide has loved James and cared for him since he was a boy. Also, as she has been protecting him since he was five and while she may be young for a sylph, she is likely to be older than James. Earlier I wrote that I would rather the sylphide did not lose her wings and die and now with this new information I feel even stronger about that. She seems a caring being. Further, this new information brings the story of the ballet more in line with the story that in part inspired the ballet - “Trilby, ou, Le lutin d’Argail” (1822) by Charles Nodier. Returning to Swan Lake, I have a question. The ballet sometimes has four acts and sometimes has three with the first act divided into two scenes. It seems to me that the four acts make more sense or if not that then two acts with both the first and second acts divided into two scenes. The three acts don't make sense to me. My question is why in the three act case is the first act divided into two scenes, but second and third acts are not? Tom,

In the Marius Petipa website it is pointed out that Wilis “. . . are based on the Vila, a fairy maiden from Slavic mythology.” Heinrich Heine was German having been born in Dusseldorf. In German “W” is pronounced as an English “V.” So, for that reason he may have written Vila as Wila. Now, in looking up slavic mythology I’ve found some cases where the plural of names of female beings similar to the Wilis, is formed by an “i” or “y” at the end instead of an “s.” So, the plural of Vila could then be Vili. Combining these two ideas it is possible that Heine wrote Vili as Wili and at some point an “s” was added to make it plural and in this way we get Wilis from Vila. I found a web page named “Beware the Wandering Wilas” written by Riley Winters. (See here: https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/beware-wandering-wilas-002273) The author is a graduate from Christopher Newport University with a degree in Classical Studies and an Art History and a Medieval and Renaissance Studies minor and she spells these mythical maidens as Wilas. She writes that “The Wilas (pronounced viwa and also called Vili or Vilas) are fair-haired female creatures who have died but remain trapped between this world and the next.” And that “they are the lost women who died unbaptized or the betrothed ones whose lives ended before marriage.” This supports the idea that Vili is the plural of Vila, that Wila is the singular for Wili and also it is not claimed that these women died because of a betrayal. Riley Winters also writes that Wilas “occasionally become fierce beings known equally for forcing companionship and seeking vengeance. They are known to dance human men to death for their amusement and enjoyment” and also “to participate in battles.” Thus, some of the characteristics of these Wilas are like those of the Wilis from the ballet. On the other hand she writes “Only sometimes do they choose to help or heal humans.” Therefore, Wilas and possibly Wilis can have a beneficial side. Tom,

Wili, Vila, Rusalka and Mavka are names that refer to female beings from Slavic mythology. Of course Wilis are featured in the ballet Giselle, but Vilas may refer to the same beings. Rusalkas live in lakes, but can come on land and Mavky live in forests, meadows and mountains and appear to be mainly from Ukrainian folklore. Here are the two paragraphs that Heinrich Heine wrote about Wilis in his De l’Allemagne that when read by Theophile Gautler inspired the ballet Giselle: “There is a tradition of nocturnal dancing known in Slav countries under the name of Wili. The Wilis are affianced maidens who have died before their wedding-day; those poor young creatures cannot rest peacefully in their graves. In their hearts which have ceased to throb, in their dead feet, there still remains that passion for dancing which they could not satisfy during life; and at midnight they rise up and gather in bands on the highway and woe betide the young man who meets them, for he must dance until he drops dead. “Attired in their bridal dresses, with garlands of flowers on their heads, and shining rings on their fingers, the Wilis dance in the moonlight like the Elves; their faces, although white as snow, are beautiful in their youthfulness. They laugh with a deceptive joy, they lure you so seductively, their expressions offer such sweet prospects, that these lifeless Bacchantes are irresistible.” This quote can be found here: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40837168?seq=1. While the description of the Wilis in the above two paragraphs is that they died before their wedding-day this death was not necessarily due to them being betrayed by the prospective groom, so they are not necessarily vengeful for that reason and that does not seem to be the reason why they cannot rest peacefully in their graves. Instead the Wilis rise up and gather on the highway because they could not satisfy their passion for dancing while alive. That is not because of any betrayal. In the entry on Giselle in the Marius Petipa website it is explained that because Giselle forgave Albrecht and protected him, she is “forever freed from their power [the Wilis] and returns to her grave to rest in peace.” However, this does not necessarily follow if within her there still remains that passion for dancing which she could not satisfy during life. Tom,

The idea of sex role reversial interests me. The movie “The Tempest" (2010) with Helen Mirren in the role of Prospera, instead of Prospero is an example of this. This movie was directed by and the screenplay was written by a woman, Julie Taymor. So, I thought about a version of Swan Lake, where the sexes of all of the characters were reversed. Perhaps Prince Seigfried becomes Princess Brunhild, Odete and the other swans are male instead of swan maidens and Rothbart is a sorceress. I’ve seen Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake with male swans, but in that case the sex of the other characters are not reversed, also while I enjoyed the dancing I felt the story as too harsh. The story I am suggesting would remain the same as with female swans. Some might feel that a princess would not go hunting for swans at night, but that is something that would make the revised story more interesting for me. Also, I would give it the happy ending in which Princess Brunhild defeats the female Rothart. Why not? Then there is the question of the costumes for the male swans. I would not want tutus or the costumes in Bourne’s version, they seem too harsh for me. Has anyone else ever reimagined a ballet story? I would like to hear of it if you have. Also what do people think about Bourne's Swan Lake? That is a case where the story was re-imagined. Tom,

Thoughts about Swan Lake: To me it is the most dramatic ballet because of its music and its story; unlike Solor and Albrecht, Siegfried is not at fault for being unfateful since he was tricked and if you do not like the ending you can see another version and hopefully get one you like better. The first version I saw of Swan Lake had Siegfried die fighting Rothbart and to me that seems the most authentic version. According to the Marius Petipa website that is not the original ending. In the 1877 production due to Siegfried’s not wanting ever to be separated from Odette, they both died. Then there is the happy ending, from the 1950s, where Rothbart is defeated and Odette and Siegfried live happily ever after. Again according to the Marius Petipa website, In the original version of the ballet, Odette was not cursed to turn into a swan during the day, but instead she and the other swans were born swan maidens who willingly become swans when they want to. I like that idea better, but I don’t know if it would make much of an actual difference in the ballet. One thing I might change involves Odile. When watching one version of the ballet I thought Odile seems a little remorseful in deceiving Siegfried. That most likely was wishful thinking on my part, but it is something I would add. In some versions Siegfried goes hunting for the swans in the company of others. I prefer Siegfried going alone as it makes it more mysterious and dramatic. Tom,

Not all ballets dealing with romance turn out tragically. In particular three, La Fille mal gardee, Don Quixote and Coppelia are romantic comedies. My favorite, feature length, non-Tchaikovsky ballet is Don Quixote, at least the Mariinsky Ballet version with Olesya Novikova and Leonid Sarafanov. Not only are they great dancers, but it is easy for me to think they are in love and maybe that is because they are. They are married and have 3 children. There is not much that I would change in the stories of these ballet, although I feel a little sorry for Dr. Coppelius in that he wanted so badly for his doll to come alive. What I would do is, as a surprise, have Coppelia come out dancing near the end of the ballet showing she became a living woman (after all this is a ballet and in a ballet magic could happen) and Dr. Coppelius, overjoyed, embraces her . Also, with or without this change Swanhilda should think twice before marrying Franz since he is not too trustworthy. Tom,

Buddy, an interesting topic. My contribution to it will be focused on or tend to be focused on female artists. This picture is “Marche aux chevaux de Paris” (The Horse Fair of Paris, 1853) by Rosa Bonheur (b. 1822 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France). The main subject of the painting is not people, but horses, however it is full of action and motion and so I feel it fits your topic. I see the painting as presenting an attempt by the intellect, the human handlers, to control animal emotion, the horses. The sense of drama is enhanced by the ominous darkening sky, the row of dark trees and by the dome of the asylum of Salpetriere in the background. A wild dance is suggested by the circling horses. Rosa Bonheur worked on this painting for a year and a half and had to get police permission to dress in man’s clothes while she did. The painting can be seen here: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435702. Click on the image to enlarge. A second work is “The Vine” (1924) by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth (b. 1880 in Philadelphia). This is a life sized bronze sculpture. While it does not show an interaction between dancers, as it is an image of only one person, it is very much about dance and along with its name also fits in with your other topic “Dance Flows - Nature Flows.” The dancer Desha Delteil (b. listed dates vary from 1892 to 1900) of the Fokine Ballet posed for the work. This work is now in the American Wing of the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art. Here is a video (2 minutes) produced by the Met with a narrator discussing the “The Vine,” its artist and its model and showing the work from different angles. (Brief black and white photograph of the nude model shown.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYSn5yv4ZkU. The Met also produced a second video featuring “The Vine.” This one is entitled “A Body Responds in Dance” and is also two minutes long. The dancer is Francesca Harper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5vL5FtLP. Another work by Harriet Frishmuth for which Desha Delteil posed is “The Bubble” (1928). Here is a video (5 minutes) narrated by Rachel Nard that features “The Bubble:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJvgRAKrGnw. Harriet Whitney Frishmuth did a number of works portraying both the male and female nude, however, it seems that the larger of these works are all female. Here is an image of a nude, by Harriet Frishmuth, of the dancer Leon Barte also of the Fokin Ballet entitled “Slavonic Dancer” (1921): https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/487258. Finally it appears that the dancer Desha Delteil danced with a bubble in a 1920 silent, color short entitled “The Bubble.” I say it appears due to a difference in dates of birth. Tom,

California, thank you for the links particularly the one on Les Noces. When I first saw Les Noces (on video I have never seen it live) I was disappointed. It was when I first became interested in ballet and I expected tutus and instrumental music. Within the last year I read somewhere that it was about an arranged marriage. I don’t know if that was Broni’s meaning, but it made a big difference in how I viewed it. Now, it seems to be invoking a very structured culture. The only emotion is at the end of the third sense when the bride and her mother are saying goodby. Based on the music and the action it seems to me it seems that the bride is being led to a sacrificial chamber at the end. Volcanohunter, I have seen videos of Les Noces, Les Biches and also Le Train Bleu and would like to see other of Broni’s works. Thank you Quiggin for the link to the article on Natalia Goncharova. I am interested in female artists, partly because, like female choreographers, they are so little known. There is a video in the article that I also found interesting. Tom,

Fosca, thank you for the links. I was able to read it with google translate and I was happy for the opportunity to view the illustrations. One thing in the translated story, the one on one page at least, is a description of the veils. They are “woven from condensed rays of light from the ether, which expands according to the measure of their growth, and not only has all the properties of the purest fire air to overcome the earthly weight of the body and to raise it to the clouds with easy flight, but also communicates the swan shape to the owner as long as she is clothed with it.” And are “of an unknown fabric, finer than cobweb and whiter than freshly fallen snow. The upper corner of it was drawn through a little golden crown, and above it was folded up in buffers so that they formed a plume, as it were.” This was not in A Retelling of ‘Der Geraubte Schleier’ (‘The Stolen Veil’). It is descriptions like this that I like in fairy tales, not always the story itself, so again thank you for the links. For others there is only a small part of this story that can be applied to the ballet and it is contained in the second half. In the case of the “Stolen Veil” I don’t care for the story as Friedbert the character from “The Stolen Veil” who could be identified with Siegfried from the ballet, is pretty much a creep as he lies and deceives throughout the story and the story is mostly about the two male characters. The story of the ballet is much better. Tom,

I’ve been searching for information on Broni Nijinsky's life after the end of her autobiography “Early Memoirs,” as well as information on her later choreographed works. As a result of this I found two articles. The first can be seen here: https://peoplepill.com/people/bronislava-nijinska/. This article first summarizes Broni’s life from birth to 1934. The part I am most interested in starts with the heading “As a Choreographer.” The article gives information on many of the over 70 ballets that Broni choreographed. Included are Les Noces, Les Biches and Le Train Bleu, but I was most interested in ballets that I did not know about before or knew little of. The one that stands out the most for me is “Les Tentations de la Bergere” (1924), also known as “L’Amour Vainqueur.” The music for this ballet is from the end of the 17th century or the beginning of the 18th. Another such ballet is “Le Baiser de la Fee” (1928), with music by Igor Stavinsky. I am inspired to find out more about these ballets. Also, of interest to me are the women Broni worked with or was inspired by. This includes the avant garde artist Alexadra Exter (b. 1882). The two women met in 1917 in Moscow and worked together on a number of projects. Two other female artists are Natalia Goncharova (b. 1881) and Marie Laurencin (b. 1883). Then there was “Coco” Chanel (b. 1883) who designed the costumes for “Le Train Bleu” and the dancer Ida Rubinstein (b. 1885). Broni worked in Rubinstein’s company for a time and choreographed the dance for Ravel's Bolero for her. Another point of interest is that Broni, in 1922, danced the role of the faun in her brother’s ballet “L’Apres-midi d’un Faune.” She knew this part well as she had helped Vaslav create it. I found it a bit difficult to read this article as it jumped around some, but that may have been due to my computer. The second article is shorter and can be found here: https://www.calvertjournal.com/articles/show/12439/bronislava-nijinsky-choreography-of-bronislava-women-recollected. It was written by Nadia Beard and is dated January 8, 2021. In it the author writes about “Le Noces” and includes a video of that ballet. Also covered is “Le Train Bleu.” Of particular interest to me is the statement “In an era where static positions were the marrow of classical dance, Nijinska envisioned a modernist ballet, one which saw focus shift towards the movement which connected these positions. Ultimately, she believed it was not the final posture that encapsulated the beauty of ballet, but the spaces in between.” Tom,

As many may know Sheherazade does not appear in the ballet Sheherazade. Instead it is the backstory to that of Sheherazade and the 1001 Arabian Nights. The primary character in the ballet is Zobeide, the favorite wife of the sultan. I see Zobeide and the other Odalisques as slaves, who have to pretend to care for the sultan, but who have desires of their own. Zobeide in particular is in love/lust with the golden slave. This is emphasized by Zobeide stealing the key and letting the Golden Slave out. I enjoy Rimsky-Korsakov’s music very much and like most of the ballet. What I would do away with is the sultan. It could be made into an “abstract” ballet with no story and only a general theme dealing with the Arabian tales or just completely abstract. I do like the dance between Zobeide and the Golden Slave and would keep that and then extend the dances at the beginning and end to take up the time left by the removal of the sultan. The dance between Zobeide and the Golden Slave is the most erotic dance in ballet that I have seen. What I like is the equality between the partners during this dance. Both Zobeide and the Golden Slave are enjoying themselves equally and they are shown to equally participate in the sexual act. Also, in the version with Yulia Makhalina and Igor Kolb, at least, they are dressed similarly with both showing the same amount of skin and the dance motions of both are similarly sensuous. Yulia shows Zobeide to be happy during this dance since for the moment the Odalisque is free to do what she wants. However, that is only for the moment as Zobeide and the other Odalisques are eventually punished for acting to fulfill their desires. That is what I would change. Does anyone know if the music of the ballet is in the same order as it was written by Rimsky-Korsakov or what order it is in. It seems to me that the dance of Zobeide and the Golden Stave is to the music of the Festival in Baghdad, The Sea and Shipwreck, however that is at the end of the original music while that dance is in the middle of the ballet. Tom,

Another ballet in which the female title character dies is La Sylphide. While she is not completely innocent, as she tried to take James away from his intended bride Effie, the young Sylph does not deserve this end and her fate is not a result of her actions, but of James’ unkindness. I would eliminate the fortune telling witch to simplify the story and instead of the sylphide losing her wings and dying, she would fly away with the other sylphs as she and James realize that she is too ethereal and erratic for them to be happy together. While Effie is upset and bewildered at James’ sudden disappearance she seems to recover quickly and goes and marries Gurn, so she seems happy at the end. I like the Sylphide in this ballet even though she acts in a selfish, spoiled, non-caring way, because she is also fun loving, impulsive, free spirited and childish. I saw a 1972 production of La Sylphide by the Paris Opera Ballet, which had “flying” Sylphides in the second act. Tom.