On The "Newness" Of Balanchine’s Neoclassical Ballet

This result suggests that Balanchine new classical ballet is the most balanced and steady foundation between new and old, classic and modern, the Russian traditional culture and American modern civilization, instinct and rationality, existence and disappearance, figural perception and abstract exploration. It is also the bridge across time and space and connects the ancient tradition and modern civilization. Its philosophy of life joins the two ends of the chain. One end of it may trace back to the Russian classical ballet, the French romantic ballet and the royal ballet, and down to the root and ancient Greek humanism. The other of it will lead to the forefront of the contemporary culture. In other words, Balanchine has built his new classical ballet after consolidating Russian classical ballet and absorbing element from US ethnic characteristics.The core problem this research solved is how Balanchine fulfills the mission of modernization and nationalization of American Ballet. In my opinion, the "update" of ballet language is the key of the two missions. After three years research, I performance the examination on how Balanchine updates the300-year formulaic sequences of classical ballet on the premise of integrate into the international mainstream with distinctive American characteristics. The innovations of this paper are three concludes the author gets from her20years teaching ballet career and the on-the-spot investigation in US. Firstly, his "update" on ballet language is in progress on the basis of maintaining scientific principles; secondly, he updates the classical ballet language step-by-step using twenty century American national characteristics, the vigor of youth and modern style; lastly, he completes the "update" completely to three aspects of the subject:teach, study, choreography.In order to avoid the above several flows in unspecifically, I give a clear explanation on the crisis and outlet of traditional culture in modern civilization, the main features of the twentieth century American society and the relationship between the formation of the modern style and ballet teaching. Meanwhile, I broaden the narrow definition of Balanchine symphonic ballet which means it is not only the usual choreography method and work attribute, but also his Dance view. As a long lyrical and short narrative dancing type, the advantage of symphonic ballet is to get rid of narrative inertia and try to fit music into dancer’s soul thus produce the musical qualities of exercise for itself comparing the rhythmic speed and strength. Accordingly, in Balanchine symphonic ballet, the motion mode instability extends the lines and sense of space. The Aesthetic features such as flexible application of legs and feet belong to the new "update" of classical ballet. Furthermore, he considers the situation, highlights the themes of the times and social cultural values to make his symphonic ballet more diversified.Further more, I find the Balanchine "language update" concerns ballet movements, processing time and space force and aesthetics of dance, etc. This practice and theory problems are enslaved and reaction to US social external environment factors with no exception. Therefore, Balanchine "new" classical ballet comes down to the main thought, the value of spiritual and world view of America society. Putting into the US social background is another innovation of summing up how Balanchine new classical ballet completes the modernization and nationalization process.