Gunhild Oberzaucher-Schüller

Fulfilling Tasks or Artistic Autonomy? Stage Dance in Vienna, Bratislava and Brno
Though theoreticians have declared many times the equality of particular stage forms, the everyday practice of multi-ensemble theatres shows exactly the opposite. The model example may be the histories of ballet ensembles in Bratislava, Brno and Vienna from the end of the 19th century until today, which reveal the artistic dependency of ballet ensembles. In the 19th century the ballet was part of grand opéra;if no such work was in the repertoire, the theatre often disposed of the ballet altogether. Independent ballet performances were rare and they were always either easy or commercially successful pieces. These ensembles witnessed a period of development and valuable dramaturgy during the 1920s and 1930s however, which was determined by distinctive personalities leading the theatres. The communist regime brought a forced orientation to the aesthetics and repertoire of the Soviet ballet school for the theatres in Bratislava and Brno, which was distinguished for its virtuosity as well as rigid dramaturgical schemes of the pieces. The development after 1989 documents the dependence of ballet ensembles and their artistic results on finances. The ballet genre has won a certain position in the multi-ensemble theatre in the 21st century; however, we still cannot speak about its equality with the other ensembles of the theatre.