Boys' Ballet Costumes: Classical Ballet and Contemporary Dance


Figure 1.--Most ballet clasical ballet schools are strict about the costumes that boys and girls must wear for practice. Contemporary dance instruction is less disciplined.

Younger boys have mostly participated in ballet and not contemporary dance. Some members of the dance world suggest that contemporary dance is a watered down classical ballet. Others believe that contemporary has taken dance into the 21st centuary and ballet is still about princes and fairies. Many ballet enthusiasts have seem very little contemporary dance, especially decent contemporary dance. Ballet in many ways hasn't even tackled the issue of nudity in dance yet, nor, say proponents of contemporary dance, has it done any of the darker emotions with any depth. The whole point of contemporary dance is to reflect the times in which we live in. There will always be ballet companies that do classical repertory because it is a standard of technical exellence. Modern dance does not have a classical vocabulary however, many modern dancers are expected to be classically trained in ballet. So, maybe that is were your blur is. Modern dance stands on its own as far as dealing with challenging topics. Some dance experts report seeing dance that seemed to represent both classical ballet and contemporary techniques at the same time. It was different to what would typically be called contemporary but yet couldn't be discribed as classical cause it broke to many rules. Perhaps a a new style of dance emerging? Maybe a new style of ballet? Maybe just a contemporary dance representing the times.

Boys and Dance

Younger boys have mostly participated in ballet and not contemporary dance. Most of the younger boys that pursue dance, pursue classical ballet. Later some of these boys then proceed with contemporary dance, but few begin with it.

Differeing Opinions

Often propnents of classical and ballet and comtemprary dance are critical of each others disciplines.

Classical Ballet

Classical ballet is any technique that evolved from the French, Italian, and Russian training. Some believe that anything Balanchine is not classical ballet technique. SAB and Balanchine is just style & choreography, although some will disagree. Some members of the dance world suggest that contemporary dance is a watered down classical ballet. Some see comtemoprary dance as undesciplied, often conducted by dancers with limited skills and technique.

Contemprary Dance

Others believe that contemporary has taken dance into the 21st centuary and ballet is still about princes and fairies. Many ballet enthusiasts have seem very little contemporary dance, especially decent contemporary dance. Ballet in many ways hasn't even tackled the issue of nudity in dance yet, nor, say proponents of contemporary dance, has it done any of the darker emotions with any depth. The whole point of contemporary dance is to reflect the times in which we live in.

Bluring forms

There will always be ballet companies that do classical repertory because it is a standard of technical exellence. Modern dance does not have a classical vocabulary however, many modern dancers are expected to be classically trained in ballet. So, maybe that is were your blur is. Modern dance stands on its own as far as dealing with challenging topics. Some dance experts report seeing dance that seemed to represent both classical ballet and contemporary techniques at the same time. It was different to what would typically be called contemporary but yet couldn't be discribed as classical cause it broke to many rules. Perhaps a a new style of dance emerging? Maybe a new style of ballet? Maybe just a contemporary dance representing the times.

Some would actually welcome a new emerging ballet style. Some definitely feel a new contemporary ballet style is emerging that has movement that is not in the classical vocabulary. This new style of ballet is more humnistic--taking out the academic pour te bra that is typically associated with classical ballet.

Interperative dance

One early form of contempray dance was interperative dance championed by Isadora Duncan. She helped found dancing schools for children, including schools in the Soviet Union, and promoted dance instruction for both boys and girls.

Dance Costumes

Most classical ballet instruction, especially at residerntial schools, is usually quite strict and disciplinmes this usually includes the practice costumes for the children. Even American andcother non-residebntial schools can be quite strict. This is rarely the case for instruction in comtemporary dance.





Christopher Wagner





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Created: October 11, 2000
Last updated: October 11, 2000