The ballet that incited a riot - Iseult Gillespie
-
0:07 - 0:12We typically think of ballet
as harmonious, graceful and polished– -
0:12 - 0:14hardly features that would trigger a riot.
-
0:14 - 0:18But at the first performance
of Igor Stravinsky’s "The Rite of Spring," -
0:18 - 0:23audience members were so outraged
that they drowned out the orchestra. -
0:23 - 0:27Accounts of the event include
people hurling objects at the stage, -
0:27 - 0:30challenging each other to fights,
and getting arrested– -
0:30 - 0:34all on what started
as a sophisticated night at the ballet. -
0:34 - 0:37First performed in May 1913
-
0:37 - 0:40at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
in Paris, -
0:40 - 0:43"The Rite of Spring"
is set in prehistoric times. -
0:43 - 0:46The narrative follows
an ancient Pagan community -
0:46 - 0:50worshipping the Earth
and preparing for the sacrifice of a woman -
0:50 - 0:52intended to bring about
the change of seasons. -
0:52 - 0:56But the ballet is much more
concerned with the violent relationship -
0:56 - 0:59between humans, nature, and culture
-
0:59 - 1:01than with character or plot.
-
1:01 - 1:04These themes manifest
in a truly upsetting production -
1:04 - 1:09which combines harsh music,
jerky dancing, and uncanny staging. -
1:09 - 1:13It opens with dancers
awakening to a solo bassoon, -
1:13 - 1:16playing in an eerily high register.
-
1:16 - 1:21This gives way to discordant strings,
punctured by unexpected pauses -
1:21 - 1:23while the dancers twitch to the music.
-
1:23 - 1:26These frightening figures
enact the ballet’s brutal premise, -
1:26 - 1:28which set audiences on edge
-
1:28 - 1:31and shattered the conventions
of classical music. -
1:31 - 1:33In these ways and many more,
-
1:33 - 1:36"The Rite of Spring"
challenged the orchestral traditions -
1:36 - 1:37of the 19th century.
-
1:37 - 1:40Composed on the cusp
of both the first World War -
1:40 - 1:42and the Russian revolution,
-
1:42 - 1:45"The Rite of Spring" seethes with urgency.
-
1:45 - 1:48This tension is reflected
in various formal experiments, -
1:48 - 1:52including innovative uses of syncopation,
or irregular rhythm; -
1:52 - 1:55atonality or the lack of a single key,
-
1:55 - 1:58and the presence
of multiple time signatures. -
1:58 - 2:01Alongside these
strikingly modern features, -
2:01 - 2:04Stravinsky spliced in aspects
of Russian folk music– -
2:04 - 2:07a combination that deliberately disrupted
-
2:07 - 2:10the expectations of his sophisticated,
urban audience. -
2:10 - 2:14This wasn’t Stravinsky’s
first use of folk music. -
2:14 - 2:18Born in a small town
outside of St. Petersburg in 1882, -
2:18 - 2:22Stravinsky’s reputation was cemented
with the lush ballet "The Firebird." -
2:22 - 2:24Based on a Russian fairytale,
-
2:24 - 2:27this production
was steeped in Stravinsky’s fascination -
2:27 - 2:29with folk culture.
-
2:29 - 2:32But he plotted a wilder project
in "The Rite of Spring," -
2:32 - 2:37pushing folk and musical boundaries
to draw out the rawness of pagan ritual. -
2:37 - 2:39Stravinsky brought this reverie to life
-
2:39 - 2:42in collaboration
with artist Nicholas Roerich. -
2:42 - 2:46Roerich was obsessed
with prehistoric times. -
2:46 - 2:49He had published essays
about human sacrifice -
2:49 - 2:51and worked on excavations
of Slavic tombs -
2:51 - 2:54in addition to set and costume design.
-
2:54 - 2:57For "The Rite of Spring,"
he drew from Russian medieval art -
2:57 - 3:01and peasant garments to create costumes
that hung awkwardly -
3:01 - 3:02on the dancers’ bodies.
-
3:02 - 3:07Roerich set them against vivid backdrops
of primeval nature; -
3:07 - 3:11full of jagged rocks, looming trees
and nightmarish colors. -
3:11 - 3:14Along with its dazzling sets
and searing score, -
3:14 - 3:17the original choreography
for "The Rite of Spring" -
3:17 - 3:19was highly provocative.
-
3:19 - 3:23This was the doing
of legendary dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, -
3:23 - 3:27who developed dances
to rethink “the roots of movement itself.” -
3:27 - 3:30Although Stravinsky
later expressed frustration -
3:30 - 3:32with Nijinsky’s demanding rehearsals
-
3:32 - 3:35and single-minded interpretations
of the music, -
3:35 - 3:39his choreography proved
as pioneering as Stravinsky’s composition. -
3:39 - 3:41He contorted traditional ballet–
-
3:41 - 3:44to both the awe and horror
of his audience, -
3:44 - 3:49many of whom expected
the refinement and romance of the genre. -
3:49 - 3:53The dancing in "The Rite of Spring"
is agitated and uneven, -
3:53 - 3:58with performers cowering, writhing
and leaping about as if possessed. -
3:58 - 4:01Often, the dancers are not one
with the music -
4:01 - 4:03but rather seem to struggle against it.
-
4:03 - 4:07Nijinsky instructed them
to turn their toes inwards -
4:07 - 4:10and land heavily after jumps,
often off the beat. -
4:10 - 4:12For the final, frenzied scene,
-
4:12 - 4:18a woman dances herself to death
to loud bangs and jarring strings. -
4:18 - 4:22The ballet ends abruptly on a harsh,
haunting chord. -
4:22 - 4:24Today, "The Rite of Spring"
-
4:24 - 4:27remains as chilling
as its controversial debut, -
4:27 - 4:32but the shockwaves of the original work
continue to resound and inspire. -
4:32 - 4:36You can hear Stravinsky’s influence
in modern jazz’s dueling rhythms, -
4:36 - 4:40folky classical music,
and even film scores for horror movies, -
4:40 - 4:44which still illicit
a riotous audience response.
- Title:
- The ballet that incited a riot - Iseult Gillespie
- Speaker:
- Iseult Gillespie
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-ballet-that-incited-a-riot-iseult-gillespie
Ballet is typically thought of as harmonious, graceful and polished— hardly something that would trigger a riot. But at the first performance of Igor Stravinsky's “The Rite of Spring,” audience members were so outraged that they drowned out the orchestra. People hurled objects at the stage, started fights and were arrested. What caused this shocking reaction? Iseult Gillespie explains the controversy.
Lesson by Iseult Gillespie, directed by WOW-HOW Studio.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:44
Moe Shoji commented on English subtitles for The ballet that incited a riot | ||
lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for The ballet that incited a riot | ||
lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for The ballet that incited a riot | ||
lauren mcalpine approved English subtitles for The ballet that incited a riot | ||
lauren mcalpine accepted English subtitles for The ballet that incited a riot | ||
lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for The ballet that incited a riot | ||
Tara Ahmadinejad edited English subtitles for The ballet that incited a riot | ||
Tara Ahmadinejad edited English subtitles for The ballet that incited a riot |
Moe Shoji
Dear transcriber,
Could you double check the spelling for the final line of this talk I quote below?
Thank for your help in advance!
4:40 - 4:44
which still illicit
a riotous audience response.
illicit --> elicit