Question

¡¾ÌâÄ¿¡¿ ¡°With depressingly few exceptions, performances are dull and lack vitality¡­

After years of trying to convince myself otherwise, I now feel sure that ballet is dying.¡±

-----Jennifer Homans, Apollo¡¯s Angels

Is ballet dead? Has the art form evolved to depression? Jennifer Homans¡¯s conclusion to her fascinating history of ballet, Apollo¡¯s Angels, is worrying.

It appears that ballet¡¯s pulse continues to beat strongly, however, especially with a Tchaikovsky defibrillator attached. So why are some dance commentators arguing that ballet is dying? And do they have a point?

¡°Ballet is dead¡±----¡°Ballet is dying¡± ---all ring tones of Friedrich Nietzsche¡¯s philosophical claim: ¡°God is dead.¡± Headline grabbling, certainly. Yet can ballet be defined in such black and white terms? Surely it is more abstract, filled with shades of popular grey. ¢Ù

To start with, how do you define ballet? What is ballet today? Consider popular modern classics like Twyla Tharp¡¯s In the Upper Room, where dancers wear pointy shoes and sneakers, combining contemporary and classical vocabulary together. Or closer to home, there is Graeme Murphy¡¯s Swan Lake, which layers elements of Petipa¡¯s choreography(±àÎè) with a contemporary theme and aesthetic. Many contemporary choreographers all embrace classical form and principles, then manipulate(²Ù×Ý) the rules. ¢Ú .

The line between contemporary dance and ballet is vague. In an interview with The Telegraph (2015), British choreographer Mattew Bourne acknowledges that this ¡°cross-fertilisation¡± between contemporary dance and ballet continues to grow, as evidenced by the rise in new commissions from contemporary choreographers at the Royal Ballet and English National Ballet. Referring to Homans¡¯s book, Bourne believes what has changed is that ¡°the dance forms are coming closer together¡±. Not dying, but merging. Reinventing. This has been the case amongst Australasian ballet companies for many years now. ¢Û .

Homans writes that ballet¡¯s decline began after the passing of Ashton and Balanchine. Something ahs changed, certainly. A stylisic transition----from neo-classical to contemporary ballet----has occurred. ¢Ü

Our art form¡¯s evolution has always been with extinction. Prominent dance critic with The New York Times, Alastair Macaulay, says: ¡°ballet has died again and again over the centuries,¡± and yet, ¡°phoenix-like, rose again from its ashes¡±. History shows there were periods where ballet hibernated and lacked popularity. This coincided with the art form¡¯s changing forums.

So here is the irony: what sells best, still, are reproductions of Petipa¡¯s classics. A season without a Tchaikovsky score is a financial risk. And without Nutcracker(¡¶ºúÌÒ¼Ð×Ó¡·), half the ballet companies in North America would not exist. Admittedly, as a dancer, my favourite roles---Albrecht, Prince Siegfried and Romeo----were from the classical canon; I am a traditionalist at heart (who loves to be challenged by good contemporary ballets). A part of the charm behind classical repertoire, for me, was in reproducing the glories of past greats. Classical ballet¡¯s framework supports the modern process of bench-marking.

Perhaps Jennifer Homans¡¯s thoughts are not completely unfounded. Perhaps ballet is dying for some. Ballet¡¯s evolution has been delayed by its audiences. And as Homans suggests in her epilogue, perhaps also by its creatives.

Now here is a bold prediction. In line with the Royal Ballet¡¯s programming in Brisbane this year----of Christopher Wheeldon¡¯s The Winter¡¯s Tale, and Wayne MacGregor¡¯s Woolf Works----over the next 20 years, ballet¡¯s reliance on Petipa will decrease. Contemporary ballets and merge-styled ballets will produce their box-office influence ever more.

Why?

It is simple: our audiences will be ready for ballet to change again.

¡¾1¡¿Why does the writer cite Jennifer Homans¡¯s words at the beginning of the passage?

A. To support the writer¡¯s viewpoint.B. To introduce the topic of the passage.

C. To highlight the theme of the passageD. To provide the background knowledge.

¡¾2¡¿The sentence ¡®Is this not ballet?¡± should be put in ______.

A. ¢ÙB. ¢Ú

C. ¢ÛD. ¢Ü

¡¾3¡¿Which of the following statements is a fact about ballet?

A. ¡°Surely it is more abstract, filled with shades of popular grey.¡± (Para.3)

B. ¡°The line between contemporary dance and ballet is vague.¡± (Para.5)

C. ¡°Our art form¡¯s evolution has always been with extinction.¡± (Para.7)

D. ¡°What sells best, still, are reproductions of Petipa¡¯s classics.¡± (Para.8).

¡¾4¡¿According to Matthew Bourne, _____.

A. the dance forms remain unchanged

B. contemporary dance has reinvented classic ballet

C. ballet is experiencing growth and will continue to develop

D. a new form of ballet is widely accepted among Australians

¡¾5¡¿The writer takes himself as an example in Paragraph 8 in order to show _____.

A. classics should be promoted

B. classics are still of great significance

C. classical ballet¡¯s framework is out of date

D. contemporary ballets attract more audiences

¡¾6¡¿What may be the audiences¡¯ attitude to the change of ballet?

A. Supportive.B. Arbitrary.

C. Critical.D. Concerned

Answer 1

¡¾´ð°¸¡¿

¡¾1¡¿B

¡¾2¡¿B

¡¾3¡¿D

¡¾4¡¿C

¡¾5¡¿B

¡¾6¡¿A

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