The Bifocality of Dance in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night: An Analysis of Shakespearean Dance Adaptations

Drawing on Lynsey McCulloch’s notion of Shakespeare in dance and Shakespeare as dance, this paper explores the bifocality of Shakespeare and dance in Twelfth Night. In Illyria, a realm of fantasy, dance is a measure of dismantling, whilst maintaining, a cosmic order. Taking a psychohistorical approa...

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Main Author: Kimberly M. Glassman
Format: Article
Language:Bengali
Published: Supriyo Chakraborty, Penprints Publication 2021-07-01
Series:Litinfinite
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.litinfinite.com/wp-content/uploads/3_Kimberly-M-Glassman.pdf
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author_facet Kimberly M. Glassman
author_sort Kimberly M. Glassman
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description Drawing on Lynsey McCulloch’s notion of Shakespeare in dance and Shakespeare as dance, this paper explores the bifocality of Shakespeare and dance in Twelfth Night. In Illyria, a realm of fantasy, dance is a measure of dismantling, whilst maintaining, a cosmic order. Taking a psychohistorical approach, I draw on Alan Brissenden’s 1981 Shakespeare and the Dance, which delves into the moral implications of dancing in Shakespeare’s time. Moving from print to performance and screen, I venture into an analysis of Boris Eifman’s 1986 ballet-film adaptation of Twelfth Night. By adding layers of fiction as both a ballet and film, Eifman’s work enhances Shakespeare’s utopian/dystopian realm of Illyria and taps into the aforementioned psychological undertones. Eifman’s literal use of dance transforms the play into a psychological sensorial experience and delves deeper into the implications of dance hinted at in the text. Most interesting, by adapting words to movement, Eifman uses dance to both conceal and reveal elements of the story. By engaging in an analysis of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night text and subsequent dance adaptations one may witness the bifocality of Shakespeare and dance, and the complexity it brings to our understanding of Shakespeare then and now.
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spelling doaj.art-7ed7fb11711f4a5bbba31af91f7c38162022-12-21T21:25:30ZbenSupriyo Chakraborty, Penprints PublicationLitinfinite2582-04002021-07-0131223010.47365/litinfinite.3.1.2021.22-30The Bifocality of Dance in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night: An Analysis of Shakespearean Dance AdaptationsKimberly M. Glassman0PhD student, Queen Mary University London, United KingdomDrawing on Lynsey McCulloch’s notion of Shakespeare in dance and Shakespeare as dance, this paper explores the bifocality of Shakespeare and dance in Twelfth Night. In Illyria, a realm of fantasy, dance is a measure of dismantling, whilst maintaining, a cosmic order. Taking a psychohistorical approach, I draw on Alan Brissenden’s 1981 Shakespeare and the Dance, which delves into the moral implications of dancing in Shakespeare’s time. Moving from print to performance and screen, I venture into an analysis of Boris Eifman’s 1986 ballet-film adaptation of Twelfth Night. By adding layers of fiction as both a ballet and film, Eifman’s work enhances Shakespeare’s utopian/dystopian realm of Illyria and taps into the aforementioned psychological undertones. Eifman’s literal use of dance transforms the play into a psychological sensorial experience and delves deeper into the implications of dance hinted at in the text. Most interesting, by adapting words to movement, Eifman uses dance to both conceal and reveal elements of the story. By engaging in an analysis of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night text and subsequent dance adaptations one may witness the bifocality of Shakespeare and dance, and the complexity it brings to our understanding of Shakespeare then and now.https://www.litinfinite.com/wp-content/uploads/3_Kimberly-M-Glassman.pdfdance adaptationboris eifmanbifocality of shakespeare and dance
spellingShingle Kimberly M. Glassman
The Bifocality of Dance in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night: An Analysis of Shakespearean Dance Adaptations
Litinfinite
dance adaptation
boris eifman
bifocality of shakespeare and dance
title The Bifocality of Dance in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night: An Analysis of Shakespearean Dance Adaptations
title_full The Bifocality of Dance in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night: An Analysis of Shakespearean Dance Adaptations
title_fullStr The Bifocality of Dance in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night: An Analysis of Shakespearean Dance Adaptations
title_full_unstemmed The Bifocality of Dance in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night: An Analysis of Shakespearean Dance Adaptations
title_short The Bifocality of Dance in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night: An Analysis of Shakespearean Dance Adaptations
title_sort bifocality of dance in shakespeare s twelfth night an analysis of shakespearean dance adaptations
topic dance adaptation
boris eifman
bifocality of shakespeare and dance
url https://www.litinfinite.com/wp-content/uploads/3_Kimberly-M-Glassman.pdf
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