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Dictionary:

character dance


n.
  1. A dance that represents a particular character, especially in ballet.
  2. A characteristic national dance such as the habañera or polka.
characterdancing character dancing n.
characterdancer character dancer n.
 
 
Dictionary of Dance: character dance

Dance which does not fall into the category of classic-academic dance. Character dance is a wide-ranging term which can refer either to the national dances so prevalent in 19th-century ballets, or to folk, ethnic, and rustic dances. It is also used to describe choreography which specifically illustrates a character's function or occupation (sailor, farmer, shoemaker) or choreography which is performed by older dancers or by dancers portraying older figures. The latter kind is usually heavily reliant on mime. National dances (like Polish, Hungarian, Spanish, Italian, and Russian) are found in many 19th-century ballets where they are frequently performed as entertainments at court gatherings, and as such they provide a lively and exotic contrast to classical dancing. Swan Lake and Raymonda contain fine examples of national dancing which serve no narrative purpose but provide an abundance of vivid celebration. Character dance associated with certain types of characters—such as jesters, buffoons, villains, magicians, and supernatural creatures—is rarely performed on pointe (a notable exception being the role of Bottom in Ashton's The Dream). In ballet, the demi-caractère dancer is often shorter in stature but possesses all the technical virtuosity of a leading artist. A famous example of the demi-caractère dancer is the Blue Bird in The Sleeping Beauty.

 
Wikipedia: Character dance

Character Dance is a specific subdivision of Classical Dance based on national and folkloric traditions that have been stylized and included in classical ballet.

Many Classical ballets feature Character sections and variations, however, there is no school of Character Dance anywhere outside of Russia and most performing companies or schools elsewhere are not familiar with the history or technique of this style. Therefore, the term "Character Dance" is often used in misleading ways that have no bearing to the original definition in ballet terminology.

Most popular in the Classical Character repertoire are the national dances of Hungary, Russia, Poland, and Spain: csárdás, mazurka, flamenco, etc. As an example, the ballet Don Quixote features many Character Variations based on the flamenco dances of Andalusia which have been stylized for Classical Dance performance.

Folk traditions have been incorporated into what is known as ballet for centuries but it was not until Aleksandr Shirayev, Assistant to Marius Petipa, that Character Dance became a unique and codified art-form that takes its rightful place as an integral part of Classical Ballet.

The shoes worn are usually black heels called character shoes. Not tap shoes but heels are worn in this dance.


 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dictionary of Dance. The Oxford Dictionary of Dance. Copyright © 2000, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Character dance" Read more

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