Mariinsky Ballet
The Mariinsky Ballet, is an internationally renowned classical ballet company based at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 19th Century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the most famous ballet companies in history and continues to be one of the world's leading ballet companies to this day. Internationally, the Mariinsky Ballet is most commonly known by its former Soviet name the Kirov Ballet, a title which is still used by the company when touring. The Mariisnky Ballet is the parent company of the Vaganova Ballet Academy, a leading international ballet school.
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History
The Mariinsky Ballet was founded in the 1740s, following the formation of the first Russian dance school in 1738.
The Imperial Theatre School as it was originally known, was established on 4th May 1738, at the Winter Palace in St Petersburg. It would become the predecessor of today's Vaganova Ballet Academy. The school's founder director was the French ballet master and teacher Jean-Baptiste Landé and the purpose of creating the school was to train young dancers to form the first Russian ballet company. The first group of students included twelve boys and twelve girls, who later went on to form what would become the predecessor of today's Mariinsky Ballet.
Very little information exists from the formative years of the ballet company, however it is known that both the school and the ballet company were linked by name, becoming the Imperial Ballet School and Imperial Russian Ballet, names that continued to be used until the abolishment of Imperial rule. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Imperial Russian Ballet soon rose to prominence and would employ some of the most influential and famous names in ballet history including Charles Didelot, Marie Taglioni, Christian Johansson, Enrico Cecchetti, Jules Perrot, Fanny Cerrito and Carlotta Grisi.
During the 19th century, Marius Petipa took Russia by storm and became the chief choreographer for the Imperial Ballet School. Petipa was influential in creating full-length ballets such as The Sleeping Beauty.
Following the Russian revolution, the Soviet government decided that the ballet school and company were unwanted symbols of the tsarist regime and went on to close them both. The ballet company was the first to be re-established, becoming known as the Soviet Ballet, with the school re-opening later as the Leningrad State Choreographic School, both remaining in their previous locations.
Following the assassination of the Bolshevik revolutionary Sergey Kirov in 1934, the then Soviet Ballet, was renamed the Kirov Ballet a name which is most commonly used to identify the company to this day. After the end of communist rule, both the ballet company and opera company at the Mariinsky Theatre were linked to the theatre by name, becoming the Mariinsky Ballet and Mariinsky Opera and both companies are run by the theatre its-self. Throughout its history, the company has been based at the Mariinsky Theare, which was originally known as the Bolshoi Kameny Theatre, before it was demolished to be replaced by the existing theatre. This is not to be confused with the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, which is the home of the Bolshoi Ballet
Despite later name changes and pressures of the Russian revolution, the present day Mariinsky Ballet, is still linked to the school, which is now known as the Vaganova Ballet Academy.
Today
The Mariinsky Ballet is today recognised as one of the world's greatest ballet companies, hiring over 200 dancers, including a reserve troupe and character artists. The Director of the Mariinsky Ballet is Makharbek Vaziev.
Being modelled on other leading opera/ballet theatres such as the Royal Opera House, London and La Scala, Milan, both the Mariinsky Ballet and Mariinsky Opera came under the management of the Mariinsky Theatre itself, with Valery Gergiev as Artistic Director. He is also the Director of the opera company. Both companies operate as separate units.
Repertoire
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Dancers
Principals
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1st & 2nd Soloists
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Principal Character Artists
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Choryphees
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Corps de Ballet
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Marius Petipa
For a number of years, Marius Petipa was the ballet master of the Imperial Russian Ballet. One of the most famous names in ballet history, Petipa was the choreographer of some of some of the best known classical ballets including:
- Giselle
- Swan Lake
- Le Corsaire
- Raymonda
- The Nutcracker
- La Bayadere
- Don Quixote
- Harlequinade
- The Sleeping Beauty
Notable Dancers
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External links
- Mariinsky Ballet company website
- Additional Information/Pictures about the Mariinsky-Kirov Ballet
- More information and interviews from the Kirov Ballet
- Winston, Rory (2008-04-15). "Dance Review: The Kirov Ballet", New York Resident. Retrieved on 2008-10-04.
- NY Times article by Lawrence van Gelder, March 25, 2008
- Kennedy Center: Information about Mariinsky Ballet accessed 4 October 2008