Russian Ballet and Postmodern Trends

Khisamov Denis Nikolaevich Postgraduate student, Department of Art History, Theatrical Art Institute of Contemporary Art 121309, Russia, Moskovskaya oblast', g. Moscow, ul. Novozavodskaya, 27A Khisamovdenis@icloud.com

introduction

Modern Russian ballet in the history of world culture is a unique phenomenon born at the crossroads of tradition and innovation. From the point of view of art criticism and ballet studies, classical Russian ballet has repeatedly become the object of research. At the same time, the study of the peculiarities of the development of Russian ballet from the standpoint of postmodern aesthetics is just beginning in the context of modern methodological approaches of the humanities – art history, ballet studies, philosophy of art and cultural studies. Russian Russian ballet at the present stage requires identification and generalization of trends and features of the development of Russian ballet in the context of postmodern aesthetics in order to reveal the essence and content of the phenomena of Russian ballet at the present stage. The above has determined the relevance of the topic of the article.

Works devoted to the problems of postmodern aesthetics (A. S. Arkhangelskaya ^[1], Yu. V. Arkhipova ^[2], Yu. V. Gavrilova ^[7], L. I. Gorbunova ^[8]) played an important role in the study of modern phenomena in the field of ballet in the process of research. Scattered information about certain phenomena of modern Russian ballet is found in a number of articles and studies of a more narrow nature (O. N. Vergnigora ^[6], O. N. Polisadova ^[10]). At the same time, there are practically no comprehensive works and studies devoted to the analysis of trends in Russian ballet in the context of the modern socio-cultural situation in the research literature.

The problem of the research is that the Russian ballet, being for several centuries the bearer of the traditions of national culture, today has a diverse, changeable and sometimes contradictory image, which is due to the influence of postmodern aesthetics on the development of this type of art.

The purpose of the study is to study the trends of modern Russian ballet and establish their relationship with the phenomenon of postmodernism.  Russian Russian ballet's objectives were to study the prerequisites and conditions for the formation of postmodern trends in Russian ballet, to characterize the general aesthetic patterns of the aesthetics of culture and art of the XXI century, to theoretically substantiate and analyze postmodern trends in the context of trends in the development of Russian ballet at the present stage. The subject of the study was the modern Russian ballet. 

METHODS AND METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY.

The methodological basis of the presented work is the works of art history that consider the issues of postmodernism in various types of art. For the analysis of the state of modern Russian ballet, both studies of art history and ballet studies are equally important. For the purpose of a comprehensive study of the stated research issues, such research methods as: comparative research method, method of historical analysis, synthesis and generalization were used.

RUSSIAN BALLET – FROM THE BEARER OF NATIONAL TRADITIONS TO A MULTICULTURAL PHENOMENON.

The genre of ballet, formed in the era of Modern times in Europe, as a product of artistic culture reflected the strengthening of the rationalism of the era. Combining the elegance and subtlety of European trends (Europe is distinguished by aestheticism ^{[13, p. 175]}), he successfully used a large rational principle to create the basis of great art. At the same time, it was Russia that managed to develop ballet into a great art.

Having undergone significant European influence in all spheres of life in the XVIII century ^[3], Russian society managed to preserve national identity and self–identification in various spheres of human activity - technical, economic and, especially, cultural. The national mentality and the specific features of the development of national art, manifested in an organic combination of native Russian and European, made up the uniqueness and originality of many cultural phenomena in Russia, including ballet. Russian Russian ballet as an original phenomenon comes to the world stage thanks to the activities of S. P. Diaghilev's troupe and his "Russian Seasons" ^[12].  Having passed a difficult and long way of moving away from the classical traditions laid down by M. Petipa and the cultivation of creative freedom in the first decades of the twentieth century, at the turn of the XX-XXI century, Russian ballet begins to be dominated by postmodern trends, which is a "multicultural" and experimental phenomenon ^[9].

It should be noted that ballet, Russian ballet, which has deep historical roots, in its essence cannot contact the phenomena of pseudo-culture, no matter how attractive it still looks. As for postmodernism, with all its achievements, primarily related to openness to innovation, subtle and "comprehensive" experimentation, it often borders on mass culture ^[10], which has long worried progressive, positive-minded people from the standpoint of the large-scale crisis that it has generated ^[13]. The "maximum" breadth of the aesthetic view of postmodernists, coupled with a noticeable decrease in the level of responsibility of artists, leads to a kind of inclusion of mass culture in the modern intertext, which cannot be evaluated positively. Russian Russian ballet phenomenon – for example, from the standpoint of the influence of postmodernism – should be considered in the context of a specific Russian tradition, whatever it may be at the present stage. As for the foreign influence on the development of Russian ballet, it, due to its specificity, requires separate consideration.

REFRACTION OF POSTMODERNISM AESTHETICS IN MODERN RUSSIAN BALLET.

The influence of the aesthetics of culture of the XXI century in our country is very noticeable in the field of intellectual and verbal - due to the "textual" nature of postmodernism and the obvious "literature" of Russian culture at its core.  At the same time, postmodernism as a phenomenon correlating with informatization, great dynamics, the variability of society, the "cultural principle" of life, could not but generate an extensive and interesting practice associated with the spirit of the times, its unexpected for many phenomena, hitherto unknown. Ballet as a phenomenon of classical culture, while remaining alive, must respond to the trends of the era, correctly rethinking them, changing under their influence (one way or another, it is real art that is able to fight for progress in a period of total dominance of mass and kitsch). The more important is the combination of traditions and modern trends in the context of the development of ballet in the context of postmodern aesthetics. At the same time, it is necessary to distinguish between phenomena related directly to ballet and those cultural products that were formed by combining ballet and other phenomena that are not related to it.

  However, at the same time, postmodernism as a modern and relevant practice of the existence of society and culture can and should influence various types, genres, styles of art at the level of techniques. It can be said that the main task of experimental creative methods is to enrich the classical line of art development with fresh techniques appropriate to the time. And the freer the society, the more complex and broader the dynamics of the relationship between classical and non-classical lines can be. It is not immediately and not simply comprehended the process of development. Regarding ballet, the increased "physicality" of dance, characteristic, in particular, of foreign art, becomes quite difficult for the audience's perception and evaluation of professionals. It should be noted that, depending on the specific artistic situation, "elements of physicality", as well as various "everyday elements", including those combined with ballet according to the principles of postmodern aesthetics, may well be allowed at the current level of development of the genre. The Russian ballet, developing in line with the rich national culture, tending to realism, lifelike, the versatility of the embodiment of life phenomena through artistic creativity, the organic combination of the most diverse elements, can allow special "inserts" of everyday life, physicality (even their system), without going beyond the edge of taste, beyond its own essence. Such an experience is already connected with the perception of the European art of ballet on the basis of the Russian mentality and attitude and its further specific development in line with our culture ^[4]. This is one of the tendencies of postmodernism in the context of the development of the genre.

As for the syncretism of phenomena in various forms of cultural art, to which postmodern culture tends as such at its core (reflecting the integrity and universality of human consciousness), the corresponding processes, after "centuries of analyticism", to some extent convenient for the development of culture, enter a new powerful round, which is expressed in particular in an effort to "synthesize the arts", in the interaction, for example, of the principles of different types of art and culture in the context of a finished artistic product, for example, the interpenetration of show and ballet, etc. The latter can be carried out more or less successfully, with a departure from the essence of ballet (but not real art, culture) or in line with that, which we reasonably consider to be a specific art of classical dance. In any case, postmodernism, with its inclusiveness, has not escaped cultural syncretism, therefore, what S. P. Diaghilev did – organically combining into a unique and artistically self–sufficient system, dance, scenic painting, suitable music, a certain presentation within the framework of an image, brand show - postmodernism can carry out much wider, thinner, more "informational" etc. ^{[5, p. 88]}. And here, too, there is no "original" fundamental limitation on the part of the essence of ballet. In any case, at least after Diaghilev, in line with modern trends, the unification of arts, various elements, forms of culture in connection with ballet is underway (for example, in the form of a ballet film or a ballet concert with elements of a show). The experience of postmodernism, its principles, can expand, deepen, and detail the field of syncretism – so that modern viewers understand such an artistic language. Based on the above, it follows that in the desire for syncretism of different types of art, another trend of postmodernism in the development of Russian ballet at the present stage is manifested.

In connection with the development of ballet in the modern socio–cultural situation, we can also talk about more specific, well-mastered techniques of allusion, reminiscence - quotation in the broadest sense of the word. These textual features reveal a characteristic trend of the aesthetics of culture of the XXI century. Of course, the above textual references (perhaps modified in a special way) – one ballet in another, one music in another, a famous "gesture" of a famous artist repeated by another artist – will be understood by viewers who understand ballet. Moreover, it is possible, complementing, enriching the artistic fabric of a ballet work, its presentation, in accordance with the nature of the images, their system, to use "inserts" and not from ballets and not even from the field of music. These can be "gestures" of famous people, played–out movements of characters in films (or books), iconic video frames, "just words" - sounding or visualized. Here, of course, the principle of cultural syncretism can also manifest itself. We do not think that this will necessarily happen with the transformation of the essence of ballet. Depending on the degree of talent, outlook, modernity, professionalism of the director and his team, the principles of postmodernism associated with citations can be very widely and truly effectively used in a ballet performance.

conclusions

Thus, at the present stage of the existence of Russian ballet, one of the vectors of its development is determined by postmodern trends, which include: the destructurization of the language of classical dance, the desire for syncretism of different types of art in the context of a ballet performance, the use of quotations, allusions and reminiscences that acquire a conditionally symbolic meaning, the desire for plastic experiments. Russian Russian ballet's distinctive feature in the context of modern aesthetics is its unshakable reliance on classical traditions, which reveals the uniqueness and originality of Russian postmodern ballet. Each of the identified trends, to one degree or another, receives an individual implementation in the context of modern director's ballet, represented in the activities of a galaxy of original Russian directors – Pavel Glukhov, Vladimir Barnava, Taras Burnashev, Alexander Pepelyaev, Vyacheslav Samodurov and others.