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The Dream

Ballet · 1964

In the forest outside Athens, Oberon, king of the fairies, fights furiously with his wife Titania, as they both want the same young Indian in their entourage. Oberon decides to punish Titania for her insolence and sends his servant, the mischievous fairy Puck, to look for a pansy: the dew of the flower, poured into the eyes of sleeping Titania, will make her fall in love with the first person she will see when she awakens. Meanwhile, Oberon and Puck meddle in the lives of four mortal lovers who wander into their path. Much confusion ensues, between the four mortals as their loves intertwine, and within a troupe of actors, one of whom is turned into a donkey to become Titania's lover. In the end, Oberon and Titania make peace, and Puck brings things back to their natural order.

The Dying Swan

Ballet · 1907

The Dying Swan (originally The Swan) is a solo dance choreographed by Mikhail Fokine to Camille Saint-Saëns's Le Cygne from Le Carnaval des animaux as a pièce d'occasion for the ballerina Anna Pavlova, who performed it about 4,000 times. The short ballet (four minutes) follows the last moments in the life of a swan, and was first presented in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1907. The ballet has since influenced modern interpretations of Odette, heroine of Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake, and has inspired non-traditional interpretations as well as various adaptations.

The Fairy Doll

Ballet · 1888

In the original libretto, the story takes place in a Parisian toy shop in the 1830s. The curtain rises on the everyday life of a shop selling mechanical dolls. Assistants keep order while the owner attends to his work. A postman delivers letters, a messenger demands a tip, and a maid arrives asking for a doll to be repaired. The shopkeeper restores the toy. A merchant enters with his wife and daughter. The child becomes fascinated with a baby doll and insists on buying it. During the commotion, another doll is accidentally activated, startling them. After disagreements over prices, they leave. A commissioner arrives with news that a wealthy Englishman will soon visit. Sir James Plumpstershire, his wife, and their children enter the shop. The owner presents various dolls dressed in costumes representing different nations, each performing characteristic dances, including Tirolean Ländler, Chinese Polka, Spanish Dance, Japanese Mazurka and the Harlequin’s Tarantella.The highlight is the Fairy Doll, who performs a waltz. The Englishman is delighted and purchases her before leaving with his family. After closing time, the shop is locked and the lights are extinguished. At midnight, the Fairy Doll emerges and, with a wave of her wand, brings all the dolls to life. The shop fills with magical light as the dolls dance and celebrate. At one point, the shopkeeper and his assistant return, having heard noises, but everything appears normal. Once they leave again, the dolls resume their festivities, honoring the Fairy Doll as their queen. As dawn approaches, they return to their original positions before the shop reopens.

The Firebird

Ballet · 1910

The Firebird (L'Oiseau de feu; Жар-птица) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Michel Fokine, who collaborated with Alexandre Benois and others on a scenario based on the Russian fairy tales of the Firebird and the blessing and curse it possesses for its owner. It was first performed at the Opéra de Paris on 25 June 1910 and was an immediate success, catapulting Stravinsky to international fame and leading to future Diaghilev–Stravinsky collaborations including Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913). The Firebird mortal and supernatural elements are distinguished with a system of leitmotifs placed in the harmony dubbed "leit-harmony". Stravinsky intentionally used many specialist techniques in the orchestra, including ponticello, col legno, flautando, glissando, and flutter-tonguing. Set in the evil immortal Koschei's castle, the ballet follows Prince Ivan, who battles Koschei with the help of the magical Firebird. Stravinsky later created three concert suites based on the work: in 1911, ending with the "Infernal Dance"; in 1919, which remains the most popular today; and in 1945, featuring significant reorchestration and structural changes. Other choreographers have staged the work with Fokine's original choreography or created entirely new productions using the music, some with new settings or themes. Many recordings of the suites have been made; the first was released in 1928, using the 1911 suite. A film version of the popular Sadler's Wells Ballet production, which revived Fokine's original choreography, was produced in 1959.

The Fountain of Bakhchisarai

Ballet · 1934

The ballet opens at Bakhchisarai Palace, where Khan Girey is seated surrounded by his court. Dancers try to entertain him but he is oblivious to his surroundings, staring at water trickling from a fountain. The scene shifts back in time to the palace of a Polish nobleman, where a ball is being held for the engagement of Maria, the daughter of the house, to the young noble Vaslav. Suddenly lurking Tartars led by Khan Girey scale the walls and attack the guests. After a vicious fight in which the Khan kills Vaslav, the palace is looted and torched and the women carried away as part of the booty. Maria hides her face, but the Khan tears away her scarf and is mesmerized by her beauty. The Khan and his warriors return to Bakhchisarai Palace where he is greeted by Zarema, his harem favorite. While Zarema, who obviously loves him, is overjoyed at his return, the Khan ignores her completely in his preoccupation with Maria. He has Maria installed in an apartment isolated from the harem and visits her there. Laying his heart at her feet he tries to make her love him, but Maria is appalled and rejects him. In their brief struggle the Khan's hat falls to the floor. The Khan returns to the court where Zarema tries to win his attention by dancing for him, but he rejects her and she collapses in despair. During the night Zarema steals out of the harem and past the guards to visit Maria in her chamber. She tries to tell Maria how desperately she loves the Khan, finally drawing a concealed dagger to stab her unwilling rival. At first afraid, Maria stands before Zarema and opens her arms wide, showing Zarema that she would welcome death. Zarema is stunned and falls to the ground. Maria tries to comfort her, but Zarema has seen the Khan's hat on the floor. Fearing the worst, she is again inflamed with jealousy. As the Khan and his guards rush in to try and stop her, Zarema breaks free and stabs Maria to death. The Khan draws his own dagger to kill Zarema, but she kneels down in front of him and offers her chest to the knife, just as Maria did. The Khan cannot kill her, but commands the guards to take her away to be flung to her death from the palace walls. In the court, Khan Girey sits, devastated, and stares at the Fountain of Tears, as his orders are carried out.

The Four Temperaments

Ballet · 1946

The Four Temperaments or Theme and Four Variations (The Four Temperaments) is an orchestral work and ballet by Paul Hindemith. Although it was originally conceived as a ballet for Léonide Massine, However, Balanchine created the choreography a few years later. The ballet, The Four Temperaments was the first work Balanchine made for the Ballet Society, the forerunner of the New York City Ballet, and premiered on November 20, 1946, at the Central High School of Needle Trades, New York, during the Ballet Society's first performance. Though critics at the premiere did not receive the ballet well, it was later acknowledged as a "masterpiece," and was revived by ballet companies worldwide.

The Golden Age (Shostakovich)

Ballet · 1930

The ballet is a satirical take on the political and cultural change in 1920s Europe. It follows a Soviet football (soccer) team in a Western city where they come into contact with many politically incorrect antagonistic characters such as the Diva, the Fascist, the Agent Provocateur, the Negro and others. The team falls victim to match rigging, police harassment, and unjust imprisonment by the evil bourgeoisie. The team is freed from jail when the local workers overthrow their capitalist overlords. The ballet ends with a dance of solidarity between the workers and the football team. Shostakovich himself was a very keen football follower, and is said to have coined the expression "Football is the ballet of the masses". Prelude Act I, Scene 1, The Golden Age of Industry Exhibition: Procession of the Guests of Honour Act I, Scene 1, The Golden Age of Industry Exhibition: Inspection of the Display Windows Act I, Scene 1, The Golden Age of Industry Exhibition: Demonstration of Important Exhibits - Appearance of the Soviet Football Team Act I, Scene 1, The Golden Age of Industry Exhibition: Magician-Advertising Agent - Dance of the Hindu Act I, Scene 1, The Golden Age of Industry Exhibition: Boxing as an Advertising Stunt Act I, Scene 1, The Golden Age of Industry Exhibition: Scandal during the Boxing Match - Entrance of the Police Act I, Scene 2, Exhibition Hall: Dance of the Golden Youths Act I, Scene 2, Exhibition Hall: Dance of Diva: Adagio Act I, Scene 2, Exhibition Hall: Appearance of the Soviet Football Team and Diva's Variations Act I, Scene 2, Exhibition Hall: Soviet Dance Act I, Scene 2, Exhibition Hall: Diva asks the Leader of the Soviet Team to Dance with Her Act I, Scene 2, Exhibition Hall: Dance and Scene of the Diva and the Fascist Act I, Scene 2, Exhibition Hall: Dance of the Black Man and 2 Soviet Football Players Act I, Scene 2, Exhibition Hall: The Supposed Terrorist, "The Hand of Moscow" Act I, Scene 2, Exhibition Hall: General Confusion - The Embarrassment of the Fascists Act I, Scene 2, Exhibition Hall: A Rare Case of Mass Hysteria Act I, Scene 2, Exhibition Hall: Conversation between the Director of the Exhibition and the Fascist Act I, Scene 2, Exhibition Hall: Foxtrot... foxtrot... foxtrot Act II, Scene 3, A Street in the Same City: Mime of the Agents Provocateurs, Provocation and Arrest: Galop Act II, Scene 4, Workers' Stadium: Procession of the Workers to the Stadium - Dance of the Young Pioneers - Sports Games Act II, Scene 4, Workers' Stadium: Football March Act II, Scene 4, Workers' Stadium: Intermezzo, "Everybody amuses oneself in one's own way" Act II, Scene 4, Workers' Stadium: Dance of the Western Komsomol Girl and 4 Sportsmen Act II, Scene 4, Workers' Stadium: Sports Contests - Joint Sports Dance Act II, Scene 4, Workers' Stadium: Scene and Exit of the Soviet Team Act III: Entr'acte, "Tea for Two" Act III, Scene 5, Music Hall: Chechotka, "Shoe Shine of the Highest Grade" Act III, Scene 5, Music Hall: Tango Act III, Scene 5, Music Hall: Polka, "Once upon a Time in Geneva" - Polka, "Angel of Peace" Act III, Scene 5, Music Hall: The Touching Coalition of the Classes, slightly fraudulent Act III, Scene 5, Music Hall: Entrance of Diva and the Fascist - Their Dance Act III, Scene 5, Music Hall: Can-can Act III, Scene 6, Prison Building: Prelude Act III, Scene 6, Prison Building: Scene of the Freeing of the Prisoners Act III, Scene 6, Prison Building: Total Unveiling of the Conspiracy - The Bourgeoisie in Panic Act III, Scene 6, Prison Building: Final Dance of Solidarity

The Hard Nut

Ballet · 1991

While resetting the ballet in a 1960s-style American town and costuming it garishly and making the characters rather cartoonlike (the toy soldiers are an army of G.I. Joes), the overall plot of The Nutcracker was rather faithfully followed, to the point of including a pantomime version of "The Story of the Hard Nut," the tale-within-a-tale of E.T.A. Hoffmann's "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" in Act II, to explain how Drosselmeyer's nephew was turned into the Nutcracker. This section is usually not included, not even in Tchaikovsky's original version. Princess Pirlipat is turned into a pig-snouted creature as a baby by the vengeful Mouse Queen, and Drosselmeyer searches the world for a way to break the spell, thus ushering the famous Danses caracterisques of Act II. The only one able to do so is Drosselmeyer's nephew, who, after biting a hard nut, breaks the spell placed on Princess Pirlipat, but is turned into a Nutcracker. Princess Pirlipat promptly rejects him, whereupon Clara (here called Marie) declares her love for him and the spell on Drosselmeyer's nephew is broken.

The Haunted Ballroom

Ballet · 1934

Set in a haunted ballroom, the ballet tells how the heads of the family of Treginnis are under a curse that leads to their deaths, dancing with ghostly partners. Three guests at a ball in another part of the Tregennis house persuade the heir of Treginnis to show them the haunted ballroom. Fascinated, they want to dance, but are stopped by the master of the house. They leave and he is left alone, realising that the ghosts will come for him. Shapes appear, led by a thinly cloaked figure. Three of the ghosts resemble the young women who had strayed into the room. Treginnis seeks to dance with them, but Death intervenes. and the ballet closes with Tregennis's young son realising that he too will meet the same death.

The Incredible Flutist

Ballet · 1938

The Incredible Flutist is a ballet composed by Walter Piston in 1938, his only composition for the stage. The ballet received its premiere by the Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler on May 30 of that year. The libretto, written by Piston and Hans Wiener, describes a marketplace teeming with activity and enlivened by a circus. A flutist acts as a snake charmer and also charms women. A rich widow flirts with a merchant, is discovered by her lover, faints, and is revived by the flutist's music. The circus then leaves the square. Piston extracted an orchestral suite from the ballet, which was premiered on November 22, 1940, by the Pittsburgh Symphony under Fritz Reiner. The suite is in thirteen movements: Introduction "Siesta Hour in the Marketplace and Entrance of the Vendors" "Dance of the Vendors" "Entrance of the Customers" "Tango of the Four Daughters" "Arrival of Circus and Circus March" "Solo of the Flutist" Minuet – "Dance of the Widow and Merchant" "Spanish Waltz" "Eight O'Clock Strikes" Siciliano – "Dance of the Flutist and the Merchant's Daughter" Polka Finale Elliott Carter commented on how Piston avoided the use of a particular musical geographic "pastiche" style in the music, which could have made the setting specific to one geography, and noted that the village can be "any village" in this setting.

The Kermesse in Bruges

Ballet · 1851

At a church fair (or kermesse) in 17th century Bruges three brothers (Adrian, Geert, and Carelis) receive magical gifts from the alchemist Mirewelt. The two older brothers, Adrian and Geert, leave their sweethearts behind and set off into the world with their gifts (a sword and a ring) to seek their fortunes. The magical gifts bring disappointment to the two men but, back home, the brothers discover Carelis' magic lute brings happiness to all. Adrian, Geert, and Mirewelt are charged with sorcery and sentenced to death at the stake, but Carelis appears and his magic lute sets everyone to dancing joyfully. The condemned are released and reunited with their sweethearts while Carelis and Eleonore, the alchemist's daughter, embrace. Carelis' magic lute is locked away in a chest, to be taken out only at the yearly kermesse.

The King's Command or The Pupils of Dupré

Ballet · 1886

The King's Command (also known as L'Ordre du Roi, or Les Élèves de Dupré) is a ballet in 4 Acts-6 Scenes, with choreography by Marius Petipa and music composed by Albert Vizentini. The work was first presented by the Imperial Ballet on, 1886 at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, with Virginia Zucchi (as Pepita), Pavel Gerdt (as Pepito), Enrico Cecchetti (as Dupré), and Lev Ivanov (as Milon) in the leading roles. This was the last ballet to be given at the St. Petersburg Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre before it was demolished in 1886.

The Lady and the Fool

Ballet · 1954

During a prelude the curtain rises on a dark street with couples on their way to a ball (music from Alzira).; A sad theme (Jérusalem) marks the entrance of two poor clowns, Moondog and Bootface who head for an empty bench in the street, where they fall asleep. On her way to the ball and beautifully dressed, La Capricciosa notices the two ragged clowns, wakes them up and asks them to dance for her (Alzira).; The clowns dance a grotesque divertissement; La Capricciosa is delighted by their dance and sweeps them both along with her to the ball. In a splendid reception room at the palace of Signor Midas guests arrive (music from Il finto Stanislao and Giovanna d'Arco). Signor Midas greets everyone, welcomes the entrance of the dashing Capitano Adoncino (Il finto Stanislao, Aroldo, Les vêpres siciliennes) and the romantic Prince of Arroganza. The host and his guests are pursued by two debutantes looking for a rich husband, but the men eagerly await the arrival of La Capricciosa. At the height of a tarantella, a fanfare announces her arrival, and she dances a brilliant solo (I due Foscari) and introduces the two clowns, who then perform for the guests, with a scene based on a quarrel over a rose (Il finto Stanislao, Aroldo). An off-stage band summons the guests to dance, leaving the masked La Capricciosa with her three suitors (Ernani).They at first dance together (I due Foscari) then one by one the men tears a mask from her face – only to reveal another mask underneath; first Midas (Ernani, I masnadieri), then the Prince (I masnadieri, Macbeth, I due Foscari) and finally Adoncino (Macbeth, Attila), but they are rejected, and retire.; Alone, La Capricciosa removes her final mask, and at that moment Moondog enters and falls instantly in love with her (Attila). The off-stage band strikes up again and all re-enter, leading to several dances for Midas (Jérusalem), the Prince (Ernani, I Lombardi alla prima crociata) the husband-hunting debutantes (Il finto Stanislao, Oberto), Adoncino, with a pas de cinq to finish (Jérusalem, Attila). La Capricciosa enters, soon followed by Moondog (Les vêpres siciliennes) who makes passionate advances to her. She eventually allows her love to overwhelm her and they dance a pas de deux (Aroldo, I masnadieri).; After an ensemble in which Bootface tries to attracts the debutantes (Ernani, I Lombardi alla prima crociata, Les vêpres siciliennes), La Capricciosa enters. Despite the pleas of her three suitors, she points out Moondog, and they embrace to the horror of the guests who leave the room (Aroldo, Luisa Miller). La Capricciosa helps Moondog to his feet and they slowly go off, leaving a disconsolate Bootface; but they return and take him with them (Ernani, Aroldo). In the final scene, back in the street, all three curl up to sleep on the bench (Jérusalem, Aroldo).

The Lady in the Ice

Ballet · 1953

The Lady in the Ice is a 1953 ballet composed by Jean-Michel Damase, choreographed by Roland Petit, and directed by Orson Welles, based on an idea by Welles. Welles also wrote the libretto and was the ballet's costume and set designer. Richard Negri was the assistant designer. It was Welles's only attempt at a ballet. The ballet was staged by the Ballet de Paris, premiering on 7 September 1953 at the Stoll Theatre in London. The cast included Colette Marchand, Georges Reich, and Joe Milan. Later in 1953 the ballet was produced by Petit in Paris, as Une femme dans la glace. Welles discussed the production with Peter Bogdanovich in the book This Is Orson Welles: It was very successful in London, and only moderately so in Paris, where it was very badly lit — as everything always is in Paris. The plot is: a girl's been found, like dinosaurs have been found, in a block of ice. And she's on display in a sort of carnival. A young man falls in love with her, and his love melts the ice. And when she kisses him, he turns to ice. A little parable for our times.

The Lady of the Camellias

Ballet · 1978

At an auction of Marguerite Gautier’s belongings, her former lover Armand recalls their story. He falls in love with the Parisian courtesan, and they begin a life together in the country. At her father’s request, Marguerite leaves Armand without explaining the truth. Later Armand courts her friend Olympe in revenge; Marguerite, gravely ill, returns to him, but leaves again after a dream of Manon Lescaut. Armand is left alone.

The Limpid Stream

Ballet · 1935

The plot centres around a group of ballet dancers who have been sent to provide sophisticated entertainment on a new Soviet collective farm during their harvest festival. The workers, along with two older residents of a nearby dacha, welcome the city dancers, with special welcome given to the troupe's ballerina who was the former dance teacher of Zina. Zina introduces the ballerina to her husband, Pyotr, and Pyotr immediately begins to flirt with the ballerina. Hurt, Zina removes herself from the celebrations and is comforted by the ballerina. The ballerina suggests a plan in which she will dress as her dance partner, her dance partner will dress as a female dancer, and Zina will dress as the ballerina. They will fool Pyotr and the two dacha dwellers and Pyotr will realize his mistake. The woes of two other couples with overly-assured men are also resolved through the plan. After this all has been accomplished, there is a grand celebration which, in the Ratmansky production, includes the grim reaper who, after a scare, is banished.

The Magic Toyshop

Ballet · 1919

The ballet is set in France in 1860. A world-famous toymaker has created exquisite dancing dolls in his magic toyshop. The automata perform various dance routines for the prospective customers. At first the toys entertain two English ladies and an American family. Some dolls perform a tarantella for the guests, followed by other dolls dressed as playing cards who dance a mazurka. Then two dolls come in and perform another routine involving a snob and a melon vendor. New customers arrive, a Russian family, and everyone welcomes them. Five Cossack dolls enter and perform a traditional dance, followed by an animal act featuring two dancing poodles.

The Merry Widow

Ballet · 1975

An ante-room in the Pontevedrian Embassy in Paris in 1905 A ball is to be held that evening at the Pontevedrian Embassy to celebrate the birthday of the Grand Duke, the sovereign of the Grand Duchy of Pontevedro, and Kromow and Pritschitsch are keen to leave their desk work and join the festivities. Camille is also anxious to leave work. However, before they can leave, Njegus arrives and instructs the three men to return to the desk to take care of some extra papers he is carrying. Discovering that Danilo is missing, Njegus enquires where he is, and Kromow and Pritschitsch comment that Danilo is out drinking. Njegus sits at Danilo's post at the desk, and together the four men go through the paperwork, following which Njegus informs them that Pontevedro is bankrupt. Baron Zeta arrives, carrying a telegram and mentioning that a rich Pontevedrian widow, Hanna Glawari, is to attend the embassy ball. The Baron wants Count Danilo to marry the widow so that her money will stay in Pontevedro. Valencienne comes into the room and then everyone drinks to the health of the Duke. The men then leave — except for Camille, who has some extra paperwork to do. Valencienne, who has deliberately lagged behind the others in their departure, flirts with Camille, trying to distract him from his work. Camille tries to keep on working, but eventually gives up and goes to Valencienne — and then Valencienne half-heartedly keeps showing Camille her wedding ring. While the couple are flirting, Njegus, who has some further work to do, comes back into the room unnoticed, and without noticing the lovers. Suddenly becoming aware of the presence of Camille and Valencienne, Njegus hides in a cupboard underneath the desk. The couple end up on the desk with Camille kissing Valencienne and the two hugging each other, at which point Njegus suddenly confronts them, much to their surprise and embarrassment. Camille leaves immediately. Valencienne pleads with Njegus to keep what he has seen a secret — to which Njegus agrees — and then Valencienne also leaves. While Njegus is finishing his tasks, Danilo enters the room, having just arrived from Maxim's. Danilo is drunk and is finding it difficult to stand without falling over. Baron Zeta and Valencienne then enter the room — and the Baron, seeing that Danilo has returned to the embassy, attempts, unavailingly, to tell Danilo that he is to marry a wealthy widow. Finally giving up, the Baron asks Njegus to sober Danilo up before the ball. The Ballroom in the Pontevedrian Embassy The ball begins and Baron Zeta dances with his beautiful wife. However, he has trouble with rheumatism and he asks Camille to dance with Valencienne in his place. Camille does so with enthusiasm, and Njegus, who is watching the pair closely, is unimpressed by the open display of Camille's and Valencienne's affection for each other. The Baron does not seem to notice anything amiss, but he does get upset at the amount of time the two of them dance together, and he makes an effort to remind Camille that Valencienne is married to him. The widow, Hanna Glawari, arrives, amidst a stir from the hopeful young bachelors. Baron Zeta introduces Hanna to Danilo, not knowing that Hanna and Danilo had previously been romantically involved with each other. Both Hanna and Danilo are stunned to see each other. Danilo is thrilled, and tells Hanna that he loves her, but Hanna accuses him of only wanting her for her money. Upset about this, Danilo mops the sweat from his forehead with a kerchief, which Hanna instantly recognises as a keepsake she had given to Danilo the last time they had seen each other (when Danilo's aristocratic uncle had forbidden their romance and had forbidden Danilo to marry Hanna, because Hanna was a poor peasant girl). Hanna takes back the kerchief from Danilo and then leaves the room. Danilo remembers Hanna the way she used to be — as a young peasant girl — and he remembers, with fondness, the way she had given him the kerchief - these memories are danced as a pas de deux. When Danilo returns to the ballroom, it is time for the 'ladies choice' dance. Hanna chooses Danilo to dance with, and curtsies to him, expectantly, but, still upset with what Hanna had said to him, Danilo snubs her and dances with somebody else. Feeling hurt because of Danilo's actions, Hanna dances with Camille — an action which upsets Valencienne. Valencienne and Danilo then dance together, and they effect a change of partners. Before Hanna can react, Valencienne and Camille go off together. Eventually, though, Hanna dances with Danilo. The garden of Hanna's Villa The following night, Hanna gives a party in the garden of her Parisian villa, and she and all her guests wear Pontevedrian clothes, so that they can celebrate the birthday of the Grand Duke in Pontevedrian fashion. There are many Pontevedrian folk dances, including one in which Danilo and Hanna dance together — at the end of which Hanna mops her forehead with her kerchief. Later, Hanna returns the kerchief to Danilo in exactly the same way as she had originally given it to him, following which both leave the garden. Entering the garden together, Camille and Valencienne are no longer concealing their passion for each other. Camille entices Valencienne to enter the pavilion in the garden with him. Njegus, arriving for a meeting in the pavilion with the Baron and Danilo, sees what happens and goes to the pavilion door to peep though the keyhole. Baron Zeta and Danilo arrive, and, seeing Njegus at the door, they go to join him, as they think that Njegus is opening the door. Njegus quickly locks the door, and, when Baron Zeta and Danilo find the door is locked, they demand he unlock the door for them. Njegus refuses to do so. As the Baron and Danilo discuss what to do with Njegus, he breaks away from them and looks around desperately for help. Seeing Hanna, who has just arrived in the area, Njegus explains the situation to her and asks her to change places with Valencienne in the pavilion. Hanna agrees to do so. Baron Zeta and Danilo catch up with Njegus, and demand that he hand them the key. Shaking his head in refusal, Njegus puts the key in his mouth. Baron Zeta and Danilo pick up Njegus and hold him upside down and shake him until the key drops onto the ground. Baron Zeta picks up the key and he and Danilo then go to the door of the pavilion. Meanwhile, Hanna changes places with Valencienne through a door on the other side of the pavilion. Hanna presumably explains to Valencienne what is going on, and the escaped Valencienne joins a returning group of friends, so that she will appear innocent. The Baron opens the door and Camille leaves the pavilion, followed by Hanna. Danilo is stunned to see that Hanna is the woman with Camille, and Hanna states that she and Camille are engaged. Camille looks startled at this unexpected announcement and Valencienne faints with shock at her lover committing himself to another woman. Baron Zeta is horrified at the thought of Pontevedro losing all Hanna's money to a foreigner and also faints. Danilo is furious. Hanna explains to Camille why she pretended that they were engaged, and Camille, looking relieved, smiles. Baron Zeta, Valencienne and Njegus then leave in a huff. All the guests congratulate Hanna and Camille on their 'engagement' and then leave — followed by the swift departure of Camille. Finally, the jealous Danilo throws down the kerchief and storms off in a rage. The delighted Hanna then picks up the kerchief knowing that Danilo truly loves her. Chez Maxim The maître d' is welcoming his patrons as they arrive, and the waiter rushes around serving drinks. Camille arrives. Shortly after, Baron Zeta, Valencienne and Njegus arrive, and they openly show their contempt for Camille. With the fear that Pontevedro will become bankrupt as a result of Hanna's marriage to a non-Pontevedrian, Njegus and Zeta lower the Pontevedrian flags. Soon after, Danilo arrives and is aggressively approached by Camille. The two men fight, in the middle of which they are both restrained. Then Hanna arrives and, when she accepts the arm of Camille, Danilo wants to hit Camille with his gloves and challenge Camille to a duel. Baron Zeta's eyes are finally opened to what is happening between Camille and Valencienne, when Valencienne shields Camille from the angry Danilo. Hanna dances with Camille, while Danilo dances with Valencienne. Gradually, however, the dance brings Hanna and Danilo together — and Camille and Valencienne likewise end up together. Resignedly, the upset Baron accepts the romance between his wife and Camille, and the three leave together. Hanna is left alone in the room, feeling dejected. Then Danilo quietly returns and folds Hanna in his arms, and all ends in blissful happiness. Njegus and Zeta, who have also quietly returned to the room, are delighted at the outcome and raise the Pontevedrian flags on either side of the stage in celebration.

The Middle Duo

Ballet · 1998

The Middle Duo (Middle Duet) (choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, composer Yuri Khanon) — is a one-act ballet staged at the Mariinsky Theater in November 1998 to the music of the first movement of the Middle Symphony. The ten-minute production became Ratmansky's debut as a choreographer at the Mariinsky Theater. In 2000, the Middle Duet received a Golden Mask Award nomination in the “best ballet” category. After his appointment as chief choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater, Ratmansky transferred “The Middle Duet” to this stage, and then to the New York City Ballet (2006). Two or three years after the premiere, “The Middle Duet” became a kind of calling card for Ratmansky as a choreographer and followed him on all the stages on which he worked, and then was included in the program of the farewell concert “Ratmansky Gala” on the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater before his leaving the post of chief choreographer and moving to New York. In addition to the theatrical version with scenery and orchestra, for ten years the Middle Duet was shown around the world as a concert number, not only on theater tours, but also in numerous enterprises, earning a reputation as one of the best one-act ballets in Russia at the beginning of the 21st century. From the moment the ballet was staged at the Mariinsky Theater until the last performance, music was used in the ballet without drawing up a contract. As a result of systematic violation of the composer's copyright and counterfeit use of music, in 2010 “Middle Duet” was banned from performance and removed from all stages.

The Miraculous Mandarin

Ballet · 1926

Beginning—Curtain rises First seduction game Second seduction game Third seduction game—the Mandarin enters Dance of the girl The chase—the tramps leap out Suddenly the Mandarin's head appears The Mandarin falls to the floor After an orchestral introduction depicting the chaos of the big city, the action begins in a room belonging to three tramps. They search their pockets and drawers for money, but find none. They then force a girl to stand by the window and attract passing men into the room. The girl begins a lockspiel—a "decoy game", or saucy dance. She first attracts a shabby old rake, who makes comical romantic gestures. The girl asks, "Got any money?" He replies, "Who needs money? All that matters is love." He begins to pursue the girl, growing more and more insistent until the tramps seize him and throw him out. The girl goes back to the window and performs a second lockspiel. This time, she attracts a shy young man, who also has no money. He begins to dance with the girl. The dance grows more passionate, then the tramps jump him and throw him out too. The girl goes to the window again and begins her dance. The tramps and girl see a bizarre figure in the street, soon heard coming up the stairs. The tramps hide, and the figure, a mandarin (wealthy Chinese man), stands immobile in the doorway. The tramps urge the girl to lure him closer. She begins another saucy dance, the Mandarin's passions slowly rising. Suddenly, he leaps up and embraces the girl. They struggle and she escapes; he begins to chase her. The tramps leap on him, strip him of his valuables, and attempt to suffocate him under pillows and blankets. However, he continues to stare at the girl. They stab him three times with a rusty sword; he almost falls, but throws himself again at the girl. The tramps grab him again and hang him from a lamp hook. The lamp falls, plunging the room into darkness, and the Mandarin's body begins to glow with an eerie blue-green light. The tramps and girl are terrified. Suddenly, the girl knows what they must do. She tells the tramps to release the Mandarin; they do. He leaps at the girl again, and this time she does not resist and they embrace. With the Mandarin's longing fulfilled, his wounds begin to bleed and he dies.

The Moor's Pavane

Ballet · 1949

The Moor's Pavane is a 20-minute ballet based upon the tragedy Othello by William Shakespeare. The ballet was choreographed by José Limón in 1949 to music from Henry Purcell's Abdelazer, The Gordion Knot Untied, and the pavane from Pavane and Chaconne for Strings, arranged by Simon Sadoff. This ballet is José Limón's most famous work and his influence from Doris Humphrey is evident in his choreography. It was created on the Limón Company. There are only four dancers who appear in this rendition of Othello. These dancers represent The Moor, originally played by Limón himself, Desdemona, originally played by Betty Jones, Iago, originally played by Lucas Hoving, and Emilia, originally played by Pauline Koner. Desdemona, an innocent character and tragic victim, is betrayed by Iago who hints that she has been unfaithful. This causes Othello to murder her. These dramatic actions and events take place in the form of a pavane, which is a type of courtly dance. The stately and formal choreography provides a stark contrast to the emotional and passionate characters and the violent story. The work premiered at the Connecticut College American Dance Festival on August 17, 1949. American Ballet Theatre was the first company outside Limon's company to include the work in its repertory. Notable interpreters of the Moor include Rudolf Nureyev and Cynthia Gregory. Since its creation, The Moor's Pavane has been added to the repertories of many different companies, including major ballet companies, showing the fading divisive line between modern dance and ballet.

The Path of Thunder

Ballet · 1958

The Path of Thunder is a ballet in three acts with libretto by Yuri Slonimsky, music by Gara Garayev and choreography by Konstantin Sergeyev. Inspired by the 1948 eponymous novel of Peter Abrahams, the ballet tells the story of a forbidden love between a black teacher and a white girl in 1940s Apartheid South Africa. The ballet premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre (called S. M. Kirov Leningrad State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet at the time) in Saint Petersburg (Leningrad at that time). Garayev used a soft, melodic music, which turns lyrical and passionate in the love scene, while the conflict with the girl's father and the other whites is accompanied by harsh, dissonant music. The lovers die in the course of conflict, but the people rise up against the racial prejudices towards them, leading themselves to the Path of Thunder, the way of liberation. Many other versions of the ballet have been staged throughout the former Soviet Union, and in 1967 it won the Lenin Prize.

The Pharaoh’s Daughter

Ballet · 1862

During a safari, an English lord takes opium in a pyramid and dreams he is Ta-Hor, an ancient Egyptian who rescues Princess Aspicia from a lion. They fall in love and flee her betrothed, the King of Nubia. Aspicia escapes into the Nile, where the river spirits dance for her, and returns in time to save Ta-Hor from execution. The Pharaoh permits their marriage; the opium dream ends and the lord leaves the pyramid remembering their love.

The Quest

Ballet · 1943

The Quest is a ballet score by William Walton, written for a ballet of the same title, now lost, choreographed by Frederick Ashton in 1943. Two versions of the score exist: one for the small orchestra for which Walton wrote (because of wartime constraints), and a posthumously constructed version rescored for an orchestra of the larger size usually favoured by the composer. The ballet, with a scenario by Doris Langley Moore, was based on The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser. It was first given by the Sadler's Wells Ballet company.

The Red Poppy

Ballet · 1927

The ballet takes place at a seaport in 1920s-era Republican China. Ships carrying sailors from many lands, including the Soviet Union, are docked in a Chinese seaport. The Captain of the Soviet Ship notices a group of half-starved, overworked coolies being brutally driven to work even harder by their cruel harbormaster. One night while dancing for the sailors aboard the ship, the beautiful Taï-Choa (Pinyin: Taohua) notices the Soviet Captain trying to rescue the poor Coolies from the Harbormaster. Impressed by the captain's act of kindness she gives him a red poppy as a symbol of her love. When Taï-Choa's fiancé, the adventurer Li-Chan-Fou learns of this, he is jealous and orders her to kill the captain. She refuses and is later killed when a riot breaks out on the dock — thus sacrificing her life for the captain. As she dies, she gives another red poppy flower to a young Chinese girl as a sign of love and freedom.

The Red Shoes

Ballet · 2016

The ballet is set in London, Monte Carlo and Villefranche-sur-Mer in the period of the late 1940s to early 1950s. The ballerina Victoria Page is talent-spotted by the ballet impresario Boris Lermontov, who is based in Monte Carlo. He commissions the composer Julian Craster to compose a ballet based on Hans Christian Andersen's tale, The Red Shoes. Victoria takes the lead in the ballet, and she and Craster fall in love. Victoria has to choose between her love and her career. Having returned to London to be with Craster, she ekes out a career dancing in a music hall. The chance of dancing for Lermontov again lures her to return to his ballet company to dance once more in The Red Shoes. Craster pursues her to persuade her to return to him. In her confusion and indecision, fleeing from Lermontov she falls beneath an oncoming train and is killed.

The Rite of Spring

Ballet · 1913

The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du printemps) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1913 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Vaslav Nijinsky with stage designs and costumes by Nicholas Roerich. When first performed at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on 29 May 1913, the avant-garde nature of the music and choreography caused a sensation. Many have called the first-night reaction a "riot" or "near-riot", though this wording did not come about until reviews of later performances in 1924, over a decade later. Although designed as a work for the stage, with specific passages accompanying characters and action, the music achieved equal if not greater recognition as a concert piece and is widely considered to be one of the most influential musical works of the 20th century. Stravinsky was a young, virtually unknown composer when Diaghilev recruited him to create works for the Ballets Russes. Le Sacre du printemps was the third such major project, after the acclaimed Firebird (1910) and Petrushka (1911). The concept behind The Rite of Spring, developed by Roerich from Stravinsky's outline idea, is suggested by its subtitle, "Pictures of Pagan Russia in Two Parts"; the scenario depicts various primitive rituals celebrating the advent of spring, after which a young girl is chosen as a sacrificial victim and dances herself to death. After a mixed critical reception for its original run and a short London tour, the ballet was not performed again until the 1920s, when a version choreographed by Léonide Massine replaced Nijinsky's original, which saw only eight performances. Massine's was the forerunner of many innovative productions directed by the world's leading choreographers, gaining the work worldwide acceptance. In the 1980s, Nijinsky's original choreography, long believed lost, was reconstructed by the Joffrey Ballet in Los Angeles. Stravinsky's score contains many novel features for its time, including experiments in tonality, metre, rhythm, stress and dissonance. Analysts have noted in the score a significant grounding in Russian folk music, a relationship Stravinsky tended to deny. Regarded as among the first modernist works, the music influenced many of the 20th century's leading composers and is one of the most recorded works in the classical repertoire.

The Sacrifices to Cupid

Ballet · 1886

The Sacrifices to Cupid (AKA L'Offrande à l'Amour or The Offerings to Cupid; ru: "Жертвы Амуру, или Радости любви") is a "grand ballet" in 1 Act/1 scene with choreography by Marius Petipa and music by Ludwig Minkus. The ballet was first presented by the Imperial Ballet on July 22/August 3, 1886, in honour of Empress Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark), at Petergof by the Imperial Ballet, and on November 25/December 7 (Julian/Gregorian calendar dates), 1886 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre. Principal Dancers: Eugeniia Sokolova (as Chloë)

The Seagull

Ballet · 1980

The Seagull is a ballet in two acts by Rodion Shchedrin based on the 1896 play The Seagull of Anton Chekhov. The authors of the libretto: Rodion Shchedrin and Valery Levental. It was composed in 1980 and premiered on 27 May 1980 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, choreographed by Maya Plisetskaya. With her experience with the ballet Anna Karenina, Plisetskaya created the choreography and performed the title role. After the premiere, ballet critic Natalia Krymova wrote: "Maya Plisetskaya's role in this performance is fully consistent with the spirit of the play and expresses the diversity of emotions so important to the author. Plisetskaya as a choreographer clearly professes what Treplev says: "new forms are needed." Thus, she breaks the traditional canons of ballet, replacing them with pantomime. Personifying Nina Zarechnaya, she dances only what "flows freely from the soul." Plisetskaya's dance in "The Seagull" can rightly be attributed to these words: "the life of the human spirit." A curious event occurs at the Bolshoi premiere. A woman fell asleep in the audience at the orchestra. She dreams that a gas cylinder explodes in her country house and she screams throughout the hall. Hundreds of spectators stared at her, hanging on their boxes. Everyone on stage froze, but the orchestra continued to play. And she screamed when the sound engineer very resolutely imitated a shot at a seagull.

The Taming of the Shrew

Ballet · 1969

The setting is Padua, a city in northern Italy, not far from Venice. Three suitors — Hortensio, Lucentio, and Gremio — come to Baptista's house to serenade Bianca, his younger daughter. Baptista declares that Bianca shall not marry until her older sister, Katherina, is wed. An ensuing rumpus is dispelled when Katherina angrily sends everyone packing. In a tavern, a tipsy Petruchio is robbed of his money. Hortensio, Lucentio, and Gremio offer to introduce him to an heiress. He accepts and determines to "wive it wealthily in Padua." At Baptista's house, Petruchio asks for Katherina's hand. After a stormy courtship, she agrees. Bianca's three suitors press their case. Bianca favors Lucentio. The first act culminates at Katherina and Petruchio's wedding, where he arrives late and behaves outrageously. He carries off his bride without waiting for the festivities to begin. At Petruchio's house, the newly wedded couple are at supper, but he does not allow her to eat, protesting that the food is not good enough. She refuses to consummate the marriage and spends the night on the kitchen floor. Then, at a carnival, Lucentio tricks Hortensio and Gremio into marrying two ladies of the street, thus clearing his way to woo Bianca on his own. Petruchio's mockery and trickery continue to provoke Katherina. Eventually she surrenders, and they admit that they love each other. On the way to Bianca's wedding, Petruchio indulges in some whims, but Katherina has learned to humor him. At the wedding, Bianca treats her husband scornfully, but Katherina shows her how a wife is expected to behave. Left alone, she and Petruchio revel in their new-found love.

The Three-Cornered Hat

Ballet · 1919

After a short fanfare, the curtain rises revealing a mill in Andalusia. The miller is trying to teach a pet blackbird to tell the time. He tells the bird to chirp twice, but instead it chirps three times. Annoyed, the miller scolds the bird and tells it to try again. The bird now chirps four times. The miller gets angry at the bird again and his wife offers it a grape. The bird takes the grape and chirps twice. The miller and his wife laugh over this and continue their work. Soon the magistrate, his wife, and their bodyguard pass by, taking their daily walk. The procession goes by and the couple returns to their work. The dandified, but lecherous, magistrate is heard coming back. The miller tells his wife that he will hide and that they will play a trick on the magistrate. The miller hides and the magistrate sees the miller's wife dancing. After her dance, she offers him some grapes. When the magistrate gets the grapes, the miller's wife runs away with the magistrate following her. Finally, he catches her, and the miller jumps out of a bush with a stick. The miller chases the magistrate away and the miller and his wife continue working. That night, guests are at the miller's house. The miller dances to entertain them. His dance is interrupted by the magistrate's bodyguard, who has come to arrest him on trumped-up charges. After the miller is taken away, the guests leave one-by-one. The miller's wife goes to sleep and soon the magistrate comes to the mill. On his way to the door, the magistrate trips and falls in the river. The miller's wife wakes up and runs away. The magistrate undresses, hangs his clothes on a tree, and goes to sleep in the miller's bed. The miller has escaped from prison and sees the magistrate in his bed. The miller thinks that the magistrate is sleeping with his wife and plans to switch clothes with the magistrate and avenge himself by seducing the magistrate's wife. The miller leaves, dressed as the magistrate, and the magistrate soon wakes up. He goes outside and sees that his clothes are gone, so he dresses in the miller's clothes. The bodyguard comes and sees the magistrate dressed as the miller and goes to arrest him. The miller's wife sees the bodyguard fighting with what looks like her husband and joins in the fight. The miller comes back and sees his wife in the fight and joins it to protect her. The magistrate explains the entire story and the ballet ends with the miller's guests tossing the magistrate up and down in a blanket.

The Two Stars

Ballet · 1871

The Two Stars or The Stars or The Two Little Stars (aka Les Deux étoiles) is an Anacreontic ballet in 1 act, with choreography by Marius Petipa, and music by Cesare Pugni. Libretto by Marius Petipa, based on an ancient Greek myth. First presented by the Imperial Ballet on January 31/February 6 (Julian/Gregorian calendar dates), 1871 at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia. Principal Dancers- Ekaterina Vazem (as the First Star), Alexandra Virginia (as The Second Star), and Pavel Gerdt (as Apollo)

The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude

Ballet · 1996

The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude is a ballet choreographed by William Forsythe to the finale of Schubert's Symphony No. 9. The ballet was choreographed for 's programme Six Counter Points, and was presented as a ballet "in the Manner of the late 20th Century." Danced by a cast of five, the ballet features classical and technically demanding choreography. It premiered on 20 January 1996, at Frankfurt. It had since been performed by many other ballet companies.

The Wayward Daughter

Ballet · 1789

Lise and Colas are in love and want to marry. However, the Widow Simone wants Lise to marry the dimwitted, but extremely rich, Alain, and has arranged (with Alain's father Thomas) for a marriage contract between Lise and Alain. The Widow Simone does her best to keep Lise and Colas apart, but is unsuccessful in her attempts to do so. At harvest time the Widow Simone and Lise are taken to the field for a picnic lunch by Thomas and Alain. The farm workers join in a ribbon dance around a maypole, and the girls also join in a clog dance with the Widow Simone. There is a thunderstorm and everyone rushes for shelter. Alain is carried away on the wind by his open umbrella. The Widow Simone and Lise return to their home. The widow wants Lise to sit down at the spinning wheel and spin, but Lise spins while she is up dancing, nearly strangling the widow. After a while, the widow wants Lise to dance, and Lise shows signs of unhappiness, but obliges. The widow takes a tambourine to play in time with Lise's dancing. When the widow is asleep, Lise tries to steal the key from the widow's pocket, to prevent the widow from locking her in, but is unsuccessful. The crops are brought in by the farm workers, and the widow then leaves the house (after locking the door behind her to prevent Lise from leaving the house). Lise thinks about Colas and mimes being the mother of a large number of children. To her embarrassment, Colas suddenly rises from the stacked crops. At the sound of the Widow Simone's returning to the house, Lise and Colas look around desperately for a place where he can hide. Not finding anywhere suitable in the living room, Lise takes Colas to her room, and she returns to the living room just before Widow Simone enters the house. The Widow Simone orders Lise to go to her room and put on her wedding dress for her forthcoming marriage to Alain. The horrified Lise tries to remain where she is, but the Widow Simone pushes Lise into her room and locks the door. Thomas arrives with his son Alain (who is still clutching his umbrella). They are accompanied by a notary who is to act as witness to the marriage. The farm workers (friends of both Lise and Colas) also arrive. The Widow Simone gives Alain the key to Lise's room. When Alain unlocks the door to Lise's room, Lise appears in her wedding dress, accompanied by Colas. Thomas and Alain take offence, and the enraged Thomas tears up the marriage contract. Thomas, Alain and the notary leave the house in dudgeon. Lise and Colas then beg the Widow Simone to look favourably upon their suit. Love conquers all and the widow relents. Joyfully celebrating the happy outcome for Lise and Colas, everyone leaves, and the house is left quiet and empty, until Alain returns for his umbrella which he had accidentally left behind. So Alain is also happy with the love of his life – his umbrella.

The Whims of the Butterfly

Ballet · 1889

The Whims of the Butterfly (also known as The Caprices of a Butterfly, or Les Caprices du Papillon) is a ballet in 1 act, with choreography by Marius Petipa, and music by Nikolai Krotkov. Libretto by Marius Petipa, based on the poem The Grasshopper Musician by Yakov Polonsky. First presented by the Imperial Ballet on June 5/17 (Julian/Gregorian calendar dates), 1889 for the Imperial court at the theatre of Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. The ballet was given a second premiere for the general public at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre on October 25/November 6, 1889 with the same cast. Principal Dancers - Varvara Nikitina (as the Butterfly), Pavel Gerdt (as the Phoenix Moth), Sergei Litavki (as the Grasshopper), Maria Anderson (as the Fly), Alexander Shiraev (as the Spider), and Sergei Legat (as the Nightingale).

The Winter's Tale

Ballet · 2014

The Winter's Tale is a ballet in three acts choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon to a commissioned score by Joby Talbot. The ballet is based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare. With scenery and costumes designed by Bob Crowley, lighting designed by Natasha Katz, and special stage effects designed by Daniel Brodie and Basil Twist, it was a co-production of the Royal Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada. It was first presented at the Royal Opera House, London, on 10 April 2014. The North American premiere occurred the following year.

The Wooden Prince

Ballet · 1917

A prince falls in love with a princess, but is stopped from reaching her by a fairy who makes a forest and a stream rise against him. To attract the princess' attention, the prince hangs his cloak on a staff and fixes a crown and locks of his hair to it. The princess catches sight of this "wooden prince" and comes to dance with it. The fairy brings the wooden prince to life and the princess goes away with that instead of the real prince, who falls into despair. The fairy takes pity on him as he sleeps, dresses him in finery and reduces the wooden prince to lifelessness again. The princess returns and is finally united with the human prince.

Theme and Variations

Ballet · 1947

Theme and Variations is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to the final movement of Tchaikovsky's Orchestral Suite No. 3. The ballet was created for Ballet Theatre (now American Ballet Theatre), and first performed in 1947. The ballet was greeted as a masterpiece at its premiere, has been staged since then by ballet companies around the world, and has remained a favorite of both critics and audiences. In 1970, Balanchine incorporated Theme and Variations into Suite No. 3 (now titled Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3), performed by the New York City Ballet, though Theme and Variations continues to be performed on its own as well.

Tiresias

Ballet · 1951

Tiresias enters on a scene of young girls engaged in vaulting over the horn of bull. After a solo and a dance for Tiresias and male corps de ballet, priestesses and a young virgin come on the scene. The Neophyte gives him a wand and departs. Tiresias spots two snakes copulating and in a rage he strikes the female snake with his staff and is thus changed into a woman. Following a pastoral interlude, shepherds and shepherdesses enter and dance with Tiresias. Her lover appears, and they dance a climactic pas de deux. Then there is a bacchanale celebrating their happiness, at the end of which two snakes enters, engaged as before. Tiresias strikes the male snake with her staff, and is restored to his original self. Another interlude transforms the scene to a palace courtyard where Zeus and Hera are arguing whether men or women get most pleasure in sex. Called to be judge Tiresias declares that women do, and Hera angrily blinds him, but Zeus bestows the gift of prophecy on Tiresias and he departs.

Tom Sawyer: A Ballet in Three Acts

Ballet · 2011

Tom Sawyer: A Ballet in Three Acts premiered on October 14, 2011 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri. The score is by composer Maury Yeston, with choreography by William Whitener, artistic director of the Kansas City Ballet. The ballet is based on Mark Twain's 1876 novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. A review by Alastair Macaulay in The New York Times observed: "It’s quite likely that this is the first all-new, entirely American three-act ballet. It is based on an American literary classic, has an original score by an American composer and was given its premiere by an American choreographer and company... both the score and the choreography are energetic, robust, warm, deliberately naïve (both ornery and innocent), in ways right for Twain. Paul Horsely in Dance Magazine writes “Tom Sawyer is an inventive amalgam of ballet, folk dance, pantomime, comedy, games, and narrative. It’s also injected with the youthful playfulness that has been Whitener’s signature in works like Gingham Shift, the piece that brought Whitener to Yeston’s attention. 'We’re focusing on a boy’s passage from childhood to his teenage years,' Whitener says, 'and taking responsibility when he and Becky are trapped in the cave—having to grow up quickly.' The ballet is also about “the power of the Mississippi and the grandeur of the great outdoors—and the charm and vitality of youth.” The design team were all Americans as well, consisting of Holly Hynes, (Costumes), Walt Spangler (Set) and Kirk Bookman (Lighting). A two-disc 90-minute premiere recording of the complete score was recorded at Skywalker Sound with Martin West conducting the seventy-piece San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, and released on the PS Classics label on August 27, 2013. The first act musically depicts the sunny days of Tom in school, his infatuation with Becky Thatcher, and rafting on the river with Huck Finn. The second reveals the boys' witnessing a murder and a frame up at midnight in the cemetery, and the third dramatizes Tom's exonerating testimony at the trial of Muff Potter, and his subsequent discovery of gold in a cave, leading to an ultimate town celebration along the Mississippi. Yeston has subsequently created a 21-minute long Tom Sawyer Suite as a Pops Orchestra offering. Upon hearing the score William Whitener, Artistic Director of Kansas City Ballet, agreed to choreograph and mount the production, saying "When I first heard Maury Yeston's score for Tom Sawyer, I realized that we had a grand opportunity to bring this classic story to life as a dance-drama. The wit and beauty within Mr. Yeston's music, and the charm and playfulness of Mark Twain's novel make an ideal match for a ballet".

Triadisches Ballett

Ballet · 1922

Inspired in part by Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire and his observations and experiences during the First World War, Oskar Schlemmer began to conceive of the human body as a new artistic medium. He saw ballet and pantomime as free from the historical baggage of theatre and opera and thus able to present his ideas of choreographed geometry, man as dancer, transformed by costume, moving in space. The idea of the ballet was based on the principle of the trinity. It has 3 acts, 3 participants (2 male, 1 female), 12 dances and 18 costumes. Each act had a different colour and mood. The first three scenes, against a lemon yellow background to affect a cheerful, burlesque mood; the two middle scenes, on a pink stage, festive and solemn and the final three scenes, on black, were intended to be mystical and fantastic. He saw the movement of puppets and marionettes as aesthetically superior to that of humans, as it emphasised that the medium of every art is artificial. This artifice could be expressed through stylised movements and the abstraction of the human body. His consideration of the human form (the abstract geometry of the body e.g. a cylinder for the neck, a circle for head and eyes) led to the all-important costume design, to create what he called his ‘figurine'. The music followed and finally the dance movements were decided. Schlemmer saw the modern world driven by two main currents, the mechanised (man as machine and the body as a mechanism) and the primordial impulses (the depths of creative urges). He claimed that the choreographed geometry of dance offered a synthesis, the Dionysian and emotional origins of dance, becomes strict and Apollonian in its final form.

Trilby

Ballet · 1870

Trilby is a ballet in 2 acts and 3 scenes. It was the final ballet that Marius Petipa choreographed and staged for the Imperial Bolshoi Ballet during the two years he was commissioned to create new works for the Moscow stage. And the music was by Yuli Gerber. Libretto by Marius Petipa, based on the 1822 novella Trilby, ou Le Lutin d'Argail by Charles Nodier. The ballet was first presented by the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre on January 25/February 6 (Julian/Gregorian calendar dates), 1870, in Moscow with Polina Karpakova as Trilby and Ludiia Geiten as Miranda. It was later restaged by Petipa for the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre on January 17–29, 1871 in St. Petersburg with Adèle Grantzow as Trilby and Lev Ivanov as Count Leopold. Petipa made a more direct adaptation of Nodier’s novella. The famous variation for the male dancer in the Le Corsaire pas de deux is from Gerber's score for Trilby; a painting of dancers from the ballet in costume (as fledglings emerging from the shell) by Viktor Hartmann was one of the paintings which inspired Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky.

Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux

Ballet · 1960

Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to a composition by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky originally intended for act 3 of Swan Lake (Op. 20, 1875–76). With costumes by Barbara Karinska and lighting by Jack Owen Brown, it was first presented by New York City Ballet at the City Center of Music and Drama, New York, on 29 March 1960. Robert Irving conducted the New York City Ballet Orchestra. The dancers were Violette Verdy and Conrad Ludlow.

Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2

Ballet · 1941

Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, also titled Ballet Imperial, is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 2. Ballet Imperial was choreographed for American Ballet Caravan's 1941 South American tour, and was aimed at showing that the Americans were capable of the classical ballet traditions. The ballet pays tribute to Tchaikovsky, the classical ballet choreographer Marius Petipa, and Imperial Saint Petersburg, where Balanchine received his ballet training. The ballet featured academic steps and alludes to Imperial Russia through the costumes and scenery. Ballet Imperial premiered on June 25, 1941, at Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro. In 1973, Balanchine, believing the audience no longer needed elaborate costumes and scenery to understand a ballet, removed all allusions to Imperial Russia and renamed it Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, with the ballet now standing in relation to the music alone. The ballet has been performed by several ballet companies, including Balanchine's New York City Ballet, though some troupes still perform the ballet as Ballet Imperial, including American Ballet Theatre.

Télémaque dans l'île de Calypso

Ballet · 1790

Translated to English as Telemachus on the Island of Calypso, the French ballet is based on the story from Greek mythology where Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, visits the island of Calypso. Act I opens on Calypso's island, where a storm subsides. Mentor and Telemachus, survivors of a shipwreck, arrive on the shore, mourning their lost companions. Mentor warns of the island’s dangers, but Calypso and her nymphs greet them warmly. Calypso, recognizing Telemachus as Odysseus's son, takes a special interest in him. She organizes games, where nymph Eucharis wins multiple contests and captures Telemachus’s attention. Despite Mentor’s warnings, Telemachus is drawn to her. Calypso confesses her love and offers him immortality. The act ends with festivities fading into the night. The second act begins with Telemachus sleeping in a garden, and Calypso, in love, has nymphs prepare a garland for him. He meets Eucharis and, though charmed, remains cautious. Meanwhile, Venus grants Calypso Cupid’s power, causing romantic confusion among the nymphs. Telemachus and Eucharis's attraction deepens, leading to a passionate exchange. Mentor manipulates Calypso's jealousy to help Telemachus escape. Reluctantly, Calypso allows his departure, and preparations for a ship are made. The act ends with Calypso’s anguish and ominous threats to Eucharis. In act III, Eucharis prepares for a hunt in her grotto, with help from Venus, Love, and the Graces. Calypso, disguised as Diana, confronts her out of jealousy, but Telemachus steps in to protect her. Calypso hesitates to act. Mentor, disguised as Minerva, completes a ship to take Telemachus away. Love and the nymphs seduce Telemachus back into Eucharis's arms, causing him to change his mind. Calypso, pretending to repent, manipulates them into hiding Eucharis on the ship. The ship is set ablaze by Bacchantes, but Love rescues Eucharis. As the ship burns, Telemachus and Mentor jump into the sea, and the curtain falls on the chaos.

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