Friday, December 4, 2009

Is ballet dead?

So, I am not usually a fan of ballet, or performance dances beyond so you think you can dance (and even then--not a whole episode) but for some reason I was really struck by this video. It makes me wonder, is dance, much like modern art, too historical? Videos like this make me realize that it's not that I don't like performance dance, it's just that usually those performances are elitest and antiquated. what do you guys think? Is perfomative dance on the way out? Can it be revived? Do you care?

1 comment:

Excaliborn7 said...

wow, this was an unbelievably beautiful performance. the movements were so creative and tense, and i loved the music. And I do agree with you that classical dance (ballet esp.) and theater, like visual and conceptual art, seem to suffer from the same lack of progressive and/or expansive progress. not all, of course, but a lot. so it is inspiring to see performances like this...which not surprisingly occurred at a TED conference, which is exactly the place one should expect to see the most dynamic, expressive ideas and actions going on in society. Ted is such a wonderful resource on the net.

Also, in some ways, this type of dance reminds me of butoh dance. For those of you unfamiliar with this strange and innovative form, i will post a butoh clip. it's wild, dark, beautiful stuff that originated after the bombing in hiroshima in WWII.