Source: http://www.visit-petersburg.ru/en/route/97/
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 00:10:14+00:00

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"The Ballet about Orpheus" was the first choreographic performance in Russia showed at Tsar Aleksey Mikhailovich. In the first half of the 18th century teachers from Italy and France inculcated the ballet to people. The Imperial Land Noble Cadet Corps has become the cradle of the ballet in Saint Petersburg. His pupils showed ballets to the empress. In 1738 a ballet school of St. Petersburg (today Vaganova Ballet Academy) was established by the Imperial Decree of Anna Ioannovna. Creator and director of this school was Jean-Baptiste Landé. Since the 60's of the 18th century our ballet developed along the general lines of the classicism theatre. In the second half of the 18th century Franz Hilverding, Giuseppe Canziani, Gasparo Angiolini made ballets in St. Petersburg using at times Russian plots.
The cusp of the 18th and 19th centuries was the heyday of our ballet. Domestic composers appeared - Nicolai Titov, Stepan Davydov and Russified foreign composers - Catterino Cavos, Friedrich Scholz. Russian dancer and choreographer Ivan Valberkh outlined a way to synthesis of Russian performing style with dramatic pantomime of Italian ballet and forms of French school. In 1800-20's activity of the choreographer Charles-Louis Didelot has flourished. Successor to Jean-Georges Noverre and Jean Dauberval's traditions, Didelot made ballets based on mythological plots ("Flore et Zéphire", "Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss", "Acis et Galatée ") and heroic-historical themes ("Hungarian hut, or famous outcasts"). In cooperation with Catterino Cavos he was standing for unity of musical and choreographic drama of ballet performance. Evgenia Kolosova, Maria Danilova, Avdotia Istomina, Ekaterina Telesheva, Anastasia Novitskaya, Auguste Poireau, Nikolai Golz were famed for his ballet performances. In the first third of the 19th century Russian ballet came to their artistic maturity and became a national school.
In the middle of the century Marie Taglioni and Jules-Joseph Perrot (dancer and choreographer) shone in St. Petersburg. The dance thrust to the fore, was the culmination of dramatic acts. All the most famous romantic ballets of Western Europe were included in Russian ballet's repertoire: «La Sylphide" ("The Sylph"), "Giselle", " La Esmeralda", "Le Corsaire", "La naïade et le pêcheur", "Katerina, a robber's daughter ". In the 1860's the breakdown of romantic performance began in Russia. Also a choreographer of that time Arthur Saint-Léon enriched classical as well as character dance, expanding possibilities of dance ensembles, preparing accomplishments of Marius Petipa. The last one continued the process of enrichment of dance. Thanks to Petipa the aesthetics of “big”, or academic ballet has developed. It was a monumental show built at rates of scenery drama, and an external action was showed in pantomimic set-ups, an internal action –in canonical structures of classical dance. Petipa's search have finished with cooperation with P. Tchaikovsky ("Sleeping Beauty", Swan Lake") and A. Glazunov ("Raymonda", "The Four Seasons"), which scores were on the top of ballet symphony of the 19th century. Creative activities of choreographer L. Ivanov, Petipa's assistant, foreboded new imagery of dance of the early 20th century. E. Vazem, E. Sokolova, V. Nikitina, P. Gerdt, N. Legat, M. Kschessinskaya, A. Sobeshchenskaya, A. Shiryaev, O. Preobrazhenskaya, C. Brianza, P. Legnani, V. Zucchi took part in Petipa and Ivanov's ballets.
To the beginning of the 20th century Russian ballet took the lead in the world ballet theatre. The choreographer-reformer M. Fokin updated the content and form of ballet performance, creating a new type of performance –one-act ballet; it was subjected to the cross-cutting action, where the content was showed in the indissoluble unity of music, choreography, scenography (“Chopiniana”, “Petrushka”, “Scheherazade”). The main co-authors of the choreographer were not composers, but artists (they were also scriptwriters). Fokine's performances were designed by L. Bakst, A. Benois, A. Golovin, N. Roerich. Since 1909 S. Diaghilev organized a tour of Russian ballet in Paris, known as Russian Seasons. They exposed to the world composer I. Stravinsky and choreographer Fokin (“The Firebird”, “Petrushka”), dancer and choreographer V. Nijinsky and other performers, also they involved in the ballet theatre famous musicians and artists.
After 1917 Russian ballet remained a major centre of national art. In spite of the emigration of a number of outstanding figures of the ballet theatre, the Russian ballet school survived, nominated new performers. T. Vecheslova, N. Dudinskaya, O. Lepeshinskaya were among the leading artists of the late 1920's - early 1930's.
In the 30's the ballet theatre in Russia developed intensively. However, in spite of success the monopoly of the drama ballet in the theatre has led to artificially cultivated uniformity. Many types of performance went out of theatre use, in particular, one-act productions, including ballets without a subject and symphonic ballets.As a result of the fact that all searches outside the drama ballet were declared formalistic, after the devastating criticism of Shostakovich's ballet “The Limpid Stream”, Lopukhov, Goleizovsky, Jakobson and some others lost the opportunity to choreograph in leading ballet companies or were pushed aside stage. Nevertheless, performing skills, his traditions were preserved.
The turning point came in the late 1950s, when a new generation of choreographers came to the fore. Leningrad choreographers Grigorovich (“The Stone Flower”, “The Legend of Love”) and Belsky (“The Coast of Hope", "The Leningrad Symphony") entered first the path of the innovation; they built the play based on musical and dance dramaturgy, revealing the contents of the play in dance. In this process of updating a significant role belonged to Jakobson. The choreographer was constantly looking for new means of artistic expressiveness, used the imagery of other arts in ballet.
Since the 70's Russian artists feeling their absence of demand in the obsolete and poor repertoire of theatres, began to work increasingly abroad. Russian dancers of the young generation work being a part of foreign collectives.
The ballet of St. Petersburg is a huge culture asset of our city now. Graduates of the Vaganova Ballet Academy are in demand on any stage of the world, and the ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre shines as before, supporting the high name of the Russian ballet for the second century in a row.
The building of the old winter palace. The Wedding Chambers of Peter the Great were built in 1712 on the embankment of the Neva river. In 1716-1719 the architect Georg Mattarnovi built the New Winter Palace for the emperor nearby. After Mattarnovi’s death Nikolai Gerbel was continued his case. In 1719-1722 he seriously expanded the palace and turned it into a truly royal home. The palace became the most solemn in St. Petersburg. Peter I died in 1725 in this palace.
Afterwards Catherine I and Peter II lived in the palace; the Palace was prepared for Anna Ioannovna, but she preferred the Apraksin's chambers (in place of the present Winter Palace). The building of the Peter's Palace became the service building. In 1734 there was the dance school of J. Lande in the palace, now turned into Vaganova Academy of Ballet. At the end of the 18th century, the Hermitage Theatre was built on this place.
The Hermitage Theatre was built between 1783 and 1787 at the behest of Catherine the Great design by Giacomo Quarenghi on the place of the former Winter Palace of Peter the Great.
The auditorium of the theatre is arranged in an antique style: semi-circular rows of benches rise from the stage by an amphitheatre. The hall of the theatre retained its original appearance. For more than 20 years the theatre "Russian Ballet", organized in 1990 by the family of professional artists and soloists of the Mariinsky Theatre, organizes and conducts performances at the Hermitage Theatre. The auditorium is thought out and located so that, with its capacity (250 people) and sufficient space for artists, it does not require the use of binoculars; everything that happens on the stage can be seen from any point. In addition, the layout of the auditorium allows sound and light to be scattered competently, without distortion.
Mikhailovsky Theatre is the famous musical theatre, the Pearl of St. Petersburg. The theatre combines classical traditions with bold creativity and innovative experiments.
It was opened in 1833 after the decree of Emperor Nicholas I and named after Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich - younger son of Emperor Pavel I. It's situated in a historical building (Mikhailovsky Palace) on ploschad' Iskusstv in St. Petersburg. This palace was Grand Duke's residence and the theatre became a chamber stage receiving high-ranking guests of the Imperial family and close friends. The building of the theatre was erected by A. Brullov.
French and German troupes gave performances on the stage of Mikhailovsky theatre, the famous guest actors performed.
Since 1918 the Imperial Mikhailovsky Theatre was transformed into the State Small Opera House. Musicians of the highest rank, people of opera and ballet art supported and developed within its walls a high theatrical culture. The ballet company was created and led by an outstanding dancer and choreographer F. Lopukhov; later Igor Belsky, Oleg Vinogradov, Nikolai Boyarchikov were his successors.
In 2001 Mikhailovsky theatre returned its historical name.
A unique repertoire is formed at the theatre; it can be compared with a collection of valuables. Some of the famous classical ballets have versions, which are not represented at any stage. For example, “Swan Lake” is so called “old- Moscow” performance, A. Gorski’s performance – performance of A. Messerer read with M. Messerer, “Giselle” read with N. Dolgushin, “Le Corsaire” read with K. Sergeev, “Laurencia” with choreography of V. Chabukiani, “Flames of Paris” with choreography of V. Vainonen. A separate chapter in the theatre repertoire is choreographic work of the famous Spanish maestro Nacho Duato. In total, he staged at the Mikhailovsky Theatre, where he headed the ballet troupe for 3 seasons, more than 10 ballets. Among them are “Romeo and Juliet” and “Multiplicity. Forms of Silence and Emptiness” in the full-format, and a fascinating versions of Tchaikovsky’s ballets “Sleeping Beauty” and “The Nutcracker”, combined respect for traditions and modernity.
The history of this literary café starts from 1911. Theatre performances, lectures, poetic and musical evenings have been organized there. This art-café is famous thanks to its visitors: Anna Akhmatova, Osip Mandelshtam, Nikolay Gumilyov, Igor Severyanin, Nadezhda Teffi, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Velimir Khlebnikov, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Tamara Karsavina, Aleksey Tolstoy, Anna Pavlova, Sergey Dyagilev.
Anna Pavlova lived right opposite – Italianskaya street, 5. Tamara Karsavina gave a wonderful performance dedicated to the dance of the 18th century right in the basement.
Theatre square appeared three decades after the foundation of the city, in 1730's. In the early 18th century it was usually called “Brumbergskaya” or ‘Brumbergova”, by the name of the owner of nearby Brumberg’s sawmills.
This square was formed in Catherine’s time in connection with the construction of the Bolshoi (or Stone) Theatre. The theatre held 3000 persons and was the most important theatre building that time in St. Petersburg. Evenings all upper crust of St. Petersburg came together in Kolomna.
In the 1860's a new building of the Mariinsky Theatre was built for operas and ballets, where to this day the stars of the Petersburg Ballet shine.
Many ballet dancers and ballet masters preferred to settle near the theatre: so, the family of Taglioni, Arthur Saint-Leon, O. Spesivtseva lived in different years on the Nikolskaya street (now Glinka). Lev Ivanov, Avdotia Istomina, A. Vaganova rented apartments on the embankment of Kryukov canal.
Boshoi Kamenny Theatre. The first city stone theatre was opened in St. Petersburg in 1783. It was called Boshoi or Kamenny (Stone).
The constriction of the theatre began in 1775, the author of the project was A. Rinaldi. In 1799 he fell from the scaffolding and construction was completed by F. Baur. In 1783, the first season of the theatre was opened with the opera “On the Moon” by composer D. Paisiello.
In the early 19th century French choreographer Didelot appeared in the troupe of the theatre, European troupes began to imitate the St. Petersburg ballet. A great place was taken also by dramatic performances.
The head of the ballet troupe of the theatre Marius Petipa continued in 1869 the traditions of his predecessors Jules Perrot and Arthur Saint-Leon. Petipa preserved such classical performances, as "Giselle", "Esmeralda", “Le Corsaire”, he only edited them carefully. "La Bayadere" brought for the first time the breath of a large choreographic composition to the ballet stage. Petipa's happy meeting with Tchaikovsky, who thought, that "the ballet is like a symphony", led to the birth of the "Sleeping Beauty" - a true musical and choreographic poem. In cooperation of Petipa and Ivanov the choreography of “The Nutcracker” appeared. After Tchaikovsky’s death "Swan Lake" found the second life on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre – and again in cooperative choreography of Petipa and Ivanov. Petipa strengthened his reputation of choreographer-symphonist with the staging a ballet of Glazunov “Raymonda”. The young M. Fokin picked up Petipa’s innovative ideas and staged “Le Pavillon d'Armide” by Tcherepnin, “The Swan” by Saint-Saëns, “Chopiniana” to music by Chopin, also ballets created in Paris – “Scheherazade” to music by Rimsky-Korsakov, “The Firebird”, “Petrushka” by Stravinsky in the Mariinsky theatre.
The Mariinsky Theatre was a successor of Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre (Stone Theatre). The building was rebuilt by A. Сavos from the building of the burnt circus in 1860.
At first, only the opera troupe lived in the new building.
In 1886 ballet performances were moved to the Mariinsky Theater. And in place of the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre the building of the St. Petersburg Conservatory was built.
The Mariinsky theatre was declared as State Theatre by the government decree of 9 November 1917 and handed over to the People's Commissariat for Education. In 1920 it was called the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, since 1935 it was named after S. Kirov. Together with classics of the last century in the 20эs - early 30эs ballets were born, which approved the new choreographic trend popular for decades, the so-called drumming – “The Red Poppy” by Reinhold Glière, “Flames of Paris” and “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” to music by Boris Asafyev, “Laurencia” to music by Alexander Crain, "Romeo and Juliet" by Sergei Prokofiev, and others.
The last pre-war opera premiere of the Kirov Theatre was Wagner's “Lohengrin”, whose second production ended late on 21 June, 1941, but the performances scheduled for 24 and 27 June were replaced with “Ivan Susanin”. During the Great Patriotic War, the theatre was evacuated to Perm where premieres of several performances, including the premiere of Aram Khachaturian's ballet “Gayane”, were held. On its return to Leningrad, the theatre opened the season on 1 September, 1944 with the opera Glinka “Ivan Susanin”.
In the 50-70эs such famous ballets were staged at the theatre: “Şüräle’ by Färit Yarullin, “Spartacus” by Aram Khachaturian, “Twelve” by Boris Tishchenko with the choreography by Jakobson, “The Tale of the Stone Flower” by Prokofiev and “The Legend of Love” by A. Melikov with the choreography by Y. Grogorovich, “Leningrad Symphony by Shostakovich with the choreography by Igor Belsky. With the production of new ballets in the repertoire of the theatre, the ballet classics were carefully preserved.
A new stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. Mariinsky-2, along with the historical building of the Mariinsky Theatre, built in 1860, and the Concert Hall, opened in 2006, became part of the unique in terms of its creative and educational possibilities of the theatre and concert complex. Although it is a modern auditorium, it is based on the same principles as in the famous opera houses of the 18th and 19th centuries - a curved shape in the form of a horseshoe and three tiers of balconies. Such configuration provides a cosy atmosphere, the best acoustics and an excellent view and also comfort and convenience of the audience.
Architect Rossi’s Street. The first name of the Architect Rossi’s Street is Teatralnaya. The directorate of the Imperial Theatres was located here, then a ballet school, and now Vaganova Ballet Academy. A galaxy of world ballet stars came from this school. There is a monument to the famous ballerina Galina Ulanova in the courtyard of the Academy. And a dancer, choreographer and teacher F. Lopukhov lived in the building of the Academy.
Museum of theatrical and musical art. St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music is located in the building of the former Imperial Theatres Management, erected in the 1st half of the 19th century by the great architect Carlo Rossi. The facade windows of the museum overlook Alexandrinsky Theatre - the centre of the architectural ensemble, created by Rossi for the sake of theatre. Unique museum exhibits tell about the creativity of the famous stage masters, with whom the theatre reforms and innovations of the Russian theatre of the first half of the 20th century are connected: Meyerhold, A. Tairov, M. Fokin, A. Pavlova, V. Nijinsky, V. Komissarzhevskaya, N. Akimov, F. Shalyapin, G. Ulanova.
Vaganova Ballet Academy is one of the oldest ballet schools in the world. It was founded in 1738 by Empress Anna Ioannovna.
The first teacher of the school was French dancing-master Jean Baptiste Lande. And the first students - 12 girls and boys, children of palace employees. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries the first Russian choreographer Ivan Valberkh (Lesogorov) worked here. Didelot, the founder of modern methods of classical dance, taught at the school for about 20 years - during this time he wanted to ensure that the Russian ballet became part of the European. At this time the Russian ballet surpassed foreign one and classical dance became the core of the Academy's educational program.
Another well-known Frenchman, Jules Perrot (the most famous choreographer in the era of Romanticism) arrived in St. Petersburg at the invitation of the Directorate of Imperial Theatres.
Later, Marius Petipa and Enrico Cecchetti started teaching at the school, as well as many other excellent teachers.
Many choreographers lived near the Academy - so Didelot chose a house on the corner of the modern street of Rubinstein and Nevsky Prospect, and Marius Petipa rented an apartment literally "around the corner" - on the Fontanka embankment, 51-53.
The academy was glorified not only by the famous choreographers, but also by talented graduates. Anna Pavlova introduced the whole world to the Russian ballet, and Marina Semenova in the difficult 1920s proved to her native country that classical ballet is needed.
In different years work of Galina Ulanova, Fei Balabina, Natalia Dudinskaya, Vladimir Ponomarev, Matilda Kshesinskaya, Vaclav Nijinsky, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Uliana Lopatkina strengthened the success of the Academy.
And, of course, Agrippina Yakovlevna Vaganova cannot but be mentioned. She herself was a former graduate of the Theatre School, after the revolution she returned here as a teacher and created the world's best system for teaching classical dance.
The Samoilov Family Museum. The Samoilov Family Museum was opened in St. Petersburg on 28 January, 1994. There is an exposition "Stars of Russian Ballet" in the exhibition halls of the museum. The rare exhibits represent the stages of development of the national ballet art from the beginning of the 19th to the 80's of the 20th century. Halls dedicated to the work of the great choreographer Marius Petipa, "Russian Seasons" by Sergei Diaghilev, A. Vaganova's school and the Soviet period in the history of the Kirov Theatre are told about the legendary representatives of the Russian ballet - A. Pavlova, T. Karsavina, G. Ulanova, N. Dudinskaya, M. Baryshnikov, R. Nureyev and many others.
The theatre of Leonid Jakobson. The troupe of St. Petersburg State Ballet Theatre named after Leonid Jakobson was founded in 1966. In 1969 the troupe was headed by an outstanding ballet master, Honoured Artist of the RSFSR, laureate of the State Prize of the USSR Leonid Jakobson, and from that moment a new page in the history of the Soviet ballet was opened.
The troupe got the name "Choreographic miniatures".
Leonid Jakobson created his own plastic language, based on the natural, inborn expressiveness of the human body.
In 1976, after Leonid Jakobson’s death, his successor was People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of the State Prize of the USSR Askold Makarov. During this period, classical ballets, such as “Giselle” and “Swan Lake”, first appeared in the repertoire of the theatre.
In 2001, after Askold Makarov’s death, Yuri Petukhov took his place of art – he is a choreographer, People's Artist of Russia, laureate of the State Prize of Russia, laureate of all-Union and international competitions. A new version of the ballet “The Nutcracker”, ballets “Italian Capriccio”, “Don Jose, Passion for Carmen"," Romeo and Juliet "," Scheherazade "," Yesenin " appeared in the repertoire of the theatre.
The necropolis occupies the northern part of the Volkovo Orthodox cemetery. There are about 500 gravestones on the “Literary bridges”; they are of important historical and artistic interest. Volkov Village or Volkovo is mentioned in the Piszov Books of Izhora Land in 1640 in the description of the Spasky Pogost. Volkovo Field was nearby. By decree of the Senate on 11May, 1756, a cemetery was set up here. It’s unknown, when exactly the name "Literary bridges" appeared. More often the late 1880s indicates in the literature. Literary bridges are mentioned as a given, sanctified by time in the description of the Volkov cemetery, published by N. Vishnyakov in 1885.
Here the ballet dancers are buried: A..Vaganova, A..Sheleust, N. Dudinskaya, K. Sergeev. The grave of Marius Petipa was at the neighbouring Lutheran cemetery, but it was transferred to the "Necropolis of Artists", and also here A. Cavos is buried (builder of the Mariinsky Theatre).
The famous fourfold duel of Sheremetyev-Zavadovsky and Griboedov-Yakubovich took place due to the ballerina Avdotya Istomina on the Volkovo field on 24 November, 1817.
Necropolis "Master of Arts" is located in the former Tikhvin Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Its establishment refers to the end of the 1930s. In the necropolis preserved monuments of outstanding representatives of Russian culture and art of 19th-20th centuries. Here the author of many ballets P. Tchaikovsky, the well-known composer K. Cavos, the creator of music for the ballets of the first half of the 19th century, the choreographer M. Petipa, the great ballerina E. Kolosova are buried here. And nearby, in the Church of the Annunciation of Alexander Nevsky Lavra, the ashes of the beautiful ballerina A. Prikhunova lies.
An outstanding monument of architecture in art nouveau style, designed by A. Gauguin in 1904-1906.
The house is considered to be the standard building of the St. Petersburg Art Nouveau.
Hostess of the mansion was a famous prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theatre Mathilda Kschessinskaya. F. Chaliapin, A. Pavlova and S. Diaghilev often visited her house. Dukes from the house of Romanov also visited this house, some of them had more with the ballerina than friendly relations. According to the legend there is an underground passage from the mansion of Kshesinskaya to the Winter Palace under the Neva river, where the future Emperor Nicholas II, went to visit the ballerina.
This is the second higher educational institution of the city, where ballet dancers are taught. The Academy is created by the great choreographer of modern times Boris Eifman and has been growing future stars for several years.
The Museum of Russian Ballet. A small mansion built in the second half of the 19th century now also belongs to Boris Eifman Dance Academy. Here, after the restoration, a museum of Russian ballet was opened. The first open exposition is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the great choreographer Boris Eifman.
Among the exhibits are sketches of costumes, sets of performances and props, photos from rehearsals and posters, as well as personal things of the choreographer, which will help to plunge into the atmosphere of Eifman creativity.

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