Sixteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

Audiences, critics and artists have revered and idolized several of quintessential “classical” ballets for the past 130 years as the ballets continue to be performed around the world. A few of these ballets are finally being re-examined for cultural appropriateness and raising questions of cultural representation and objectification of “other”, which are some of the complex issues at the forefront of our global society. Choreographic representational choices in ballets are being carefully scrutinized with respect to cultural representation. The research considers the argument of mimesis and cultural (mis)representation in the continuation of traditional classical ballets and the perceptions of ‘real’ in cultural identification.