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Russian Imperial School of Ballet
Russian School of Theatrical Dance was founded. Over the years many different dance masters came including Charles Didelot, Jules Perrot, Author Saint-Leon, Marius Petipa, etc. ALso produced many famous dnacers including Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Vaslav Nijinsky, George Balanchine, Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova, and Mikail Baryshnikov. -
Giselle, Coppelia, La Sylphide
Giselle was choreographed Jean Coralli but Jules Perrot choreographed the role of Giselle, played by Carlotta Grisi. Coppelia was choreographed by Author Saint-Leon and La Sylphide was choreographed by Phillipe Taglioni. Each of these were Romantic ballets from the 19th century. -
Pas De Quatre
Famous four girls who were part of the Pas De Quatre, which was choreographed by Jules Perrot, were Marie Taglioni, Carlotta Grisi, Lucille Grahn, and Fanny Cerito. They each brought there own personality to the stage. Marie Taglioni became famous for her role in "La Sylphide", Carlotta Grisi performed in "Giselle", Lucille Grahn also performed in "La Sylphide", and Fanny Cerito performed in many roles leading up to the Pas de Quatre -
Michel Forkine
Michel Forkine was born in 1880 and he trained in Russia before becoming a dancer and choreographer for the Ballet Russe. He choreographed Les Sylphides (1909), Petrouchka (1911), Firebird (1910). -
Vaslav Nijinsky
Vaslav Nijinsky was a Russian dancer who first joined Ballet Russe as a dancer then he became a choreographer. He choreographed Le Apres-mid-d un faune (Afternoon of the Faun, 1912) and Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring, 1913). Both pieces shocked the dancers and set the bar high for male dancers. -
Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake
Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake were all classical ballets choreographed by Marius Petipa. The music was composed by Pytor Ilycih Tchaikovsky, who worked very closely with Marius Petipa. -
Diaghilev Ballet Russe 1909-1929
Diaghilev started his Ballet Russe company and brought it to Paris from Russia in summer 1909 and it was extremely successful . He officially established company in 1911 and for the next 2 decades they traveled performing abstract and avant-garde dance. Ballet Russe was a huge success until Diaghilev died in 1929. When he died, the company ended and left many dancers without work. -
Neoclassical Ballet
Meaning "new classic" and was a style of ballet that was built on classical ballet technique but overlaid contemporary style ballet. Lead to the opening of the Joffery Ballet, American Ballet Theater, and New York City Ballet. It began in the 1920s. -
Diaghilev's Death
Serge Diaghilev's death in 1929 led to the end of the Ballet Russe. All of the dancers were left without work and would be until the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo opened. While he was alive, Diaghilev brought new abstract dances with groups of dancers, composers, and choreographers. -
Reconstruction begins
Wasily de Basil and Rene Blum open ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. First performance in 1932, and critics say that is was a huge success. -
George Balanchine-Ballet Russe and Ballet de Monte Carlo
George Balanchine was originally a choreographer for the Ballet Russe but he became Dance Master and main choreographer for Ballet de Monte CArlo -
Baby Ballerinas
George Balanchine came up the the baby ballerinas who where 's dancers at the ages of 12-13 all with very different personality and characteristics they brought to the stage. Tamara Toumanova was very dramatic, Tania Riabouchinska was feather light, with lots of personality, and Irina Boranova was Girlish, passionate, flirty. They were a part of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo -
Ballet Russe American Tour
Sol Hurok, who was an impersario, booked an American tour and it had been 20 years since the Ballet Russe came to America, so American's weren't familiar with ballet. The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo started hiring American dancers, including Marc Plattoff. -
Original Ballet Russe- W. de Basil
The Original Ballet Russe was managed by W. de Basil after the disbandment of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. They made its debut in London, 1938, and then traveled to Australia where they loved the ballet. WWII stopped what was called the "ballet wars" between the Original Ballet Russe and Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. In 1941, Original Ballet Russe traveled to South America and in 1944 they returned to America. Sadly, they couldn't hold it together and they disbanded in 1947 -
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo- Leonide Massine and Rene Blum
This Ballet Russe was created by Leonide Massine and Rene Blum after the other Ballet Russe disbanded. They debuted in London with the Original Ballet Russe and then went on a tour to America. During WWII they participated in glamorous Hollywood lifestyle. But, Leonide Massine let the fame get to his head and left the company. They took a chance and hired an American choreographer, which ended up being a huge success. The picture shown is the company performing the Nutcracker in 1940. -
Break-Up of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
Blum and Basil did not get along so Blum left. Massine also left the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo as well to create his own with Blum. This lead to many legal battles between Basil and Massine over the names, dancers, etc., but in the end Massine won the name Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and Basil created The Original Ballet Russe. They split their dancers, but Basil gained all the rights to Massine's pieces he choreographed from 1932-1937. -
Leonide Massine
Leonide Massine has a long history with the Ballet Russe. He became a choreographer after George Balanchine left, but he left the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo after Blum and Basil stopped working together. He left and created another Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1937. He later created a dance for film called The Red Shoe. -
The Rodeo
THe Rodeo was choreographed by Agnes de Mille for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo to perform after Leonide Massine left. It was a "old fashion American ballet" that was a huge success.
