The Mariinsky Ballet

The Mariinsky Ballet is closely linked with the entire history of the development of Russian choreographic art which began more than two and a half centuries ago. An important role in the establishment and evolution of Russian ballet was played by foreign dance masters. The history of St Petersburg ballet in the 19th century was associated with the activities of Charles Didelot, Jules Perrot, and Arthur Saint-Léon. In 1869, the position of principal ballet master was entrusted to Marius Petipa who markedly raised the professional standards of the company. The peak accomplishments of this famous choreographer were ballets staged in the period of his collaboration with the composers Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Alexander Glazunov – The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and Raymonda. At the turn of the 19th century, the Mariinsky Ballet produced such great dancers as Mathilde Kschessinska, Olga Preobrazhenskaya, Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Olga Spesivtseva, Vaslav Nijinsky. Many of them brought glory to Russian ballet during the legendary Saisons russes in Paris which brought the pioneering works of Michel Fokine to Europe.

In 1920's when Fyodor Lopukhov, a daring innovator and a brilliant connoisseur of the past, became head of the company, its repertoire was enriched with new productions, in particular ballets dealing with contemporary life. Galina Ulanova, Alexei Yermolayev, Marina Semenova and Vakhtang Chabukiani all danced at the Mariinsky Theatre during that period. Ballet in the 1930's was largely influenced by dramatic theatre, and this was reflected in such productions as Rostislav Zakharov's The Fountain of Bakhchisarai and Leonid Lavrovsky's Romeo and Juliet. In 1950's-1970's ballets by Leonid Yakobson, Yuri Grigorovich and Igor Belsky revived the traditions of symphonic dances. The success of these productions would obviously have been impossible without superb performers. During that period the company's dancers included Irina Kolpakova, Natalia Makarova, Alla Osipenko, Irina Gensler, Alla Sizova, Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Valery Panov and Yuri Soloviev. The present-day repertoire of the Mariinsky Ballet includes, along with Petipa's legacy – Swan Lake, Raymonda, Le Corsaire, La Bayadére and The Sleeping Beauty – ballets staged by Michel Fokine, George Balanchine, Frederic Ashton, William Forsythe, Twyla Tharp, Alexei Ratmansky, Angelin Preljocaj and Wayne McGregor.