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Article: The silent majority: surviving and thriving in the Corps de Ballet.
- Article from:
- Dance Magazine
- Article date:
- September 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Dance Magazine, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Imagine a ballet company without its corps de ballet. There would be no lines of wilis in arabesque drawn magnetically together in Giselle, nor any grand polonaise for the ensemble in Theme and Variations. The corps de ballet is to a dance troupe as the spine is to the body: It provides framework, support, context, and aesthetic form. But as dance has moved into the 21st century, the demands on corps dancers have changed, making them more than just a backdrop for the principals. Ever more versatile and virtuosic as individuals, they face more emotional and physical challenges than ever, amplified by heavy work schedules.
Most great ballerinas and principal males ...