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Morris began by talking about the problems of identity and authenticity in the revival or recreation of ballets. The underlying problem is the evanescent nature of the dance 'text' which depends for its existence primarily on a continuous performance history. (This compared to more solidly 'notated' works such as plays and music which are regularly revived with much less difficulty.) In the absence of a regular place in the repertory, a notated score, extensive film, or clear memories from performers, a ballet can scarcely be said to exist at all.

The question of 'why bother?' must be addressed, especially with a ballet like Sylvia which was considered by some to be old-fashioned and insubstantial (Buckle), and trite (Beaumont) when first staged in 1952, though audiences were generally appreciative. Ashton himself strongly believed in heritage, the importance of the past for the present, and readily acknowledged historical works as applied to his own choreography. He thought it essential that dance creators should know the work of earlier choreographers.

The identity of a work of dance is elusive, there is no single 'object' which identifies it: film of an individual performance (as has been used to help to recreate Sylvia) is just that – one performance among many. To say that the film is the real thing and that live performances based on it are copies goes against all we know and believe about the authenticity of performance as the real means of balletic expression and identification. Perhaps the best one can do is re-presentations of re-presentations.

What aspects of a ballet define it? The choreography? the score? the decor? the costumes? Morris suggested "all of these, remade anew for today". As a further complication, Jonathan Miller in his book 'Subsequent Performances' writes that after a while a work develops an afterlife, "a process of emergent evolution". Meanings and audience responses change, so it can never be truly seen in its original form.

Even though there may be no 'object', we can recognise an Ashton ballet when we see one. Its identity surely resides in his characteristic repertory of steps, the way he uses them and the particular way that the dancers are taught to perform them. When creating works, Ashton relied heavily on the dancers in the studio, so when we see one of his ballets we are also seeing them – in that sense the works are composite and not 'owned' by any one person. Modern performers need to take into account both Ashton's style and that of the original dancers when re-interpreting his roles.

Morris said that (from her 21st Century perspective) she found Sylvia "a revelation" in the way in which it lead her back to 19th Century France, but also in its feminist credentials (much hindsight here). Sylvia and her huntresses dance in a thoroughly masculine manner and carry weapons, Sylvia herself is the dominant character in the ballet. This makes it quite unlike its 19th Century forebears.

These considerations were in his mind when the rescue project got underway. Crucial, was the discovery in the National Film Archive of a black and white silent film (of very uneven quality), shot by Edmée Wood, wife of the company manager. This had an added piano accompaniment which didn't synchronise with the steps, but knowing the music well, he found it easy to see how they fitted. He made an early decision to remove the two La Source interpolations which he felt slowed the action too much. The film allowed him to recreate about 90% of the piece. He worked continuously on Sylvia for two years with a rehearsal period of some six months.

The Ironside brothers' original artwork for Acts I and III survives, but there were only black and white photographs of Act II to go on. That, and the decision to stage a dramatic transformation at the end of the act showing Sylvia's return to Aminta, were the reasons for asking Peter Farmer to redesign the Act II scenery. The few remaining original hanging cloths found in the warehouse were in very poor condition but at least showed the style in which the scenery had been painted. It was originally thought that the costume designs had been lost. However the Opera House's costume supervisor, Elaine Garlick, found the complete designs misfiled under 'Ashton diverts'.

The choreography was reconstructed from the film and from Newton's memory of dancing it in various roles (Trumpeter, Peasant, Spring/Summer Attendant, Jaseion), aided by his "good photographic memory". Where there were gaps, he worked with the dancers in studio (as Ashton would have done) to fill them. Joan Benesh was developing the notation system at the time Newton was dancing Sylvia and he was "roped in" and, as an exercise, notated some of the Act III patterns. Members of the original casts whom he asked about the choreography had hazy memories, though since seeing the recreation, some have recalled extra details. In casting the work (with Monica Mason) he looked particularly for ballerinas (Bussell, Yanowsky, Nunez) with a strong acting and dramatic sense. Their dance abilities he took as read.

Peter Farmer first saw Sylvia when a student at the Central School of Art. It was his first visit to the Opera House and his first full-length ballet. "I thought heaven had arrived!" He was able to examine the sets at close quarters and was amazed at the effects and atmosphere that could be created with painted scenery. (This at a time when such stagecraft was thought old-fashioned.) He came to believe that painted sets were most appropriate for ballet, being less likely to attract attention away from the dancers. In the new set for Act II he was careful to follow the Ironsides' style.

Susan Usher described the difficulties in recreating a production with three designers (two dead, one living), incomplete information (especially about Act II), a different-sized stage from the one in which the original was created, different health and safety regulations, with implications for the way in which the sets had to be constructed. She and her assistant Suzanne Hickinbotham, had to construct new set models from which the scenic artists could work. (In the course of this, they noted that the original sets were at variance with the original designs – why, is not clear.)

 


Darcey Bussell and Thiago Soares in Ashton's Sylvia
© John Ross


The first task was collecting all available artwork, photographs from the ROH archive and elsewhere, scraps of scenery and props. Much of the reconstruction work was computer aided, using AutoCAD and Photoshop. Props were remade, closer to the original designs than those in the original production; a new and three-dimensional boat was designed. Some aspects of the sets had to be changed for safety reasons: for example the bridge across the stage in Act I is now wider than before, and has a guard rail.

There were various changes to costumes, partly brought about by improvement in fabrics and materials. For instance tutus are no longer made from tarlatan (stiffened muslin) and keep their shape instead of rapidly sagging. Sylvia's seduction costume in Act II now has a bare midriff rather than needing a gauze to hold it together. The huntresses' costumes have been shortened to give a better line.

In questions, Christopher Newton was asked about the 10% that he couldn't sort out from the film. He said there were step sequences scattered here and there throughout the ballet, but the main problem was in the opening scene of Act I where the film was very dark. He also thought that some of the steps there were "too simplistic" for present day audiences so he tried to "beef it up a little bit". He said that he was not a choreographer and worked with the dancers, in Ashton's style, to fill any gaps.

This production is to be staged by the American Ballet Theatre in New York, possibly returning it to two acts, joining together Acts II and III. This is technically possible though Newton feels that dramatically it makes more sense to keep it in its three-act form.

The next Ashton Exchange lecture is by Dr Geraldine Morris. 'Whose Style Is It Anyway?' is on Wednesday December 15th at 7.30 in the Clore Studio Upstairs at the Royal Opera House. Free, but book in advance.