Updated:

Dance Elements in “Swan Lake” and “Night Journey” Ballets Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

The Dance Elements of “Swan Lake”

One of the most famous ballet scenes in Swan Lake is the dance of little swans. It introduces Siegfried to Odette’s carefree world. Little swans represent childhood with its cheerfulness; at the same time, the clasped hands of the dancers speak of friendship and loyalty (Wagner, 2019)). Its key movements comprise emboite — consecutive transitions from foot to foot; jete— movement performed with a leg throw; and pas de chat — jumping movement when bent legs are alternately thrown back.

The dance of Siegfried and Odette comprises such elements as pas de deux, and pirouette. In classical pas de deux in Swan Lake, the ballerina performs 32 pirouettes in a row. Swan Lake is a classical ballet because it is performed to classical music using the ballet’s classical elements and costumes. Swan Lake’s points of value comprise the highest ballet technique, medieval flavor, and the effective contrast of white Odette and black Odile.

The Dance Elements of “Night Journey”

The dance elements that one can see in the Night Journey ballet are pas de deux, plies, and projection. Oedipus and Jocasta perform pas de deux when they exchange vows, and this dance sets the mood of the ballet. While Oedipus portrays the features of masculinity, Jocasta is seen as less sure of herself. She kneels on the floor at the foot of the bed in a plié showing her suffering after Oedipus (Barnes, 2012).

The idea of suffering is echoed by the chorus that performs jetée while holding hands back in the gesture of despair, Oedipus, on the opposite, uses projection to show his maleness and self-confidence. The ballet is classical since within it the viewers see classical elements performed by ballerinas. In terms of choreography and music, it is a good example of art, since each of the three central characters dances with a special set of movements making the ballet more interesting and complex. The ballet’s points of value comprise original chorus, tragic music, and original choreography admired by many viewers around the world.

Classical Ballet and Modern Dance: Comparison

Ballet is often described as a special language with its own codes, a strict organization hierarchy that extends to the viewer. The ballet has a clear structure, where the main dance takes place only in the center of a stage, while dancing that takes place around the center just shades it and supports it. In modern dance, the stage can be divided into many parts, in each of which something happens – and the viewer chooses where to look. Ballet wants its audience to go through a familiar ritual, and modern dance, vice versa, aims to surprise viewers with new techniques and elements (Gonzales, 2020).

Ballet breaks the natural anatomy of the body making ballerinas perform complex ballet elements. Modern dance presupposes feeling of one’s body as it is and many elements such as en points, may not be performed to highlight dancers’ freedom of movement. Modern dance often uses the tools of other disciplines, such as fitness, meditation, improvisation, rave aesthetics, and mindfulness practices.

References

Wagner R. T. (2019) . In Perspectives on dance, young people and change, edited by Charlotte Svendler Nielsen & Stephanie Burridge. Routledge. Web.

Barnes, A. S. (2012). . In The Ancient Dancer in the Modern World: responses to greek and Roman Dance, edited by Fiona Macintosh. Oxford University Press. Web.

Gonzales, J. (2020). From ballet to modern dance: Tracing modernity in Malaysian dance. In Sharing identities (pp. 92-110). Routledge India. Web.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2023, December 14). Dance Elements in "Swan Lake" and "Night Journey" Ballets. https://ivypanda.com/essays/dance-elements-in-swan-lake-and-night-journey-ballets/

Work Cited

"Dance Elements in "Swan Lake" and "Night Journey" Ballets." IvyPanda, 14 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/dance-elements-in-swan-lake-and-night-journey-ballets/.

References

IvyPanda. (2023) 'Dance Elements in "Swan Lake" and "Night Journey" Ballets'. 14 December.

References

IvyPanda. 2023. "Dance Elements in "Swan Lake" and "Night Journey" Ballets." December 14, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/dance-elements-in-swan-lake-and-night-journey-ballets/.

1. IvyPanda. "Dance Elements in "Swan Lake" and "Night Journey" Ballets." December 14, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/dance-elements-in-swan-lake-and-night-journey-ballets/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Dance Elements in "Swan Lake" and "Night Journey" Ballets." December 14, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/dance-elements-in-swan-lake-and-night-journey-ballets/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1