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.
