Russian Ballet: The Pinnacle of Dance Art

The Golden Age of Russian Ballet

Russian ballet (Русский балет) is universally recognized as the pinnacle of world ballet art. Introduced to the Russian court in the 18th century and reaching its golden age by the late 19th century, Russian ballet has created countless immortal masterpieces.

Why is Russian ballet so exceptional?

1. Royal patronage: Tsars regarded ballet as imperial art and invested heavily
2. Rigorous training system: The Vaganova method has produced countless top dancers
3. Perfect integration with music: Outstanding compositions by Tchaikovsky and others
4. Literary and theatrical tradition: Deep narrative artistic foundation
5. Pursuit of perfection: A characteristic of the Russian temperament

In Russia, ballet is not merely entertainment but a symbol of national cultural pride.

From Imperial Dance to People's Art

Imperial Era (1738-1917):

• 1738: Imperial Ballet School of St. Petersburg established

  • Founded by French dance master Jean-Baptiste Landé
  • Exclusively trained dancers for the royal court

• 18th-19th centuries: Ballet was a court privilege

  • Performed at the Winter Palace and Mariinsky Theatre
  • Audience mainly aristocratic class

• 1869: Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow founded

  • Created competition with St. Petersburg
  • Promoted ballet art development

• 1890s: Pinnacle of classical ballet

  • Marius Petipa's heyday
  • Tchaikovsky's three great ballets premiered

Soviet Era (1917-1991):

• Post-Revolution challenges:

  • Ballet viewed as "bourgeois art"
  • Many dancers fled abroad
  • Repertoire faced censorship

• Preservation and development of art:

  • Lenin believed classical artistic heritage should be preserved
  • Ballet transformed from "imperial art" to "people's art"
  • Free or low-priced tickets allowed workers to attend

• Characteristics of Soviet ballet:

  • Emphasized heroism and collective spirit
  • Created revolutionary-themed ballets (like "The Red Detachment of Women")
  • Maintained the world's highest technical standards
  • Trained countless world-class dancers

Post-Soviet Era (1991-present):

• Economic difficulties, but artistic standards remain high
• More frequent international exchanges
• Coexistence of tradition and innovation

Great Choreographers

Marius Petipa (1818-1910)

"Father of Classical Ballet":

• Life: Frenchman who came to Russia in 1847 and devoted his life
• Working in Russia: 63 years (1847-1910)
• Created works: Over 60 ballets

Representative works:

• Sleeping Beauty (1890)
• Swan Lake (1895, collaborated with Lev Ivanov)
• Raymonda (1898)
• La Bayadère (1877)

Artistic achievements:

• Established the structural pattern of classical ballet
• Created grand corps de ballet scenes
• Perfectly integrated dance and drama
• Elevated ballet to a comprehensive art form

Classic passages:

• Sleeping Beauty Wedding Grand Pas de Deux
• La Bayadère "Kingdom of the Shades" scene
• Swan Lake Black Swan variation (32 fouettés)

Michel Fokine (1880-1942)

Pioneer of modern ballet:

• Revolutionary concepts:

  • Opposed technique for technique's sake
  • Emphasized expression and dramatic effect
  • Dance should serve the overall artistic conception

• Collaboration with Diaghilev:

  • Choreographed for "Ballets Russes"
  • Caused sensation in Paris

Representative works:

• The Dying Swan (1905): Anna Pavlova's signature solo
• The Firebird (1910): Collaborated with Stravinsky
• Petrushka (1911)
• Le Spectre de la Rose (1911)

Other important choreographers:

• George Balanchine:

  • Russian-American choreographer
  • Founder of neoclassical ballet
  • Founded New York City Ballet

• Yuri Grigorovich:

  • Most important Soviet-era choreographer
  • Representative works: Spartacus, Ivan the Terrible

Classic Ballet Repertoire

Tchaikovsky's Three Great Ballets:

Swan Lake (Лебединое озеро, 1877/1895)

• Music: Tchaikovsky

• Choreography: Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov

• Story: The tragic love between a prince and swan princess

• Classic scenes:

  • Act II White Swans corps de ballet
  • Act III Black Swan Pas de Deux (32 fouettés)
  • Act IV Death of the Swans

• Status: Most performed ballet in the world

• Challenge: Same dancer portrays White Swan/Black Swan (must display contrasting characters)

Sleeping Beauty (Спящая красавица, 1890)

• Music: Tchaikovsky

• Choreography: Marius Petipa

• Story: Adapted from Charles Perrault's fairy tale

• Characteristics:

  • Pinnacle of classical ballet
  • Grand court scenes
  • Magnificent costumes and sets

• Famous passages:

  • "Rose Adagio" Pas de Deux
  • "Bluebird" variation
  • Wedding Grand Pas de Deux

The Nutcracker (Щелкунчик, 1892)

• Music: Tchaikovsky

• Choreography: Lev Ivanov

• Story: Fantasy adventure on Christmas night

• Characteristics:

  • Suitable for the whole family
  • Essential Christmas repertoire
  • Full of fairy tale charm

• Famous music:

  • "Waltz of the Flowers"
  • "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"
  • "Russian Dance", "Chinese Dance", "Arabian Dance"

Other Russian Classical Ballets:

• Giselle: Masterpiece of romantic ballet
• Don Quixote: Spanish flavor, dazzling technique
• Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev): Strong dramatic effect
• Cinderella (Prokofiev)
• Spartacus: Soviet-era masterpiece

World-Class Ballet Companies

Bolshoi Ballet (Большой театр)

• Founded: 1776

• Status: One of the world's most famous ballet companies

• Characteristics:

  • Grand style, strong dramatic effect
  • Emphasizes expressiveness
  • Male dancers especially outstanding

• Famous dancers:

  • Maya Plisetskaya
  • Vladimir Vasiliev
  • Nikolai Tsiskaridze

Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet (Мариинский театр)

• Founded: 1860

• Status: Pride of St. Petersburg

• Characteristics:

  • Elegant, pure style
  • Emphasizes classical technique
  • Most complete preservation of tradition

• Famous dancers:

  • Anna Pavlova
  • Vaslav Nijinsky
  • Rudolf Nureyev
  • Mikhail Baryshnikov
  • Galina Ulanova

Other Important Companies:

• Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg: Modern choreography
• Moscow Classical Ballet
• Kremlin Ballet

Vaganova Method

Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet (Академия русского балета имени А. Я. Вагановой):

History:

• Founded in 1738, the world's oldest ballet school
• Formerly the Imperial Ballet School of St. Petersburg
• Named after Agrippina Vaganova (1879-1951)

Vaganova Method:

Systematized by Vaganova in the 1930s-40s, combining:

• French school's elegance
• Italian school's technique
• Russian expressiveness

Core Principles:

1. Rigorous physical training:

   • Perfect body lines
   • Strong core strength
   • Balance of flexibility and strength

2. Expressiveness of arms:

   • "Port de bras" (arm movements) extremely important
   • Fluid, expressive arm lines

3. Dramatic expression:

   • Not just technique, but art
   • Emphasizes character portrayal

4. Progressive development:

   • 8 years of systematic training
   • First year without pointe shoes
   • Gradually increasing difficulty

Teaching features:

• Small class sizes
• One-on-one instruction
• Strict selection (extremely low acceptance rate)
• Comprehensive cultural education

Influence:

• Vaganova method became the world standard
• Many countries adopted this teaching system
• Trained countless world-class dancers

Contemporary Russian Ballet

Challenges faced:

1. Economic difficulties:

   • Funding shortages after Soviet collapse
   • Loss of dancers abroad
   • Theater maintenance difficulties

2. Brain drain:

   • Many top dancers developed careers in the West
   • High salary temptation
   • More artistic freedom

3. Competition from modern dance:

   • Young people's interests diversified
   • Classical ballet facing inheritance issues

Positive developments:

1. Government support:

   • Putin government values culture and arts
   • Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theatres received significant investment
   • 2011 Bolshoi completed major renovation ($700 million)

2. International exchanges:

   • Increased collaboration with Western companies
   • Inviting international choreographers
   • Russian dancers active on the world stage

3. Innovation attempts:

   • New versions of traditional repertoire
   • Contemporary-themed ballets
   • Cross-boundary collaborations (with film, modern dance, etc.)

4. Education remains excellent:

   • Vaganova Academy still world-class
   • Moscow State Academy of Choreography (Bolshoi Academy)
   • Training new generation of talent

New generation dancers:

• Olga Smirnova
• Vladislav Lantratov
• Maria Alexandrova

Cultural significance: Ballet remains an important component of Russian cultural identity. Watching a ballet performance in Moscow or St. Petersburg is not only an artistic enjoyment but also a profound experience of the essence of Russian culture.

Russian ballet, having weathered hundreds of years of storms, remains a beacon of world dance art, continuing to inspire and move audiences globally.