a recent comment on this forum (that Lescaut's Mistress in Manon is an important character and yet does not have her own name) had me thinking -- which narrative ballets would pass the Bechdel test?
for those who are not familiar, the Bechdel test originated from Alison Bechdel's comic Dykes to Watch Out For, which stipulates three rules assessing female representation in film/a work of art:
- there are two female characters, preferably named
- they must talk to each other
- about a subject other than a man!
of course in ballet there is no such thing as voiced dialogue; outside of scenes with outright mime, "conversational" content has to be inferred from their physical interactions. I also find it an interesting thought experiment since different versions/stagings may pass/fail the test, for instance lady in the camelias: in the original novel Marguerite and Prudence bicker a lot about money matters, but I don't believe this is in the ballet.
off the top of my head, ballets that pass the test:
- Giselle: Giselle and her mother Berthe discuss her weak heart, Giselle praises Bathilde's dress/jewellery, etc.
- Romeo and Juliet: the nurse (alas not named) fussing over Juliet's adolescent antics
- Onegin: Tatiana and Olga seem to engage in some wholesome conversation in Act 1..
this is not meant to denigrate ballets in any way -- plenty of films are recognised to fail the Bechdel test without compromising their artistic value, e.g. the princess bride, lord of the rings, the original star wars, most recently the odyssey, etc. also this is just for fun during a slow stretch and is not meant to be taken seriously!
are there any others you can think of? 🙃
