Since this week we are having the “Swan Lake” on stage in the City Theatre, this post entry will be about Barbie and her performances as a ballet dancer.
One of Barbie’s more than 80 careers is as a ballet dancer. This doll adapted two of the most popular ballet masterpieces: The Nutcracker, and The Swan Lake. Both great ballets from the mid 1800’s introduced by Marius Petipa and Pyotr Ilyitch Tschaikovsky. One interesting fact about these ballets is the commencement of ballerinas to wear tutus in the performances.
Barbie created two movies adapted by these previous ballets: Barbie in the Nutcracker and Barbie of Swan Lake, both directed by Owen Hurley and voiced by Kelly Sheridan as Barbie.
Barbie in the Nutcracker (2001) is a story being told by Barbie to Kelly, her little sister, in order to cheer her up since she is fearful of going onstage and she is also not able to perform a ballet move. The movie plot is inspired in another story: The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.
Barbie of Swan Lake (2003) is adapted from the Swan Lake original story but modified for children. In this movie, the plot begins again by Barbie telling her little sister, Kelly, the story about a girl that turns into a swan.
Both movies retake the meaningful elements found in ballet and translate it into children language. Fantasy and romance are included in these films too, making Barbie’s movies attractive for small girls who dream with becoming professional ballet dancers.
Sources:
"Barbie.com - Ballet History." Barbie - Play Barbie Games, Watch Videos & Find Fun Activities For Girls | Barbie. New York City Ballet, 2001. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.barbie.com/nutcracker/history/history.htm>.
"Barbie and Kelly Dancing in Barbie and The Nutracker - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 06 Oct. 2010. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcUcrwC9tUo>.
It is great that you are talking about ballet this week! When I was I little girl I sued to like the ballet barbies a lot. I don’t know why, they always look so strong and beautiful at the same time. Also, I think that it is important for the kids to learn about this kind of topic, because ballet is something classic that you can always speak to someone about, and it will show your culture and taste if you like.
ReplyDeletenyaa~!
ReplyDeleteI loved your post >_<
I like ballet a lot, so I really loved it,
when I was little I wanted to study ballet, but my mom didn't allow me ¬ɜ¬ , she never let me study what I really want, so I prefer to ask my dad instead of her.
anyway, those two movies(Barbie and the Nutcracker, Barbie of Swan Lake), I'm sure I still have them somewhere in my room, and you forgot to write about the movie of the twelve sisters(I don't remember the name, but it was also of balled and other dances).
I liked a lot the Barbie that was as the girl of the swan lake(what i liked the most was her dress), and in the Nutcracker when the little kelly fairies started to dance(it looked pretty and cute).
thanks for the information, GBU, have a nice weekend :D