-
Directorate of the Imperial Theaters
Catherine II created this which had jurisdiction over the opera, drama and ballet. This was a time were dance was being supported by the state. -
Period: to
Edgar Degas
An impressionist artist, Degas captured the candid moments in real life situations, often of the professional dancer hard art work. Strayed away from traditional fantasy, landscape or portrait art works. -
Period: to
Romanticism (Heyday of Romantic Ballet)
a shift in ballet toward more supernatural and fantastical ideas. -
Period: to
Cult of the Ballerina
Ballerinas were being worshiped during this period. Fans who adored them would hang pictures in their houses, drink out of their pointe shoes, eat their pointe shoes, and were just all around obsessed. Taglioni traveling the country was stopped once by bandits not to be robbed but for her to perform for these crooks. Also, during this time it was extremely common for prominent mean to pick out ballet dancers, similar to that of prostitution. -
Period: to
Taglioni vs. Elssler
Marie Taglioni was a technician and was considered to be pure as her Christianity, was adored by all of Europe. However, rival Fanny Elssler was a pagon dancer who represented the naughty and was very popular in the United States. These two dancers despised each other. -
Giacomo Meyer Beer’s Robert le Diable
Choreographed by Filippo Taglioni and stared by Marie Taglioni, Robert Le Diable was considered to be one of the first romantic ballets. This ballet had everything go wrong throughout opening night but was still a huge success. -
La Sylphide
Choreographed by Filippo Taglioni for his daughter, Marie Taglioni, La Sylphide was a ballet about a man engaged to a women who falls for a mistress Sylph. The Ballet is full of romance and tragedy. This role gave Marie Taglioni much respect in the public’s eye and was then known as the Sylph because of her technical precision, being on pointe, and being magical. -
Royal Danish Ballet La Sylphide
This remake of the ballet was done by August Bournonville and stared Lucile Grahn. This ballet remains in the repertoire of the Royal Danish Ballet and is the closest representation of the original La Sylphide. -
Giselle
Reaching the peak of the Romantic ballet era, Giselle, choreographed by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, was premiered at the Paris Opera, a tragic love story of an engaged prince falling in love with a peasant girl. This ballet was created to show off an up and coming dancer Carlotta Grisi. -
Pas de quatre
This quartet was put together by Benjamine Lumbley and Jules Perrot to bring famous dancers, Taglioni, Cerrito, Grisi and Grahn, to put on an all-star quartet ballet. -
Period: to
Marius Petipa
Considered to be the father of classical ballet, this choreographer was well known and started the shift of technically strong dancers in Russia. He often collaborated with composer Tchaikovsky and his assistant Lev Ivan. He choreographed The Daughter of Pharaoh, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake and was in charge of the St. Petersburg ballet. -
Period: to
Balletomanes
These were dedicated fans to the ballet. Even though they were the toughest critics they were living encyclopedias of every ballet and every dancer. These people would never miss shows and would purchase seats to the ballet that would be passed down from generation. The ballet became very exclusive and the place to be. -
The Daughter of the Pharaoh
Choreographed by Marius Petipa, this ballet is a story of a man that falls into a dream and falls in love with a Pharaohs daughter, as soon as he and his love have permission to be together the dream is over. -
Coppelia
Choreographed by Arthur Saint-Leon and starring Giusepina Bozzacchi, Coppelia was a ballet about a man who falls in love with a doll and is then tricked by his loved one. This was considered the last great masterpiece during this period because The Franco-Prussian War broke out which caused the Opera to close and wreaked havoc on Paris. Both Bozzacchi and Leon died that year. -
The Sleeping Beauty
Choreographed by Petipa and composed by Tchaikovsky, The sleeping beauty is one of Petipa’s surviving works that told the story of a young princess who pricks her finger on a spinning wheel which causes her to be induced into a death like sleep because of an enchantment place upon her by an malevolent character. -
The Nutcracker
Choreographed by Petipa and Ivan, composed by Tchaikovsky, portrayed the story of a young girls dream of the sugar plum realm which tested the power of imagination. -
Swan Lake
Choreographed by Petipa and Ivan, composed by Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake tells the tragic story of a hunter Siegfried who falls in love with the swan queen, which they must overcome deception to have their love thrive.