Russian ballet
Russian ballet is a form of ballet characteristic of or originating from Russia. In the early 19th century, the theaters were opened up to anyone who could afford a ticket. There was a seating section called a rayok, or 'paradise gallery', that consisted of simple wooden benches. This allowed non-wealthy people access to the ballet, because tickets in this section were inexpensive.[1]
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[edit] Ballet Companies
The first ballet company was the Imperial School of Ballet in St. Petersburg in the 1740s. The Ballets Russes was a ballet company founded in the 1909 by Sergey Diaghilev, an enormously important figure in the Russian ballet scene. The headquarters of his ballet company was located in Paris, France. A protégé of Diaghilev, George Balanchine, founded the New York City Ballet in 1948. Today, the Kirov Ballet company (now known as the Mariinsky Ballet) and the Bol'shoy company are two world-renowned Russian ballet companies that tour the world.[2]
- Bolshoi Ballet
- Mariinsky Ballet (formerly Kirov ballet)
Other Russian ballet companies include:
- Ballets Russes, founded in 1909
- Maly Theatre Ballet - now The Mikhailovsky Ballet, founded in 1930s
- Moscow Classical Ballet, founded in 1966.[3]
- Russian State Ballet of Siberia, founded in 1978
- Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, founded in 1738 as the Imperial Ballet School
There are also a number of companies who have been called, or included in their name, Moscow Ballet.
[edit] Methods
There are several methods of ballet in Russian ballet. The most widely used is the Vaganova method, which was named after the very famous ballerina and teacher, Agrippina Vaganova.[4]
[edit] Dancers
Many Russian dancers have gone on to reach worldwide acclaim; notable Russian dancers include:
- Nina Ananiashvili
- George Balanchine
- Mikhail Baryshnikov
- Paul Gerdt
- Alexander Godunov
- Maria Gorshenkova
- Yury Grigorovich
- Avdotia Istomina
- Tamara Karsavina
- Mathilde Kschessinska
- Ilya Kuznetsov
- Ulyana Lopatkina
- Lydia Lopokova
- Natalia Makarova
- Vladimir Malakhov
- Ekaterina Maximova
- Galina Mezentseva
- Vaslav Nijinsky
- Rudolf Nureyev
- Alla Osipenko
- Yevgeni Panfilov
- Valery Panov
- Anna Pavlova
- Maya Plisetskaya
- Olga Preobrajenska
- Lydia Price
- Alexei Ratmansky
- Marina Semenova
- Anna Sobeshchanskaya
- Yuri Soloviev
- Olga Spesivtseva
- Nikolay Tsiskaridze
- Galina Ulanova
- Vladimir Vasiliev
- Diana Vishneva
- Svetlana Zakharova
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Roslavleva, Natalia. Era of the Russian Ballet
- ^ Curtis, Glenn E. Russia: A Country Study
- ^ "About The Moscow Classical Ballet". http://www.rfpresents.org/MCBpage.html. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
- ^ Willia-Aarnio, Peggy. Agrippina Vaganova (1879-1951): Her Place in the History of Ballet and Her Impact on the Future of Classical Dance
[edit] Bibliography
- Curtis, Glenn E, ed. (1996). Russia: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress.
- Roslavleva, Natalia. (1966). Era of the Russian Ballet, New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc.
- Willis-Aarino, Peggy. (2002). Agrippina Vaganova (1879–1951): Her Place in the History of Ballet and Her Impact on the Future of Classical Dance, Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ballet of Russia |
- Russian ballet
- Russian Classical Ballet and Modern Dance
- Russian Ballet Company
- BBT/School of Russian American Ballet in Brooklyn, NY, USA
- The Russian Ballet Academy of Indiana, a professional Vaganova method school
- Russian ballet today: Who's who in Russian ballet - a professional community website with discussions, video channel, photos etc
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