THE FUTURE OF RUSSIAN BALLET: THE VIEW FROM THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY

At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth many thought that ballet was in crisis. An opposition could be observed between the old classical ballet and the new ballet, represented in the first place by Michel Fokine and Alexander Gorskii. In books and magazines critics discussed what should happen to Russian ballet in the future. Many of these predictions were later fulfilled. The critics managed to foresee the advent of abstract ballet (pioneered by George Balanchine), the epoch of so-called dramballet, and the gradual independence of character dance in 1930-1940.

Automated summary

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, ballet faced a crisis as the old classical ballet clashed with the new ballet represented by Fokine and Gorskii. Critics predicted the future development of Russian ballet, including the emergence of abstract ballet, the era of dramballet, and the independence of character dance.