Choreographers’ restoration and editing work as a means of preserving and updating the classical ballet heritage

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of preserving classical heritage ballets. This is very important nowadays, as preserving the art of classical ballet is impossible without the continuity of performance traditions. However, over the past ten years Saint-Petersburg stages have seen a variety of both classical and modern productions, which has inevitably affected the quality of performance in those ballets known all over the world.

The authors study the methodology of preserving the classical heritage, using the methods of comparative analysis and historical explication of particular performance techniques in Russia and Western countries.

The author arrives at the conclusion that, when dealing with classical heritage ballets in the process of their restoration, it is important to distinguish between such key notions as «restoration», «reconstruction» and «editing». Having analyzed different interpretations of such terms as «restoration», «reconstruction» and «editing» and compared ballet experts’ viewpoints on the problem, the author concluded that there is a strong connection between the performance traditions and the quality of the ballet production, namely, between the dance logic implied by the choreographers of the past and stylistic characteristics of the choreographic language for both the choreographer and dancers.