Mark Franko: The Fascist Turn in The Dance of Serge Lifar: Interwar French Ballet and the German Occupation – Sue Ash reviews

During the fascinating discussion between Professor Susan Jones and Professor Mark Franko, in celebration of the publication of this book, held for DANSOX members via Zoom in November 2020,[1] Franko says: “I worry that the Occupation chapter is overpowering the book”, because the critical responses received thus far, had only written about that chapter. I will attempt to review more of Franko’s tour de force than this chapter, although it is rich with new archival material which uncovers much about the relationship between Serge Lifar at the Paris Opera and the Nazi Occupation.

Franko runs the major theme of the baroque in neoclassicism in ballet, through the body of Serge Lifar, throughout his book. He dissects the French baroque of the seventeenth century and the German baroque of the eighteenth century, their similarities and differences, their nationalist links and how they are reflected in Lifar’s ballets at different stages of Lifar’s career in Paris (1929-1958).

 

From the Neo-Classical Turn to the Baroque ‘Re’-turn: Professor Mark Franko lecture for APGRD & DANSOX, Ioannou Centre, 9th March 2016 2016

Following his fascinating talk last June about Serge Lifar (read Susanna Reece’s account here), another opportunity to welcome distinguished dance scholar Professor Mark Franko to Oxford, at the joint invitation of DANSOX and APGRD (Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama):

‘From the Neo-Classical Turn to the Baroque ‘Re’-turn: French Dance in Retrospective Modernity and Recycling Postmodernity’

Professor Mark Franko, Temple University, Philadelphia

Date:  Wednesday, March 9, 2016 – 5:00pm

Venue:  The Outreach Room, Ioannou Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies, 66 St Giles, Oxford, OX1 3L

Free, all welcome.
No booking required.

More information on APGRD here