Russia History of ballet

mikhail mordkin prince siegfried , adelaide giuri odette students little swans in moscow imperial bolshoi theatre s production of petipa/ivanov/tchaikovsky swan lake. 1901

while france instrumental in ballet, other countries , cultures adopted art form, notably russia. russia has recognized tradition of ballet, , russian ballet has had great importance in country throughout history. after 1850, ballet began wane in paris, flourished in denmark , russia masters such august bournonville, jules perrot, arthur saint-léon, enrico cecchetti , marius petipa. in late nineteenth century, orientalism in vogue. colonialism brought awareness of asian , african cultures, distorted disinformation , fantasy. east perceived faraway place possible, provided lavish, exotic , decadent. petipa appealed popular taste pharaoh s daughter (1862), , later talisman (1889), , la bayadère (1877). petipa best remembered collaborations tchaikovsky. used music choreography of nutcracker (1892, though open debate among historians), sleeping beauty (1890), , definitive revival of swan lake (1895, lev ivanov). these works drawn european folklore.

the female dancers classical tutu recognized today began appear @ time. consisted of short, stiff skirt supported layers of crinoline or tulle revealed acrobatic legwork, combined wide gusset served preserve modesty.