(in Polish) Wokół Baletów Rosyjskich Siergieja Diagilewa 3106-BALROS-OG

The founding of Ballets Russes in 1909 in Paris was Sergei Diaghilev’s (a famous Petersburg
marchand and curator who specialized in art, opera in dance) individual, avant-garde and
syncretic project. Confronting Orient and Occident, introducing the Russian folklore to Paris
scene, then redefining ethnic and national traditions in modern art, till formulating
neoclassicism – those were the tasks of the initial modern dance. Among creators of new,
avant-garde phenomena were above all the XXth century composers, like: Igor Stravinsky (e.
g. L’oiseau de feu, Petrushka, Le sacre du printemps), Claude Debussy (Prélude à l'après-
midi d'un faune in choreographic form, Jeux), Maurice Ravel (Dafnis i Chloe), Richard
Strauss (Josephslegende), Manuel de Falla (Trójgraniasty kapelusz), Manuel de Falla (El
sombrero de tres picos), Eric Satie (Parade), Francis Poulenc (Les biches); choreographers:
Mikhail Fokin, Vaclav Nijinsky, Leonid Massine, George Balanchine; set designers:
Alexander Benois, Léon Bakst, Nikolai Roerich, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Henri
Matisse; dancers: Vaclav Nijinsky, Leon Wojcikovsky, Bronislava Nijinska, Anna Pavlova.
New dance spectacle, with its crucial and building role of music (mainly the modern music),
had syncretic form, which based on unity between music, choreography, set design and costumes. The lecture listeners will make known many avant-garde ballets, the musical works which builded a dance spectacle, main choreographers’ and dancers’ artistic roots, evolution of dance staging, set designs projects. They make known artistic life of the Polish cooperators of the Ballets Russes and their impact on postwar music theatre in Poland (e. g. Warsaw Grand Theatre concept by Bohdan Wodiczko). The lecture will be illustrated by multimedia.

Type of course

general courses

Learning outcomes

The student:
- will make known genesis and short history of the Ballets Russes, one of the eminent
phenomena in the XXth century dance and music.
- will make known famous music works which builded this phenomena, the creators and the
cooperators of the Ballets and their impact on the world and Polish culture
- will adjust own aesthetic thoughts on modern art. and its relation to tradition
(correspondance and opposition)

Assessment criteria

1. Presence on the classes (two absences are permissive)
2. A conversations on class’ topics
3. The final test

Bibliography

Richard Buckle, Diaghilev, London : Weidenfield & Nicolson, 1979.
Richard Buckle, Nijinsky, 2 London : Phoenix Giant, 1998.
Selma Jeanne Cohen, International Encyclopedia of Dance, New York : Oxford University
Press, 2004, 6 Vols.
Ludwik Erhardt, Balety Igora Strawińskiego, Cracow : PWM, 1962.
Robert Garis, Following Balanchine, New Haven – London : Yale University Press, 1995.

Arnold Haskell, Balett. A complete guide to appreciation, history, aesthetics ballets,
dancers. (With eighteen illustrations from photographs and twenty-five original decorations
in the text by Key Ambrose), Harmondsworth: Hazell, Watson and Viney, London, 1945.
Carol A. Hess, Sacred passions: the live and music of Manuel de Falla, New York : Oxford
University Press, 2005.
Vladimir Jankélévitch, Ravel, Paris : Seuil, 1977.
Alicja Jarzębska, Strawiński – myśli i muzyka, Cracow : Musica Iagellonica, 2002.
Michał Klubiński, Bohdan Wodiczko. Dyrygent wobec nowoczesnej kultury muzycznej,
Cracow : TAiWPN Universitas, 2017.
Ernst Krause, Richard Strauss : Gestalt und Werk, 3. veränd. Aufl., Leipzig : Breitkopf &
Härtel, 1983.
Lifar Serge, Serge Diaghilev, his life, his work, his legend: an intimate biography, New York
: Da Capo Press, 1976.
Edward Lockspeiser, Debussy: his life and mind. Vol. 2, 1902-1918, Cambridge et al. :
Cambridge University Press, 1978.
Jacek Marczyński, Dziesięciu tańczących facetów, Warszawa : Wydawnictwo Axis Mundi,
2014: essais: Szokujące pomysły Wacława Niżyńskiego, p. 17-29; George Balanchine, jego
żony, kochanki, tancerki, p. 31-43.
Jacek Marczyński, Dziesięć tańczących kobiet, Warszawa : Wydawnictwo Axis Mundi,
2016: essais: Nieodwzajemniona miłość Marii Rambert, p. 59-75; Bronisława Niżyńska,
kobieta nieposkromiona, p. 183-203.
Bronislava Nijinska, Early memoirs, transl. and ed. Irina Nijinska and Jean Rawlinson; with
an introd. by and consultation with Anna Kisselgoff, London – Boston : Faber and Faber,
1982.
Vaslav Nijinsky, The Diary of Vaslav Nijinsky, ed. by Romola Nijinsky, London : V.
Gollancz, 1937.
Bohdan Pilarski, „Święto wiosny” Igora Strawińskiego, Muzyka, Vol. 3, 1956, p. 77-91.
Marie Rambert, Żywe srebro: życiorys własny, transl. from French Anna Mysłowska,
foreward by Maria Kuncewiczowa, Warszawa : Czytelnik, chroni1978.
Igor Strawiński, Kroniki mego życia, transl. Juliusz Kydryński, Cracow : PWM, 1974.
Marta Szoka, Tomasz Majewski, eds., Święto wiosny. Dwie perspektywy, Łódź : Grażyna
and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music in Łodź, 2014.
Richard Taruskin, The Oxford history of western music. Vol. 4, The early twentieth century,
New York : Oxford University Press, 2005.
Irena Turska, Krótki zarys historii tańca i baletu, 2 Kraków : PWM, 1983 : chapter: Balety
Diagilewa na Zachodzie Europy, p. 208-218.
Irena Turska, Przewodnik baletowy, 5 Kraków : PWM, 2014.
Jan Stanisław Witkiewicz, Leon Wójcikowski. Mistrz tańca, Warszawa : Wydawnictwo
Iskry, 2007.
Tacjanna Wysocka, Dzieje baletu, Warszawa : PIW, 1970: chapter Balet w wieku XX, p.
142-216.

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

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Description of 3106-BALROS-OG in USOSweb