A revisionist look at romanticism in ballet.
Rethinking the Sylph gathers essays by a premier group of international scholars to illustrate the importance of the romantic ballet within the broad context of western theatrical dancing. The wide variety of perspectives -- from social history to feminism, from psychoanalysis to musicology -- serves to illuminate the modernity of the Romantic ballet in terms of vocabulary, representation of gender, and iconography. The collection highlights previously unexplored aspects of the Romantic ballet, including its internationalism; its reflection of modern ideas of nationalism through the use and creation of national dance forms; its construction of an exotic-erotic hierarchy, and proto-orientalist "other"; its transformation of social relations from clan to class; and the repercussions of its feminization as an art form. This generously illustrated book offers a wealth of rare archival material, including prints, costume designs, music, and period reviews, some translated into English for the first time.
“There is nothing in print with the depth of scholarship, diverse points of view, or range of material offered by these fascinating and exciting book. It is significant and much needed.” —Barbara Barker
"This absolutely significant book treats an important period from a number of fresh points of view, letting new methodologies shed light on events that are now almost taken for granted. If anyone in academia is questioning the present scholarly status of dance, these essays will banish their doubts."—Selma Jeanne Cohen
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Listed as one of 2005's best ballet-related titles by Pointe Magazine 2005
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Lynn Garafola is editor/translator of The Diaries of Marius Petipa (1993), coeditor of Andre Levinson on Dance: Writings from Paris in the Twenties (Wesleyan, 1991), and author of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes (1989).
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