Mariinsky Ballet Working Rehearsal

Performance Guide

Cuesheet

Mariinsky Ballet Working Rehearsal

Valery Gergiev, Artistic Director of the Mariinsky Theatre Yuri Fateev, Deputy Director of the Ballet Company

Big Ideas, Big Influence In this mixed repertory program, you will see choreography and hear music by artists whose ground-breaking works have endured over time.

Le Sacre du printemps Original Choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky, 1913 Reconstructed by Millicent Hodson, 1987 Music by Igor Stravinsky When Le Sacre du printemps (“The Rite of Spring”) was first performed in 1913, the audience found it so strange that they began yelling, whistling, and even barking like dogs at the stage. The crowd was so loud, they overpowered the orchestra and the dancers couldn’t hear the music. Choreographer Nijinsky had to stand in the wings, shouting out counts and directions to his dancers!

Why such a strong reaction? The audience was outraged by Stravinsky’s radical experimentation of rhythms paired with Nijinsky’s startling departure from the traditions of classical ballet.

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the driving beat of the music.

Stravinsky composed the score after having a vision of a girl dancing herself to death in a pagan ritual. the radical departure from the “beautiful body” typically seen in classical ballet. In this work, the dancers turn in their toes, poke their elbows out at sharp angles, and land flat-footed from jumps. how the young girl is sacrificed to the will of the frenzied group.

Photo by Natasha Razina.

Le Sacre du printemps paved the way for future composers to experiment rhythmically and melodically, and for choreographers to create non-traditional ballet movements.

Le Spectre de la Rose Choreographed by Michel Fokine, 1911 Music by Carl Maria von Weber In this ballet, a young girl returns home giddy after experiencing her first ball.

She dreams about dancing with “the spirit” of the rose she holds, which appears in the form of the male dancer.

The role for the male dancer in this work is a departure from masculine roles common in classical ballet. The dancer must demonstrate softness to evoke the beauty and delicacy of a rose, as well as physical strength for the leaps and turns in the choreography. Watch for: n

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The Swan Choreographed by Michel Fokine, 1905 Music by Camille Saint-Saëns Choreographer Michel Fokine felt ballet could be more than technical skill.

He wanted to create movement that expressed inner emotions over physical prowess. Mariinsky Theatre ballerina Anna Pavlova agreed, and asked Fokine to choreograph a solo for her. The result was The Swan, a work that is only a few minutes long that helped Anna Pavlova become an international star. Watch for: n

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the quiet nature of the solo. It isn’t showy, but instead is thoughtful, emotional, and introspective. the emphasis on soft, expressive arms that flutter like a swan. the brevity of the work; Fokine definitely broke with tradition.

It is said that Anna Pavlova, the first ballerina to dance The Swan, demanded her feathery costume upon her deathbed.

Alina Somova in The Swan. Photo by Valentin Baranovsky.

Filipp Stepin and Svetlana Ivanova in Le Spectre de la Rose. Photo by Natasha Razina.

Vaslav Nijinsky, the original male dancer in this ballet, made Le Spectre de la Rose (“The Spirit of the Rose”) famous with his famous leap through the window at the end of the dream.

the costume of the “Spirit.” At the time, the Spirit was seen as neither female nor male in appearance. the departure from classical ballet arms; Fokine uses curving, graceful movements for the male dancer. the way the ballerina partners with the Spirit; he seems to guide her through her dream.

photos by cade martin

Paquita Grand Pas Choreographed by Marius Petipa, 1881 Music by Ludwig Minkus It is hard to underestimate the influence of Marius Petipa whose classical ballets include Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Giselle. Little remains of Petipa’s full ballet Paquita, but you will see the grand finale of the ballet, or “grand pas.”

The finale is a wedding celebration. The bride, who was kidnapped at birth and raised by Spanish gypsies, has returned to her aristocratic family and found love with a young noble.

The Grand Pas is considered one of classical ballet’s most important works and is performed by major companies around the world. Watch for: n

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the way Petipa moves dancers around on stage, such as using groups to create intricate patterns in space that are always changing, and that often frame the action of the central couple. the showcasing of amazing technical skills. the series of turns, or fouettés (pronounced fu-etTAYS) performed by the ballerina at the end.

Petipa’s Paquita Grand Pas is a perfect example of ballet choreography that Michel Fokine rebelled against when he created Le Spectre de la Rose and The Swan. Which do you prefer? Technical skill or emotional content? Maybe a little of both!

David M. Rubenstein Chairman Deborah F. Rutter President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education The Kennedy Center’s Ballet Season is presented with the support of Elizabeth and Michael Kojaian.

General Dynamics is the proud sponsor of the 2014-2015 Ballet Season.

Additional support for this working rehearsal is made possible by Kaplan, Inc.; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Education.

Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Education and related artistic programs are made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.

www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, an education program of the Kennedy Center.

Learn more about Education at the Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org/education

Vladimir Shklyarov and Viktoria Tereshkina in Paquita Grand Pas. Photo by Valentin Baranovsky.

The contents of this Cuesheet have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

Cover: Anastasia Matvienko and Yevgeny Invanchenko in Paquita Grand Pas. Photo by Valentin Baranovsky.

© 2014 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts