Unveiling the Truth: Is Ballet an Art or a Sport? The Big Debate!
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2024
- Hi Everyone!
Welcome Back to my channel! Thank you for your support as always.
Today we are talking about a common question which is, "Is ballet an art form or sport? This is something that as the demands on dancers becomes greater, we think about more and more. With the evolution of sports science dancers are capable of doing many amazing things! However is the art of ballet getting lost?
Let's discuss!
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About Me
Hello everyone! my names Isabella.
I am the first British graduate of the Vaganova ballet academy in Saint Petersburg Russia. I was a soloist working with the Mikhailovsky Ballet and Eifman ballet.
Now I live in London as a full time coach
Here, on my channel I am sharing my passion with you all about the Vaganova technique amongst many other things related to ballet we all love.
It's a hard industry so I am here to help with my insights and knowledge to make it a little easier for you all, as well as to hopefully entertain you with my content.
Thank you for watching!
Isabella xo
If ballet is a sport who are we competing with? The audience? Other dancers? The music? Ourselves? Ballet is a synthesis, an unfolding, an offering. Though ballet with take things from sport to improve the practice of its art.
There's a competition for better roles, job contracts, or just better social standing. Yes I know people dance for themselves and say they don't care what others think, but we're social creatures who do care what other people think.
@@GeorgeOu So, ballet is a tool to assist improvement in social standing? Yes I am being a bit simplistic... perhaps it is a matter of balance? How much of the art or sport or competitiveness is allowed each informing the other?
@@Yeknodathon Social Standing is a factor for all humans but most people won't admit that because it sounds vain.
Everything is a matter of balance, but it doesn't have to be either/or. Of course ballet is both a sport and an art and it's a spectrum between prioritizing those two things. Some people may dial one thing or the other up too much while neglecting the other. A complete ballet dancer doesn't neglect either aspect of ballet.
it is both. dancers compete with themselves and each other---of course they do. they see if they can hold a longer balance than the night before, or have more turns than that other dancer.
the sports aspect is used to reach the artistic side--or it should be, anyhow....some people seem to be pushing it a bit too far.
Definitely an art. Ballet performances lack a competitive element, which is what makes sports sports. I’m of course ignoring the whole subject of ballet competitions which are of course, competitive.
every ballet performance is unique and dancers are always trying to improve; they are constantly in competition with themselves and each other.
to think it is just people flouncing around and posing just to look pretty is missing a major aspect of things....
@@bobloblaw9679 “People flouncing around and posing juts to look pretty” is not a ballet performance. It’s a ballet school recital. No disrespect to ballet school recitals, especially since I was involved in quite a number of them, but ballet school recitals are yet another thing altogether.
Ballet Competitions have nothing to do with art. Nothing.
I’m glad that this dialogue is becoming more prevalent in the dance world at large. It seems as though everyone is starting to notice that the art of dance is starting to be undermined by technique across the board except for hip hop and some commercial dance forms. And to be fair, I can understand why as ballet, especially is made to look so beautiful and effortless that some people outside of the dance world look at it and underestimate how physically demanding the art form truly is. But we should take heed not to listen to them so much and appreciate the hard work we put in without compromising artistry to seemingly try and prove something. For me, as well, the overemphasis on technique has in some ways contributed to me, and I can imagine others, struggling with their confidence in their abilities, even if they do have solid technique and strong artistry and may not be able to do 101 pirouettes
I worry that it’ll go the way figure skating and gymnastics went.
But the loss is more devastating because it is an art, first and foremost.
She spoke on this perfectly, and her comments section buoys my spirit immensely!
I agree with you - it is both.I hate when you see dancers adding in 5 more turns after the music- with the man standing there trying to fill the time somehow,-balencing beyond the music and then people eventually clap.I think this can kill the mood of the story etc- it feels like tricks that break the mood.it's like that saying-" just because you can - doesn't mean you should".
Keeping the skill and artistry in balance creates those dancers that really have that "extra something" that can mesmerise people.
Je suis d accord avec vous . Barishnikov savait être musical et technique en même temps . C est cette combinaison des deux qui fait briller un danseur . Un michael Jackson en était l exemple au regard de tout le monde .
yes, tricks should always be subordinate to the dance as a whole and to the music.
I agree. I am so sick of these videos showing 10 plus pirouettes which is impressive but pointless. They are never on the music. When you actually see them dance it is almost robotic. They are technically correct but the artistry is lacking.
In my opinion, the sport aspects, like strength and technique and even fancy tricks(!) will always only be the basis. The joy I feel when I watch a dancer perform, or dance myself, comes from the artistry. First of all musicality, but also an expressive Port de bras and Epaulment, and all the little details, you name it ☺️🩰🩷
I so much loved seeing Asylmuratova and Lopatkina as inspiration for artistic expression. I very much would rather see in performance a ballerina who is totally in the moment, reacting and dancing through the music, as opposed to many turns, extra high extensions. Although I do believe that has its place in certain ballets such as Forsythes “ In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated”, etc.
I don't think of ballet as a sport because in sport, there is competition - sanctioned competition with clear rules and explanations as to what makes the winner with the end goal being to become the ultimate winner, and I don't think this should be the way we view ballet - it is far to easy to trivialize it and turn it into a, as you said, a 'who can do more turns' situation. I like to think of ballet as a physical art form, that is as demanding on the body as any sport and therefore requires similar worries like injury prevention and conditioning etc.
Thank you for making all this available to regular people. Much of what you are offering use to only be available to the best of the best. The internet and people like you have opened so many doors
I’m here to help! Always feel free to email in if you need further guidance 😊
Ballet is athletic, but still not a sport.
it can be both bc there are ballet comps
Whoa
I just left work comment about this on a short of yours
Holy crap
Wow wow wow
I’m so glad you’re addressing this!!!
All the more reason I adore you 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
As a child doing both Ballet and Figure Skating for quite sometime. I believe whole heartly that ballet was an art. A pure art form. Figure Skating was a sport with art sprinkled in. So I would train like I did in skating in ballet class. I think I remember my teacher calling me out back then. Saying this is beautiful art not a sport like skating. This was in the 70's and 80's. Today I definitely I want to improve technical like a skater, but focus the artistry like the art ballet was created to be.😊❤
I think the only possible answer is... First of All Ballet is an Art and THEN it can be also a sport (especially for adults learners and beginners). We must remember that dancers are artists, they're "body narrators", they tell us stories through their bodies and particular specific moves, Ballet is Dance primarily, it's related to the world of theatre and its origins take from the pantomime! They are ALSO athletics because they need to be in perfect shape if they want to get high levels of quality moves. For example (as a parallelism), Opera singers use their voices to express themselves, they need to train themselves constantly and they use also specific body parts to sing efficiently, but we cannot consider every kind of artists as sportpeople. P. S. Dancers do sports a part in order to dance efficiently, if Ballet was a sport they would'nt need to prepare themselves doing sports before dancing!
this is like asking if music is art or acoustics; the two needn't be mutually exclusive.
I was wanted the technique and strength so I could be free to dance, to feel. It could be a joy
Sometimes the “sport” element takes away the aesthetically pleasing line, for example, when a grand jeté is over three hundred and sixty degrees, or when fitting in that extra turn means the dancer is out of time - you see this so often in competitions.
I love the art of classical ballet, I'm not fond of the acrobatic stuff that is creeping in.
Ballet is an Art. Some of the male solo tricks are probably Sport level; but I prefer to see competition in Figure Skating. My take on Ballet competitions is that it is an effort to expose new potential Stars.
Ballet is art, ballet competitions have nothing to do with art and by consequence, ballet competitions have nothing to do with ballet.
What we see in YAGP, Lausanne and Varna is not ballet! It's just the exploitation of the virtuosity of the solos and ballet variations for commercial purposes.
Nevertheless, I should admit that some competitions, like the Prix de Lausanne, are a path for students to access scholarships and even contracts with companies.
Sometimes they are a necessary evil, but what we see there is definitely not art...
When I first saw those girls in that school in the States doing so many pirouette I was impressed, now I'm annoyed and have unsubscribed because it's so annoying, gimmicky, and it seems like it's all they care about (I'm sure they're not, but that's what it looks like). For me it'll be ALWAYS artistry first. But I understand your argument, because dancers are athletes.
I love your content, Isabella ❤🩰.
I had a similar experience (no hate to any of them personally, it was just the vibe of their media as a whole). I became uncomfortable because I felt like social media was being prioritised over the dancers’ having a good learning environment and when I heard that the school posts some controversial political stuff that was the last straw. I didn’t even verify that info.
I am pretty sure the school you are talking about is Master Ballet Academy, and their students are actually pretty good at ballet and have a lot of artistry. But I do agree that some of the students only focus more on the technical parts (I feel that Melanie's lack of expressions is why she didn't win YAGP)
For me also artistry is the most important part of ballet.
@saishamendiratta2255 Hi there ☺️. Indeed, that's the school I was thinking of. I didn't know about the YAGP, but I know Melanie took part in the Prix de Lausanne too, and surprisingly, it didn't work out too well for her there either (Other students took part in different years also, but don't know about their results).
I just wanted to say thanks for expressing your opinion in such a polite manner. It's not something one can take for granted on the internet! 👏👏👏
@@BarbaraT. I meant Prix De Lausanne only.
Accidently wrote YAGP (sorry for the confusion)
Ballet is not a sport, the body is the instrument of the artist, but that doesn't make it a sport. As sensu contrario, the pyisical nature of football doesn't make it an Art. Ballet as an art is about expression, not about beating any other team or sportsman it is about communicating, about sharing the soul and emotions, about a communion with the public.Great extensions without soul mean nothing, and has no place in Ballet. I love it when I cry watching a performance due to the intensity and purity of the expression of the artist. I don't measure jumps or count fouettés, because it is not a sport.
The way I think of it is which aspect is in service of the other? In gymnastics there is artistry but it’s in service of sport. In dance sport is in service of artistry. That’s just my 2 cents as someone who hasn’t done much of either but has tried quite a few different sports and arts 🤷🏼♀️
I think you can take a sport and treat it more like an art and vice versa but it changes the integrity of it imo
Choreography that relies on tricks and stunts showcases the sporting aspect; it’s built into so many storylines ….
very interesting point of view. I have a tendency to be kind of offended with talks about ballet as a sport, though the way you showed it seems fine.
still, I suppose ballet isn't meant for a "higher" audience, and it isn't neccessarily the most important for it to be "famous". but I think I can agree there may be some useful sport messages for dancers.
for sure it may be important for people who have an impact to take care about how much they "get involved". for still, I suppose it's quite far away from typically being a sport.
As I see it, ballet is, or should be considered, an art. It can't be denied that the physical demands are as high as in many sports. Besides, the lifespan of a professional's career in both fields rarely surpasses 20 years. However, the utmost purpose of ballet is to express, thrill, inspire.. and maybe that's what sports are for too after all. We watch them for entertainment and pleasure, so now I see that they are actually quite similar. Because we also feel emotions when we watch or play sports (for example, I love watching my country, Argentina, play football. I cried passionately the goal in the last match).
I can't still figure out what the crucial difference between them is, because nowadays there are competitions in both, you might dance or play a sport because you simply love it or to show off, what I mentioned before about emotions..it's a complex debate.
But for sure, I dislike it when ballerinas do 10 pirouettes or hold an endless balance and don't respect music.
Ballet belongs to the world of performing arts. Sadly, the sporting mentality is creeping into it, thereby undermining the artistic and emotive side and over-emphasizing the technical side of ballet. This is a very disturbing trend, especially among young children who are obsessed with learning technically demanding variations from popular ballets like Don Q, Paquita, Coppelia, le Corsaire, la Bayadere, and la Esmeralda.
I feel sport ruins the very notion of "ballet."
It’s context I think ballet could be made into a sport similar to how ice skating or gymnastic floor are sports even though they’re also an art. Go to Cirque du soleil and those are the most athletic individuals you can imagine, but their athleticism is in the context of a story/vision. No one is giving points. We’re lost in the spectacle. Ballet is a type of dance, an art, but if you have certain requirements, techniques that need to be done in a routine, ballet dancers can be compared and skills quantified.
Interesting discussion, although I never understood why everything has to be a sport. Sure, dance requires athleticism and agility and endurance and strength and so on, but that doesn't necessarily mean it should be a sport. Now break dancing is in the Olympics and wants to be called breaking, and ballroom dancing also tried to be in the Olympics, etc. We never see the reverse happening with any sport claiming they’re also dance or art. What's wrong with not being a sport and why is being dance and art alone not good enough? There are already dance competitions so what is being called a sport going to accomplish? All that's doing is implying that dance and (performance) art in general are inferior to sports. It's as if people think something doesn't deserve respect or legitimacy if it's not a sport and is "just" art or dance.
Art can be abit self-absorbed and wish ballet was more of a sport~ (not in terms of more tricks but the space around dance). it would be fun competing in some type of team fashion and work towards winning. agreed there would be alot more funding, alot more space for adults if it can be a sport the general public can engage in (like the recent wbna popularity). I think about marathons/triathlons that adults can seriously train towards, but really no space for that in dance. Ballet can be quite a lonely endeavor w not many opportunities for adults to engage in at a high-level vs sports it's very community building, competitions to help goal-setting, higher-level of competition b/c alot more people are engaged in it. I'd be curious to see if ballet can build a sport-level community and competition.
It’s both!
Both
❤
Hi Isabella well i say that Ballet is art because Jean Baptiste Lully taught the young King Louis XIV the Entree de Apollon Danses du Roi Dance of The Sun King in Ballet
YVETTE CHAUVIRE WAS A FAMOUS BALLERINA.
VERY MUCH AN ARTIST.
BALLET TROCKADERO SEEMS LIKE A SPORT.
Ballet dancers are “Racehorses” but artistic racehorses….to me ballet is pure blood talent,encapsulated within a fine art
Do you think Isabella that the ‘new way’ the Vaganova academy is heading is into the more ‘tricks’ arena. I just loved the elegance of the lessons and the exams . Now they all seem like a stage production. The difference is incredible. 🙏🙏🩰🩰🩰👵🇦🇺