Introduction to chapters 10-14
I would like to talk a little bit about Night Journey and the play of Oedipus Rex and how this is pertinent to the next part of the semester and what we have discussed so far. Fate and mans free will is one interpretation of the play and there are discussions regarding this concept that people could research if there was an interest. An interpretation in this direction is the play is about the control of the state over citizens and their destiny and each man as king to be both the sovereign and to act independently without outside interference and to also act as the rebel. The play also examines fate, as by each choice made to avoid the destiny of the oracle actually brings to fruition the fate spoken by the oracle. The oracle does not make the destiny, but only tells the events that will happen and each king, or man, has free will to choose.
The development of ballet was established by nobility in Europe and the level of technique rose to requiring a level of dedication to pursue dance as a profession. Some performing artists from the Soviet Union defected from their country in the twentieth century in order to have the freedom to pursue artistic endeavors which were limited by the Imperial court ballet. In particular, Mikhail
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Baryshnikov was considered to be too short to command the premium roles as a partner and he had witnessed innovative choreography on tours while in the Soviet Union mostly only classics were performed.
In dance, one seeks to master technique and to blend it with artistic performance. As an artist grows, they become more aware of what is required for them to fulfill their personal artistic destiny. We will be discussing the establishment of many dancers who have formed their own companies in order to
follow their vision. We will also be discussing artists from America who found a greater audience in Europe for their work than in their native country. Isadora Duncan is one of these artists who found better reception in Europe than in America and although she found work dancing in America, it was mostly in the follies or garden performances, while in Europe during her career, she made enough money to actually be considered a millionaire by todays standards. This is usually not how Isadora is known, for being something of a millionaire, but it is a measurement that reflects her success.
There is also a standard, or a measurement of requirements that determine new works as art or mainstream dance. The establishment of a dance degree is one standard that was set to determine this. Also, funding by the National Endowment of the Arts or an establishment of a major company is a standard. Like the pointe
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shoe, that was first considered cheating, many modern dance choreographers with new ideas at the beginning of the 1960s outraged many audiences, but by the end of the 1970s, it was considered mainstream, accepted and commonplace. These are just some highlights for consideration before we begin studying the next chapters.
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.