The Rite of Spring: A Comedic Take

The Rite of Spring is a ballet that premiered in Paris in 1913. It was composed by Igor Stravinsky and choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky. It is widely regarded as a masterpiece of modernist music and dance, but let’s face it, it’s also pretty funny.

The Rite of Spring tells the story of a pagan tribe that performs a sacrificial dance to appease the gods of spring. The music is intense and disjointed, with weird time signatures and dissonant harmonies. The dancers wear strange costumes that look like they were made from leftover fabric scraps and are barefoot, making for some seriously loud thudding noises.

The opening sequence of The Rite of Spring features a solo bassoon that plays a very strange melody. It’s so weird that the bassoon player must have been thinking, “Wait, are you sure this is music? Did I tune my instrument wrong?”

Then, the dancers enter the stage, hopping around like they’re all taking part in a game of hot potato. They look like they’re trying to dance away from something. And who can blame them? Given the music they have to dance to, I’d be running away too.

There is a section of The Rite of Spring where the women dance in a circle, stomping their feet in unison. It’s like they’re auditioning for a high school cheerleading squad without really understanding what cheerleading is.

The men’s dance is no less awkward, with lots of arm-waving and hopping that seem to have more in common with a Monty Python sketch than a serious ballet. It’s like they choreographed this section by imagining how cavemen would dance to modernist music.

The centerpiece of The Rite of Spring is the sacrificial dance, where a young girl is chosen to dance unto death as a sacrifice to the gods. The girl dances with such manic energy that it’s like watching a 5-year-old on a sugar high. The sacrifice at the end looks more like a temper tantrum than anything else.

In conclusion, The Rite of Spring is a bizarre, enchanting work of art that you’re as likely to find funny as to find it moving. But if you’re looking for a laugh, turn up the volume and watch the dancers try to keep up with Stravinsky’s manic music. It’s a riot.