Scènes de ballet (Ashton)

Scènes de ballet
File:Scènes de ballet.jpg The Royal Ballet perform in Frederick Ashton's Scènes de ballet
Choreographer	Sir Frederick Ashton
Music	Igor Stravinsky
Premiere	11 February 1948 Royal Opera House, London
Original ballet company	Royal Ballet
Setting	Paris
Created for	Dame Margot Fonteyn
Genre	Neoclassical ballet
Type	classical ballet

Scènes de ballet is a one-act ballet choreographed by Frederick Ashton, who created the ballet during 1947-48. The first performance was given at London's Royal Opera House, with music by Igor Stravinsky.

Creation, choreography and design

Ashton's choreography is along classical lines, in the tradition of Marius Petipa's 19th-century

works. Instead of Petipa's symmetry, however, Ashton used a system of Euclidean geometry, with geometric theorems adapted to serve as floor patterns for the dancers. As a result, the ballet is unusual in that it makes sense from all angles, as Ashton himself explained.

I wanted to do a ballet that could be seen from any angle - anywhere could be front, so to speak. So I did these geometric figures that are not always facing front - if you saw Scènes de ballet from the wings, you'd get a very different but equally good picture.

The ballet was originally designed by André Beaurepaire, a young Frenchman who was heavily influenced by Picasso. His collaboration with Ashton was not an easy one, given the choreographer's wish for what Parry calls "Baroque Parisian fantasy". Eventually, two sets were agreed upon: a green-grey viaduct that was supposed to give way, at the apotheosis, to a white pavilion made up of guns, bones, and limbs. In the event this proved impractical, and since the ballet's second performance the viaduct has been used on its own, although at the premiere Ashton went with the pavilion.

Beaurepaire's designs for the costumes were not quite to Ashton's liking either: though the choreographer retained his designer's hats, bracelets and chokers he did remove the men's hats and altered the colour of the tights from blue-gray to pink. Pearls and diamonds were added to the women's costumes, while the men's costumes were simplified. The prima ballerina was given a colour combination of yellow and black to suit Margot Fonteyn, who created the role. Her main partner for the first performances was Michael Somes.

Critical reception

Initially, Scènes de ballet was not received with overwhelming enthusiasm by critics, but its reputation has steadily grown over time in accordance with Ashton's own evaluation.

It has a distant, uncompromising beauty which says I am here, beautiful, but I will make no effort to charm you.

Reference

• "Geometry in Motion", John Parry. Published by The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, London 2004.