The enigma of Divertisment
BALLET: 'Originally, the French used Divertisment for dances and songs as stop-gaps in between on stage spectacles in the 18th century. They normally occurred between single, double acts or at the end of the programme. Divertisments were also used as special episodes loosely connected with the main play. As ballet inserts, many were seen in several French ballet operas. Rameau's Platee, Gluck's Iphigenien Aullide, Gounod's Faust and Saint-Saen's Samson et Delilah. While this happened in the 18th century, the major influence of Divertisments were seen in the 19th century dance-suites in the last acts, such as in Coppelia and the Sleeping Beauty. Divertisment is also used as an arrangement for Soli and Pas de Deux as well as in small group of dances within the major dances. Divertisment was also responsible in attracting Balanchine's attention when in May 1956, he mounted a ballet in 5 movements called theDivertisment No. 15. This was followed by Balanchine's Symphonie Concertante (K364). Apparently, Mozart's great influence on the choreographer was the result of Divertisment No. 15. Later, Balanchine used Mozarts Divertisment in B flat major (KV 287).
He mounted the ballet at New York City Ballet, American Shakespeare Festival Theatre along with LeClercq Magallenes. It was a plotless ballet but with Mozart's scores, became a tremendous success. The cast consisted of 5 girls and 6 boys with a corps of 8 girls reflecting the serene mood of each and every individual. Earlier in 1952, another version named Caracole was first performed at the City Centre Theatre in New York. Many other Divertisments followed by choreographers who saw the potential in it and gave serious twists to its appeal. While Divertisment was the fore-runner to Variations, many choreographers missed a point in connecting it for choreographic excellence. Sir Fredrick Ashton who saw a streak of hope in evolving this medium for better results, came up with a ballet called the Symphonic variations as against the Symphonic Concertante of Mozart used by Balanchine for Divertisment. This ballet was an abstract of pure dance mounted in 1946 at the Royal Ballet which had just moved to Covent Garden. It was Ashton's first composition for a big stage. He used only six dancers, ie three ballerinas and three male dancers. This creation of his was as lovely as the best of English lyrical poetry. Cesar Francke's Symphonic Variants was the score that Ashton used, giving the ballet the same name because it appeared its rhythms and melodies were designed for this particular ballet. Ashton was able to perfectly blend the music with the movements of the dancers. The first set of dancers Ashton selected for the Symphonic Variations were Margot Fonteyn, Moira Shearer, Pamela May, Michael Soames, Brian Shaw, Henry Danton. Sophie Fedorovitch, a close friend of Ashton and councellor, was the designer. Between these great friends, a masterpiece was created. In yet another version between these two, the Symphonic Variations were mounted with the same dancers but Anya Lindon and Annete Page replaced Moira Shearer an Pamela May. Shearer went over to Hollywood to dance in a full length ballet-film called The Red Shoes with Margaret O'Brian. It was the ambition of each and every dancer at the Royal Ballet to dance in the Symphonic Variations which they look upon as the touchstone of their English style and maintained to date. |
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