The Romantic Ideal: Ballet’s Supernatural

The stage that hosted the creation of illusion for those attending ballet after 1827 in its “golden age” (Guest, 1) introduced a new world, but one that could not be reached. These illusions were expressed through performance as “moods of Romanticism.” (5) The Romantic period of the early 19th century emphasized the alienation of an individual, the spectacle of that isolation, and the Romantic ideal that perfection remains mysterious and unattainable, as opposed to the late 18th century’s Enlightenment ideals that held rationality and tangible beings most profound. The spectacle of an estranged, supernatural being embodies these elements of Romanticism, as was represented in Romantic ballet. Coralli and Perrot’s 1841 ballet, Giselle, incorporated these Romantic elements into “each one of (the ballet’s) component parts - scenic design…choreography and dance style” (7), as well as with innovations in narrative. These narratives began to project women as powerful representations of the ethereal, supernatural being, as is specifically shown in the character of Giselle in Coralli and Perrot’s ballet. Through the novelties of Romantic visual presentation in scenery, movement, and narrative, the golden age of ballet was able to effectively “(reveal) the unattainable” (7) and supernatural.
With introduction to “new techniques of scenery construction” (Guest, 14) the Romantic ballet productions were able to explode the spectacle of ballet performance and illusion. Color became a powerful contributor to setting the aura of a scene in a ballet. In Giselle, this is especially evident in the contrast between the earthy, warmly toned town scenes and the ghostly, white, eerie world of the wilis. With the “introduction of gas-lighting” the amou...

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...he ballerina both physically and narratively drew focus to the increasingly vital role of the supernatural, unattainable woman in ballet. The spectacle of Romantic ballet could not be so exuberant without its visual presentation in scenery and dance style, yet the pinnacle of Romantic ideals became the woman in her ethereal, supernatural presence. Giselle was built as a vision of Romanticism as changes in lighting and illusion centralized around her plotline, floating, skimming dance steps enhanced her ethereal qualities, and the narrative of the ballet itself projected her as an unattainable, otherworldly being. She was an isolated spectacle, both mysterious and alienated. The ballerina became the epitome of awe and mystical beauty in reflecting these Romanticism ideals. The ballerina was the most effective expression of a supernatural presence in Romantic ballet.