Tanzrecherche NRW: Classical Tradition / Modern Society by Mirjam Otten

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTS
How a public will receive a certain ballet piece is partially dependent on wider
social developments and concerns (Castro, 2018). Fisher (2003) credits this
mechanism with The Nutcracker’s popularity in 20th century America. The
experience The Nutcracker gave the American public — immersing them in an
exciting, partly exotic journey within the safe and orderly context of the dream tale
tamed in the end — played to a stable family community and a simple celebration
of tradition aligned with social desires and communal nostalgia at a time of vast
industrial change (Fisher, 2003). In a similar manner, early Spanish reviews of The
Rite of Spring praised its democratic nature after the establishment of the Second
Republic in Spain (Castro, 2018). Alastair Marriott infers that changes in social
context mean that classical productions will appear differently to different
generations. In this process, he values the visions of the past seen in traditional
works as conversation-starters and mirrors of the change that society has
experienced since their inception. This is particularly pertinent when thinking about
how changing acceptability standards are increasingly revealing problematic
representations and storylines in many classical ballet pieces. Andrew McNicol
points out that all forms of art are subject to changed perceptios rooted an evolving
society and nonetheless remain important reflections of a past way of life. To him,
this process can be a great source of creativity as new works emerge that tackle
outdated elements in traditional productions.
Beyond the ways in which a work is perceived by the public, Whatley (2013) argues
that the practice of dance itself will bear a reflection of a changing society, saying
that ‘dancing bodies embody particular pedagogies and philosophies of movement’.
He questions in how far these realities make ways into what is consiered heritage
due to their temporal nature and rootedness in an evolving social and bodily reality.
Even so, this line of thought would advocate a dance practice that favours
increased agency of the dancing artist, improvisation and regular renewal of
choreographic aesthetics so as to make room for the inherent modernity of the
moving body to emerge. How this can be done is discussed in the section ‘Good
Practice’.
Classical Tradition // Modern Society 26