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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Ballet Companies[edit]
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 Bolshoi company are two world-renowned Russian ballet companies that tour the world.[2]
- Mariinsky Ballet (formerly Kirov ballet)
- Bolshoi Ballet
Other Russian ballet companies include:
- Ballets Russes, founded in 1909
- Moscow State Academy of Choreography, commonly known as The Bolshoi Ballet Academy, founded in 1773
- Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, founded in 1738 as the Imperial Ballet School
- Saint Petersburg Eifman Ballet, founded in 1977
- Mikhailovsky Theatre Ballet, founded in 1930s
- Perm Theatre Ballet, founded in 1896
- Novosibirsk Theatre Ballet, founded in 1945
- Russian State Ballet of Siberia, founded in 1978
There are also a number of companies who have been called, or included in their name, Moscow Ballet.
Methods[edit]
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.[3]
Notable Dancers[edit]
Many Russian dancers have gone on to reach worldwide acclaim; notable Russian dancers include:
- Nina Ananiashvili
- Altynai Asylmuratova
- Mikhail Baryshnikov
- Natalia Bessmertnova
- Vakhtang Chabukiani
- Natalia Dudinskaya
- Nikolai Fadeyechev
- Alexander Godunov
- Tamara Karsavina
- Mathilde Kschessinska
- Olga Lepeshinskaya
- Larissa Lezhnina
- Maris Liepa
- Ulyana Lopatkina
- Lydia Lopokova
- Natalia Makarova
- Vladimir Malakhov
- Léonide Massine
- Ekaterina Maximova
- Galina Mezentseva
- Mikhail Mordkin
- Irek Mukhamedov
- Vaslav Nijinsky
- Rudolf Nureyev
- Alla Osipenko
- Anna Pavlova
- Maya Plisetskaya
- Olga Preobrajenska
- Farukh Ruzimatov
- Marina Semenova
- Konstantin Sergeyev
- Olga Spesivtseva
- Galina Ulanova
- Vladimir Vasiliev
- Diana Vishneva
- Svetlana Zakharova
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- 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.
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ballet of Russia |
- Russian ballet
- 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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