Fuchs Lívia: A tánc forradalmárai. Vendégszereplők 1898 és 1948 között. Bajor Gizi Színészmúzeum, Budapest 2004. március 19 - május 2. (Budapest, 2004)

Kísérlet a szintézisre

rather unenthusiastic, which resulted in vehement fulminations in the press, as journalists attributed their rejection to the conservatism of the whole of the Hungarian cultural scene, to the lack of understanding of contemporary — futurist, cubist, expressionist,

surrealist - movements, and to the backwoods attitude of the recipients. The company presented a stunning selection of their new pieces; they performed Le Tricorne, Les Matelots, Romeo et Juliette, and La Chatte. The last piece came as a revelation - not for the general public, but for the artists and experts conversant with contemporary arts. Jemnitz remarked hotly that “It is no wonder that our general public stared dumbly at the geometrical scenery deliberately denying realistic associations, which incited the people of Paris to thunderous applause. It is at these occasions that the backwardness of the Budapest stage reveals itself in its naked monstrosity. We still live in the trivial world of pseudo-realism. ”

The Ballet Sudéois held its first performance in Hungary in the Comedy Theatre in 1922. Of their repertory it was Midsummernight that was well received, and a “mimic scene” titled El Greco, as in this piece the dancers had to convey “the drama of the soul” almost with the expressiveness of modern dancers. In the other ballets the company - whose members were not, but for the soloists, technically strong — could not equal their Russian peers, but it was obvious that for them it was not dance that was of primary importance, “but the staging of their works - the modern scenery, costumes, as well as the music.”

Anna Pavlova appeared in Budapest with her company in 1914, and then in 1927. Pavlova’s art was a transition between the old and the new - with the exception of The Dying Swan, the pieces she popularised represented the old school of ballet, but as a performer, Pavlova approached traditional roles freely. That is why she was regarded as a reformer, since seeing her one did not admire the essence of ballet - physical wonder and virtuosity —, but the almost whimsical individual interpretation.

From the 1930’s on, the hitherto antagonistic ballet and modern dance approaches began to converge. The first prominent representative of the mutual appreciation and incorporation of the different artistic achievements was the Ballets Jooss.

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