Throwback Thursday and a Disruptive Ballet
It happened in Paris in 1913. In the newly completed Theatre de Champs-Elysees, Diaghiliev’s Ballet Russe was about to debut their newest production: Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of
Spring). It was the event of the year,
and it seemed that all of Paris was there.
But almost as soon as the curtain rose on the odd, angular
and turned-in choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky, and the never-before-heard dissonant
style of music of Stravinsky, the trouble began. The audience began to react violently to the scene
before them, beginning with whistles that became hisses. Soon it deteriorated into pushing, shoving
and yelling. More than forty audience
members were escorted from the theater, but it did little to quiet the
ruckus. Even turning on the house lights
had no effect.
The noise from the audience was so loud that the music
couldn’t be heard by the dancers and Nijinsky was forced to stand in the wings,
beating time with a stick so the dancers could maintain their tempo.
Stravinsky’s music is now regarded as one of the greatest
musical achievements of the 20th century, but on the eve of May 29,
1913, it enraged the audience who regarded it as “noise”.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Dance History Factoid #38:
“The debut performance
of ‘The Rite of Spring’ in 1913 caused a riot in the theater.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“I've heard there are troubles of
more than one kind; some come from ahead, and some come from behind. But I've brought
a big bat. I'm all ready, you see; now my troubles are going to have troubles
with me!
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