Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal for the Interdisciplinary Art and Education, cilt.2, sa.1, ss.1-8, 2021 (Hakemli Dergi)
Ballet which headed towards an intellectual and cultural change in the 18th Century,
became a performing art reflecting all kind of emotions. The 'opera-ballet', which
emerged from the ballet entrées of the early 17th Century and which was a combination
of opera and ballet arts, became a genre of the French Baroque Lyric Theater in the
18th Century and continued to develop over time from the first half of this period. In
the second half of the 18th Century, the Ballet d’Action was born as a product of
choreographers who wanted to make ballet independent from opera. Jean-Georges
Noverre, who wanted to tell a story through dance and mime, was the creator of the
Ballet d’Action. According to Noverre; a ballet must be technical, at the same time be
able to make the audience feel emotional depth, combine the plot of the stage and
music within the story, and the pantomime must be simple and understandable.
Noverre's book, "Letters on Dance and Ballet", a popular dance guide, contains his
manifesto explaining how a Ballet d’Action should be. According to this manifesto; the
theme of a ballet piece should be rational, symbolism and abstractions should be
eliminated, light clothing should be preferred to bulky costumes, and the use of masks
that hide facial expression should be stopped. With the reforms it went through in the
18th Century, ballet became an art branch independent of opera, and together with
dramatic ballet, it formed the foundations of today's ballet art.