Ballet Performances Question...?

Question

Are all ballets that have the same name the same? Say i saw Giselle twice, would the choreography be the same or does each choreographer change it? and if it is the same, how to people remember WHOLE ballet so they can teach it to other dancers?

Answer 1

no they are not. the choreography may change slightly or dramatically based on the dancers abilities and the number of dancers. they usually video tape the ballets to remember the choreography as well.

Answer 2

It's not the same always...different choreographers for different companies have different styles! I've seen many scenes from gisselle and there are some parts that are the same because the different companies liked what the other one did, or they both thought that that is what should go to the music there...it just fit! others were diferently done...in different ways because the choreographers put a little bit of themselves into it to make it unique! I hope this helped!

-Taryn

Answer 3

theyll definitely different like if u get the channel called ovation, you can see the different versions of nutcracker like Balanchines version and  you could see my studios version and theyll be very different

hope i helped :)

Answer 4

The answer to your question hinges on whether a ballet piece is a modern work, and thus still covered by copyright, or whether it is much older, and thus has fallen out of copyright and into the public domain.

Giselle happens to be a piece by Marius Petipa (who actually revived the piece by Adolphe Adam), a 19th century choreographer. Thus, when this or other Petipa pieces are revived by modern choreographers, they are able to pick and choose which parts they'd like to keep intact and which ones they'd like to reinterpret. Balanchine ballets, on the other hand, are not only copyrighted, but are carefully guarded by the Balanchine Trust, who determine which ballet companies are qualified to perform a Balanchine piece. If you see Balanchine's "Raymonda Variations" performed by different ballet companies, it will always be the same. But that doesn't mean that other choreographers can't set a work to the same music (which is in the public domain), call it "Raymonda Variations" and do completely different steps to it. Matthew Bourne's "Swan Lake" is a copyrighted piece, just as Balanchine's "Swan Lake" is copyrighted. Different companies aren't allowed to "interpret" those works; they have to totally recreate their own or have permission to perform those pieces as they were set.

Whole ballets can be recorded on paper through special notations, or they can be videotaped these days. But many dancers ARE able to remember whole ballets and go on to reset them on other companies with the permission of the choreographers.

Answer 5

i agree with the first two answers but there are some choreographic elements that remain the same (like the 32 fouettes in swan lake).

Answer 6

The biggest, most recognizable scenes are going to be the same (such as Cygnets/Little Swans dance in "Swan Lake").  Each choreographer adds their own touches and choreographs the steps.  They write down the dances to remember them; in my one ballet intensive, we learned choreographic notation.

Answer 7

The choreography will change every time you see a performance since each choreographer has his or her own idea of how it should look and they remember the way all of us do, practice, practice, practice.