The true theater, because it moves and makes use of living instruments, continues to stir up shadows where life has never ceased to grope its way.
Antonin ArtaudRead
Dance design is not simply one element; it is that without which ballet cannot exist. As aria is to opera, words to poetry, color to painting, so sequence in steps - their syntax, idiom, vocabulary - are the stuff of stage dancing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Dance design is essential for ballet, just as other elements are vital to their respective art forms.
Lincoln Kirstein emphasizes the fundamental role of dance design in ballet, comparing it to essential components in other art forms such as aria in opera and words in poetry. He suggests that the structure and language of dance—its sequences and vocabulary—are crucial, without which ballet would lack its identity and expression.
Themes
DanceBalletDesignArtSequenceExpression
In practice
Example use cases
An arts education seminar discussing the importance of design in performance art.
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