Ballet in Search of Relevancy: Experience of 1920s

Abstract

After 1917, with the arrival of a new audience to the theatre, the issue of creating a new ballet repertoire became especially relevant. In the 1920s, the search for renewal concerned the plastic language, the form of the production, the interaction of music and dance. The GATOB artistic council saw the search for themes for performances that would meet the public's demands as the key tasks. In 1928, the theatre announced a competition for creating a libretto for a Soviet ballet. Having set out in detail the requirements for the works to be accepted – concerning the plot, choreography, and artistic production design – the organizers essentially formulated an order for a relevant modern performance. The ballets that appeared on stage in the 1930s demonstrate that the stated requirements were largely accepted by the authors as a guide to action.