Romeo and Juliet, Dance, Film and

Gender

By Luke A. Borgan

Class Outline

• Shakeseare Ballet Timeline

• Nureyev 3 min.

• Discussion of Nureyev’s challenge 3-4 min.

• Ballet Excerpt 5 min.

• Discussion of Gender Dynamics 5 min

• Zeffirelli 3-4 min.

• Movie Excerpt 7-8 min.

• Discussion of the Party Scene and Gender Dynamics 5 min.

• Concluding Remarks 2 min.

• If time permits 1996 excerpt-party scene

Presentation Aims Review history of Shakespeare in Ballet

Discuss the challenges of Nureyev, and the gender issues in his production

Discuss Zeffirelli’s 1968 movie and the gender issues within

To discuss the adaptation of Shakespeare into ballet and cinema

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet ballet timeline

1593 Shakespeare writes play

1811 an early ballet treatment of R&J is produced in Denmark

1830 Belini composes opera: I Capuleti e I Montecchi

1935 Romeo and Juliet music and scenario is worked out

1938 The play premiers in Brno, Czechoslovakia

1940 Debut of R&J at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad, choreographed by Levrovsky

Romeo and Juliet ballet timeline

1946 R&J produced as revival by the Bolshoi Theatre

1955 ballet of play is first seen in west in London by Zagreb ballet

1959 performance makes its way to U.S. by Bolshoi Ballet

1966 Royal Ballet version of Romeo and Juliet is filmed.

1977 Nureyev stages R&J for the London Festival Ballet

Rudolf Nureyev• 1938 March 17 born in Siberia near Irkutsk• 1945-55 studied dance, first ballet under Madame

Udelstova, did walk on roles for Ufa Opera House, became apprentice member of corps de ballet

• 1958 studied at Leningrad Choreographic (Kirov) School, stage debut at Kirov Theatre, Leningrad

• 1964 staged first complete ballet• 1977 world premier of Romeo and Juliet at the London

Festival Ballet• 1982 his production of Romeo and Juliet was filmed at

Teatro alla Scalla, Milan

Interesting considerations in the Problems Nureyev Faced In the

Choreography of Romeo and Juliet

“The fundamental Choreographic choice remained the Same-that is, whether to stage a literally exact-albeit danced-reproduction of scenes from the play, or a danced distillation, using the play as a point of departure (Howard

92).”

Which leads us to the discussion question.

• With Shakespeare, how does a choreographer decide which gestures and small scenes to leave in and which to leave out?

In response, Howard, in her The staging of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as a Ballet does not

give us a solution, but she says…

“Nureyev bends over backwards in an attempt not so much to make something entirely different from previous versions as to delve with greater depth into the play. Its authenticity is clearly a product of imaginative thought and wide reading both in and around the play (103).”

Discussion

According to the gestures and dances what does the scene from the Capulet’s Ball seem to show in regards to women?

Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet

• Like Nureyev, Zeffirelli chose to explore new realms with the cinematic production of Romeo and Juliet

• Less Victorian more Italian

• Balcony scene more realistic

• No wigs, natural longer hair-before The Beatles

Problematic Considerations of a

Producer

What sort of problems might a producer face in adapting Shakespeare into a movie?

Zeffirelli’s answer…..

Discussion: More Gender Conflict

In Zeffirelli’s party scene, how are the masculine and feminine roles played out?

How does voyeurism play a part in Romeo’s encounter with Juliet?

Concluding Remarks

In the text, Shakespeare, unlike the ballet and movie deals very little with gender conflict within the party scene, however I did find one very interesting passage.

Welcome, Gentlemen, ladies that have their toesUnplagued with corns will have a bout with you

Capulet Act 1 Scene 5