Camargo (ballet)

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Pierina Legnani as Marie Camargo in Lev Ivanov's revival of the Minkus/Petipa ballet Camargo, St. Petersburg, 1901. Ivanov revived the ballet especially for her final benefit performance before she returned to her native Italy

Camargo (AKA La Camargo) is a "Grand ballet" in 3 acts/9 scenes, with choreography by Marius Petipa, and music by Léon Minkus. The libretto, by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Marius Petipa, is based on an incident in the life of the 18th century dancer Marie Camargo, in which she and her sister Madeleine were abducted by the Comte de Melun in May of 1728 and taken to his mansion.

The ballet was first presented by the Imperial Ballet on December 7/19 (Julian/Gregorian calendar dates), 1872 at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre St. Petersburg, Russia. Principal Dancers - Adèle Grantzow (as Marie Camargo), Alexandra Virginia (as Madeleine Camargo), Lev Ivanov (as Vestris the Maître de Ballet), and Timofei Stukolkin (as the Comte de Melun).

[edit] Revivals/Restagings

• Revival by Lev Ivanov for the Imperial Ballet. First presented at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre on January 17/30, 1901 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Principal Dancers - Pierina Legnani (as Marie Camargo), Olga Preobrajenskaya (as Madeleine Camargo), Pavel Gerdt (as Vestris the Maître de Ballet), and Georgii Kiaksht (as the Comte de Melun).

[edit] Notes

• The 1901 revival by Petipa's Second Balletmaster Lev Ivanov, was mounted especially for the farewell benefit performance in honor of the Imperial Ballet's Prima Balerina Assoluta Pierina Legnani, who left for her native Italy shortly thereafter.