Dancing in a "mannered" style

[stephenK]

Could anyone explain please what is meant when a dancer is described as "mannered"? It seems to me that amongst seasoned Royal Ballet watchers, this is considered to be a somewhat critical comment. Shouldn't classical ballet be a mannered artform? Thanks in anticipation.

[Anjuli_Bai]

As i understand it... mannerisms are only acceptable if they are part of the choreography.  A dancer should not be individualizing the dance unless the choreographer has approved.

 

In some ballets - maybe such as Giselle's death scene - the dancer will be given the space - allowance - for individual interpretation.  But most of the time the dancer is not on stage to display individual nuances but to portray what the choreographer intended.