Cleopatra. Iconic legend or asthetically correct?

A night at the ballet...........................

After a lovely evening out at the ballet I thought I would have to blog about it and share with you my thoughts connected to my lines of developing enquiry.

I went to watch Northern Ballet’s new production of ‘Cleopatra’ at Leeds Grand Theatre.

I thoroughly enjoyed the production overall, I used to dance with Northern Ballet Theatre as an associate before training at Bird and I have always admired them as a ballet company as there are a lot of contemporary dance influences and they are always coming up with new ideas for productions and do push the boundaries of traditional ballet with their ideas of developing ballet as a piece of dramatic theatre, music and choreography! 'Dracula' and 'Hamlet' are perfect examples.

I thought the choreography and music were beautiful last night and the dancer playing Cleopatra was an amazing dancer and very inspiring. There were some amazing pas de deux and core numbers. I was, however, trying to view it thinking of some of the issues I have raised in relation to the body image of the dancer.

Cleopatra herself was one of history’s most iconic idols.She represented herself as the reincarnation of an Egyptian goddess, Isis. She is always put forward as a great beauty and her successive conquests of the world's most powerful men ( Julius Ceasar and Mark Anthony) are taken to be proof of her aesthetic and sexual appeal.

"For she was a woman of surpassing beauty, and at that time, when she was in the prime of her youth, she was most striking; she also possessed a most charming voice and a  knowledge of how to make herself agreeable to every one. Being brilliant to look upon and to listen to, with the power to subjugate every one.” Cassius Dio (XLII 34)

Great beauty or not she has left a legacy behind her of being regarded as so.

Perhaps the most famous protrayal of  Cleopatra is in the film starring Elizabeth Taylor who was a voluptuous iconic star of the 1950’s who was renowned as being one the most beautiful women of that era complete with curves and sex appeal.  

The ballerina playing Cleopatra did not live up to this description, however she was aesthetically your perfect ballet dancer’s shape – flat chested, skinny legs and straight down. I think in some ways this spoiled the illusion and idea of her as arguably one of the most beautiful, sensual and seductive women in history as well as one of the most powerful as the last Egyptian Pharoh. She supposedly had a charismatic personality, was a born leader and an ambitious monarch.

The character was not portrayed with any real conviction.  She was a beautiful ballet dancer but not a real image that one would expect of Cleopatra. You could not believe the tiny little girl on stage could kill her own brother to take the throne of Egypt and then systematically ensnare Julius Ceasar and Mark Anthony. If we are to believe the legend she was so powerful that when she entered a room, Cleopatra was captivating and eluring to everyone with an unpresidented presence. I imagine you knew you were in the presence of a 'goddess'.

Isn’t it time if ballet is to move its boundaries to be more accessible and theatrical then they must change the attitude in relation to body image too?

I couldn’t help thinking what if they were to do a ballet about Marilyn Monroe?  

The same could be said for the ensemble dancers in some of the company numbers. The costumes were tiny skirts and bras showing off some very skeletal body shapes. As an audience you were able to see bones especially ribs and jutting frames. Some of the choreography was sexy and seductive but it didn’t come across this way as it was being performed by ‘twigs in a pretty costume’ [my description].  They were not convincing as 'sexy sirens' or womanly  -  more little girls in a sexy costume.

It did make me clearly see that I wouldn’t want to look like that even though dancing is important to me and I work endlessly at perfecting my fitness, technique and performance, I would actually like to fill out a lovely piercing blue costume like that and feel attractive and sensual in it.

I love watching ballerinas perform and I always think they’re beautiful with an individual elegance and beauty but many of the lead women characters that are portrayed in ballets except a few (Clara from The Nutcracker) are supposed to be beautiful women who have numerous admirers and someone with a ballet dancer’s physique does not bring this across to the audience.

Perhaps from a ballet perspective we have to believe it is the dancing that subjugates everyone but there are dancers with the correct sensual features who could be equally amazing ballet dancers! Or is this a delusionists attitude?  

So, as I said I really enjoyed the production from a ballet point of view but as a believable piece of dramatic theatre it falls short in realism. I would definitely recommend that you go see it but you will certainly see what I mean whilst you’re watching. The set was a bit of a let down too.

http://www.northernballet.com/

The more I reflect on this line of inquiry I come back to the same conclusion that dancers must be exceedingly slender and you either cut it or you don’t. The wispy thin look continues to be the aesthetic standards set in the ballet world and considering the pressure put on dancers it is no wonder thinness becomes an obsession. These are the realities of professional standards and the sylph like look, particularly in ballet, I think will prevail. The changes that are more visible in the contemporary world of dance where diversity and realism are embraced more I think are a long way off in ballet!