1928 Balanchine’s Apollo

Serge Diaghileve made the right decision in hiring George Balanchine. Over the past couple of years Ballet Russess has really taken a turn. Recently I saw Balanchine’s Apollo and at first I was at a loss for words! The ballet used a Stravinsky score and was based off of the Apollo, the Greek god of music, who is visited and instructed by three Muses Terpsichore, Muse of dance and song; Polyhymnia, Muse of mime; and Calliope, Muse of poetry. What I of course enjoyed most was the change in costumes. Say goodbye to the Petipa Pancake! André Bauchant was the set and costume designer for this groundbreaking ballet. The emphasis of this ballet was not on frills and excessive props or scenery, everything was kept simple and focused on the dancing. The females were even further exposed than in Petipa’s ballets. Their costumes were white camisole leotards and a white skirt that only reached their upper thigh. These costumes showed off the physicality of the females and did not in any distract from their dancing. The simplicity of the costumes is a huge change from the elaborate and adorned tutus that had been previously worn. The male in white tights and a cloth shall matched the females in simplicity and showed the strong chest of a male dancer. Overall this ballet ditched the eloborate set designs and costumes and opted for simplicity. With minimal props and costumes that highlighted the dancers body the audience really only focused on the movement and extremely skilled dancing.