Ethnic Forms
Ballet dance, to a great extent, is an ethnic form of dance as it conveys the idea that the dance is a reflection of the cultural traditions from the specific communities within which they are developed. The listings of the characters and themes of ballet and the ballet dance are a concise show of the ethnic aspect of ballet dance. Consider, for instance, how ballet dance culturally reveals the stylized Western customs, such as the mannerisms from the age of chivalry, christenings, mourning customs, burial, and weddings.
I personally agree with the point raised by DeMille that “theatre always reflects the culture that produces it (Rinaldi 349). When giving an insight evaluation of the ballet dance, it depicts several cultural aspects of the Western world. For example, the western cultural heritage is revealed in the roles appearing in the ballet such as human transformed into witches, animals, fairies, royalty and peasants, gnomes, and performers of evil magic.
American Themes
Ballet dance proofs America in that it holds specific tenets of the American setting in which it shows the people with who it identifies could be sharing contemporary dance characteristics since it depicts the white man’s dance heritage to be complete different excerpt for the most ancient of days (Nahachewsky 280).
On the other hand, the ballet proves on several grounds its is not American per se. For instance, it rejects the primitive notion of the white man and ascribes to these characteristics to the different groups existing among the Indians, African tribes, Indians of South and North America, and Pacific peoples.
The ballet’s choreographic work on the ethno-aesthetics creates body types, clothes, and set which match the westernized perspective of grace and beauty while incorporating many of the ideals, nuances, and resources of a particular culture (Copeland and Marshall 318). That is, the dance gives an insight of a specific culture as dancing form takes the performance of glissades – a step which requires a horizontal force in case the foot isn’t moving against the floor. All the ballet moves are specific and structured to fit its unique style.
Works Cited
Copeland, Roger, and Marshall Cohen. What Is Dance?: Readings in Theory and Criticism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. Print.
Nahachewsky, Andriy. Ukrainian Dance: A Cross-Cultural Approach. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co, 2012. Print.
Rinaldi, Robin. Ballet. New York: Chelsea House, 2010. Print.
