dream ballet
Staged unconscious fantasy
A dream ballet is a dance sequence in a musical that depicts a character's inner thoughts, fantasies, or psychological state rather than advancing the plot through dialogue.
The technique became iconic in Broadway and Hollywood musicals of the 1940s and 50s, most famously in *Oklahoma!* and *An American in Paris*.
Dream ballets often feature elaborate choreography, surreal imagery, and symbolic representation of romantic or emotional conflict: The second act opened with a fifteen-minute dream ballet exploring the heroine's fears about marriage.
- reverieAbstracted, pleasant daydream
- pirouetteBallet turn on one foot
- tutuShort projecting dance skirt
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
- choreographyDesigning performance movement sequences
Oklahoma · pas de deux · unconscious · floating · ethereal · soft focus · longing · surreal · spotlight · romantic · pointe · desire · vision · unconscious mind · inner life · theatrical · stage magic · swirling
- dance movespirouette, shimmy, waltz, tango, cha-cha
- Stage Dancechoreography, dance number, dance routine, dance solo, dance duet
- musicalsWicked, Les Miserables, Cats, Chicago, Grease