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Russian Imperial School of Ballet
On this day, in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Russian School of Theatrical Dance was founded and became known as the Imperial Theater. Many different ballet masters came to teach here such as Jules Perrot, Marius Petipa, and Enrico Cecchetti. -
La Sylphide
This ballet premiers in Paris in 1832 with Marie Taglioni, an Italian dancer trained my her father, dancing the lead role. -
Fanny Cerito
In 1840, Cerito moves to London where she meets and marries Arthur Saint-Léon. She also dances in the "Pas de Quatre", choreographed by Jules Perrot. -
Lucile Grahn
Grahn moves to Europe in 1845 and is the youngest of the four performing the "Pas de Quatre". She was also named the Danish Taglioni for her ability to dance the role of La Sylphide. -
Marie Taglioni
Marie Taglioni retires in 1847, but she continues to teach and later opens her own school. She is still considered to possibly be the greatest ballerina from the Romantic era. -
Carlotta Grisi
Famous for dancing the role of Giselle, Carlotta Grisi retires in 1854 at the height of her career and decides to settle down in Paris. She was very strong technically and starred in the "Pas de Quatre" along with Taglioni. -
Giselle
Even though the original choreography has been lost, the production of Giselle we see the most today is based of the production in 1860 by Marius Petipa. -
Marius Petipa Takes the Lead
In 1870, Petipa becomes the ballet master of the Imperial Theater and creates over 50 new ballets. These include Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Sleeping Beauty. -
Serge Diaghilev is Born
Serge Diaghilev is born in 1972 in Chudovsky District, Russia. -
Ballet Russe
Twentieth century ballet begins when Serge Diaghilev brings his Ballet Russe to Paris in 1909.He carefully selects each dancer to join the company and perform his new choreography. -
Diaghilev's Ballet Russe
In 1911, Diaghilev's Ballet Russe is created after his Summer Season of Russian Ballet in Paris. His idea of gathering dancers to perform a diverse for of repertoire was so successful that he created his own company. -
Balanchine Graduates
In 1921, George Balanchine graduates from the Imperial Ballet School. He then enrolled in the
Conservatory of Music, studying piano and music theory. -
Diaghilev Dies
Serge Diaghilev, the creator of his very own Ballet Russe, dies in 1929 leaving his dancers without work. -
An Authentic Air
After their first performance, Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo was called an authentic air to Diaghilev's Ballet Russe by critics. -
Balanchine to America
While George Balanchine was regarded as the mos prominent contemporary choreographer in the ballet world, he came to the United States in 1933 after an early career in Europe. -
Off to America
In 1934 Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo sets sails for America where Sol Hurok had booked their first American tour. By 1935 they had already performed for 3 million people. -
Ready or Not?
In 1938, in London, Basil and Massine have their companies ready to make a debut. Massine has to create three new enormous ballets and Basil hires David Lichine for choreography. -
War and Flee
On September 3, 1939, war was declared on Germany by Britain and France in World War II. Many Russians did not have the right papers to leave the country, but they were able to get on a boat heading to America. Both companies were on this boat. -
Ballet and Broadway
In 1944 ballet crosses over with broadway thanks to the choreography of George Balanchine. -
A last Performance
After Hurok once again abandoned Basil, new dancers were hired. These dancers were not as qualified or technically strong, leaving the company in bad shape. The Original Ballet Russe had its last performance in November, 1948. -
Death of Balanchine
George Balanchine dies on April 30, 1983 at age 79. Later on (1980), he was honored with the Gold Medal of Merit. Read about his battle with Creutzfeldt-Jacob diease here:
The Battle for Balanchine
