1st Edition
Passion and Elegance How Flamenco and Classical Ballet Met at the Ballets Russes
This book commences with the history of Indian, Egyptian, Arab, and flamenco dance, then compares and contrasts the history of both classical ballet and flamenco.
The book outlines the early roots of flamenco in India, and the journey of the Romani through the Middle East and Europe up to their final destination in Spain. Alongside this, the history of classical ballet is detailed from its beginning in Italy to its later development in France. The book spans the period from the temples of India to Massine’s Spanish ballet, The Three-cornered Hat, for the Ballets Russes. The chronicle of flamenco's journey from India to Spain is important to understanding the development of classical ballet as it relates to The Three-cornered Hat, which is the culmination of the story. The evolution of costumes, space, scenery, and props is examined along with the historical parallels.
This exploration is set to inspire and encourage choreographers to partner other dance forms with ballet as Leonide Massine did with flamenco in The Three-cornered Hat while also challenging the anthropological idea of the language of dance movement tracing the migration of people.
1. The Early Roots of Flamenco Dance 2. Kathak Origins 3. Egyptian Connections 4. The Arab Link 5. Arrival of Flamenco in Spain 6. The Historical Path of Classical Ballet and Flamenco 7. Origins of the Ballets Russes 8. The Birth of the Ballets Russes 9. Leonide Massine and Flamenco in Spain 10. Flamenco’s Contrasts and Similarities to Other Dance Forms: Character Dance and the Bolero School 11. Two Flamenco Dances: The Fandango and The Farruca 12. Analysis of the Miller’s Dance and The Three-cornered Hat Story 13. Duende 14. In the Footsteps of Massine
Biography
Barbara File Marangon taught and choreographed ballets in Italy, the Czech Republic, and Spain. Barbara has a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Oklahoma where she taught ballet, and she was a recipient of the Ballets Russes Fellowship and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the Southern New Hampshire University.
“It is a great pleasure to endorse Barbara File Marangon’s book on flamenco and the Ballets Russes in which she explores one of the richest periods in the history of ballet layered with the enduring and evocative art of flamenco. As a disciplined and thorough researcher, Marangon has created a book that will no doubt be of great value as a text, but it is also an intriguing read as it recounts in detail the dynamic intersection of flamenco and ballet in the early part of the last century.”
Professor Mary Margaret Holt, Dean, Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts, Chair, Regents’ Professor, and Nichols Presidential Professor, University of Oklahoma
