Russian ballet, an art form inherited from
Western Europe, has earned an international
reputation of excellence. Very few nations have
achieved so much in the development and innovation
of the art. Prominent Russian composers,
choreographers and dancers have long garnered high
regard both at home and on the world stage.
Russian Ballet, like other western art forms, had
its origins under the reign of Peter the Great in
the early 18th century. As part of his reforms to
modernize Russian society, the Czar and his
successors invited French
and Italian teachers of the arts. One of the first
ballet teachers, Jean Baptiste Lande, brought his students
who performed for the court of Russian Empress Anna Ivanovna.
So impressed was she by the spectacle, that the
Empress decided to start a ballet school in Russia
in 1738. Initially called the Imperial Ballet School,
it is now known as the world famous Vaganova Academy.
Named in honor of legendary Agrippina
Vaganova, a Russian ballet
teacher who perfected the teaching of
Classical ballet into a workable
syllabus, Fundamentals of the Classical Dance (1934),
the Vaganova Academy has trained
world renowned dancers such as Anna Pavlova,
George Balanchine, and Vaslav Nijinsky.
Another famous ballet school, the Moscow Choreography College
(commonly known as the Bolshoi Ballet Academy),
had its origins later in the 18th century when
Catherine the Great saw to the opening of the
school at a Moscow orphanage in 1773. It was at
this same time that private ballet theatres were
also starting to appear and thrive amongst the courts
of Russian aristocratic families.
By the 19th century ballet became a favorite art
form within Russia. Special privileges were given
to ballet amongst other art forms, privileges
that included
government grants, new theatre development, and
the appointment of French ballet master Marius Petipa
as chief choreographer for the Imperial Ballet
School in 1871. Pepita's appointment was a step that helped set
Russian ballet apart from ballet practiced in
countries of origin. Initially Russian ballet,
like ballet elsewhere, adhered to European
Classicism. With the guidance of Petipa, and
arrangements from a new era of Russian composers
(including Tchaikovsky), Russian ballet developed
into a full-length, melodramatic spectacle of
the likes that had never been done before.
A few of the monumental Russian
ballets from the late 19th century
(names that everyone has heard of), include the likes
of The Sleeping Beauty (choreographed by Marius Petipa 1890),
The Nutcracker (choreographed by Lev Ivanov 1892),
and Swan Lake (choreographed by Petipa and Ivanov
1895).
Another important contribution of Russian
ballet to the art of ballet worldwide was the
creation of Ballets Russes. In
1909 Sergei Diaghilev (a wealthy Russian patron
of arts), arranged a Paris tour to showcase
Russian ballet. An instant hit, Ballets Russes
gained high esteem and led to the development of Russian
ballet internationally. The ballet theatre,
ironically, never performed within Russia
itself, as political unrest and the 1917
Revolution forced Russian dancers and
choreographers to pursue their art abroad.
During the 1920s to 1940s Russian artists
(thanks to the door opened by Ballets Russes),
headed ballets, started schools and performed in
dance troupes throughout Europe and North
America, helping spread the influence and proud tradition of Russian ballet.
While the Russian Revolution was a hindrance
to the development of ballet within the new
Soviet Union, it was only temporary. The loss of
talent through emigration was quickly filled
with new performers. Far from a period of
decline, the period from the
1920s to early 1930s was a time of new life and creative
experiment, evident in the era's broader
Avant-Garde art movement.
Like other performing arts, fine arts and
architecture, the Avant-Garde period of
experimentation was cut short when Joseph Stalin
started to favor more Classical styles which
conformed to his broader Socialist policy. By
the mid 1930s ballet in Russia started to
suffer from a sort of monotony - a sameness
restricted almost entirely to Classical dance.
Those experimenting with folk motives or
non-academic forms of dance were censured and
branded a "formalists".
This period of restriction in creativity was
slowly relaxed after Stalin's death in 1953. By
the late 1950s a new generation of Russian
choreographers started to stage dramatic works
more in line with great Russian ballet of the
past. Genres which were censored under Stalin
were reintroduced and in the 1970s and independent
ballet troupes were allowed to perform. By the
1980s Russian ballet companies started to tour
abroad and today, many Russian artists are
enthusiastically invited to perform with foreign
ballet troupes. Like the days of Ballets Russes
a century earlier, Russian ballet has returned
as a cultural icon enjoyed and respected by audiences worldwide.
One of the oldest and most famous
theatres in the world, the Bolshoi
theatre company dates back to 1776,
while the building itself dates back to
its 1825 Grand opening which staged
Fernando Sor's ballet Cendrillion.
Since then the Bolshoi theatre has
hosted many historical opera and
ballet premiers and gone through
many restorations.
The most recent (and ongoing)
restoration is expected to be
complete for the 2011-2012 theatre
season. In the meantime audiences
can enjoy classical productions and
modern opera and ballet performances
on the new stage directly behind the
historical building.
Quite often referred to as the "Moscow Chamber Ballet", Ballet
Moscow of Nikolai Basin is home to both a modern dance group and a classic group that
performs masterpieces such as
Giselle, Nutcracker,
Swan Lake and Don
Quixote. Relatively new (born in 1989),
Ballet Moscow keeps things fresh and
creative by working with different
national and international
choreographers, and at the same time
honors the proud traditions of
Russian ballet that have developed
over the centuries.
address: performances on various stages
throughout Moscow
Located within the historic Moscow Kremlin, the concert hall
plays host to numerous official functions, concerts, opera
and ballet. Seating up to 6000
spectators, the repertoire includes
the Kremlin Ballet Theatre,
ballet from the Bolshoi Theatre, and
that of visiting companies.
Founded in 1989 by renowned artists Aida Chernova
and Sergei Starukhin,
the New Ballet Theatre combines the
art of mime, expressive on-stage
movement, classic and modern ballet,
in what the founders call Plastic Ballet
- a new form of dancing unlike any
other.
address: 25/2, ulitsa Novaya Basmannaya,
dom 2, Moscow
One of the oldest opera and ballet theatres in Russia,
the Mikhailovsky Theatre was founded
in 1833 at its historical location
on Arts Square (Iskusstv Ploschad).
While it currently goes by its
original name, you may also notice
locals using
its other name (used from 1989 to
2007) - Mussorgsky Opera and Ballet Theatre.
Regardless what you want to call it,
visitors have the opportunity to
view major opera and ballet works of
the 19th and 20th centuries,
performed and directed by some of
the most talented and respected
artists from Russia and abroad.
The Mariinsky Opera and Ballet Theatre, often referred to as
the
Kirov Opera and Ballet
(as it was known during Soviet
times), is home to one of the most
famous ballet companies in all the
world. Opened in 1860, it became the
premiere
music theatre of late 19th century Russia.
The "Mariinka" as it is
affectionately called today, is a
architectural masterpiece unto
itself, so whether you take in a
ballet or opera you are in for a
marvelous treat.
Also known as the Russian State Pushkin Academy Drama Theater,
Alexandrinsky Theatre is one of the oldest and most
respected drama theatres in all of Russia.
Founded in 1756, the theatre has occupied its current location
(part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site) on Alexandrinsky Square since 1832.
Today the "theatre of masters" is
most recognized for its drama
productions, but also stages
excellent ballet performances as
well.
address: 2, Ploschad Ostrovskovo (just off Nevsky Prospekt)
Built between 1783 and 1787, the
Hermitage Theatre is one of the
oldest theatres in all of Russia. One of five
Hermitage buildings along the Palace Embankment
of the Neva River, it served as a living theatre
but for a brief time - until the death of Catherine
the Great in 1796. It wasn't until
its 1989 restoration that it was
reopened for theatrical
performances. Today it is considered
one of the best chamber music
theatres in the world playing host
to opera, ballet and chamber music
concerts.
address: 34, Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya, St Petersburg
Officially named the National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet named after T.G. Shevchenko,
Kiev's oldest musical theatre dates
back to 1867. Following a 1896 fire
that destroyed the original
building, the theatre moved into its
current, neo-Renaissance style
facility in 1901. Throughout the
turbulent 20th century the opera
house adopted various names and
followed different ideological
directions (from classical Russian
and European performances, to a
period of Ukrainization and liberalization,
to Socialist Classicism in which
more contemporary works were largely
condemned). Despite the change, the
one thing that remained constant was
the high artistic level of the
troupe. Today the theatre stages a
wide range of opera and ballet
performances, both classical and
contemporary, and has earned awards
and recognition both at home and
around the world.
A contemporary dance theatre
founded in 2006, Kyiv Modern-Ballet
is the creation of Radu Poklitaru, one of the most famous young
ballet masters in Europe. Poklitaru
has set out to take well-known
theatrical plots and choreograph his
own experimental, audacious
interpretations. At present the
theatre company has produced over 20
one-act and full length performances
that can be viewed around Kiev,
Ukraine and abroad.
Follow the links below to find information about
ballet and other performing arts theatre throughout Russia, Ukraine
and nations of the former Soviet Union.
