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Ballet de la Merlaison

Ballet · 1635

The Ballet de la Merlaison (Ballet of the Blackbird Hunt) is a ballet de cour first performed on 15 March 1635 at the Château de Chantilly, during the reign of – and commonly attributed to – Louis XIII. It was later performed at Royaumont. “Merlaison” is a word coined by Louis to designate the feast which was held after a blackbird hunt. Louis created the scenario, wrote the music and the words, devised the choreography, designed the costumes, and danced roles as a woman, a merchant, a tax collector, and a mischievous blackbird, adept at avoiding traps. It is the most popular ballet performed during the reign of Louis XIII and marked an important development of the ballet de cour.

Ballet of the Nuns

Ballet · 1831

The ballet opens with Bertram, Robert le Diable's father, entering the ruined cloister of Sainte-Rosalie. He summons the ghosts of nuns who have violated their vows. They rise from their graves. He orders them to seduce his son Robert into accepting a deadly talisman. The Abbess Helena orders the ghosts to waltz. In spite of their sacred vows, the nuns waltz. The dead nuns give themselves over to unholy thrills. Robert enters. The nuns hide, but return to prevent his escape. Robert stands terrified before a saint's tomb. The Abbess lures him towards the talisman in the saint's hand. Robert seizes it. The nuns continue their dance, fluttering like white moths. Their graves open and they sink into the earth. Stone slabs slide into place, covering the dead. A choir of demons is heard.

Ballo della Regina

Ballet · 1978

Ballo della Regina is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine. Set to the ballet divertissement from Giuseppe Verdi's opera Don Carlos, the Balanchine ballet is plotless but alludes to the grotto setting of the divertissement. The ballet is danced by a lead couple and an all-female ensemble, with choreography that showcases the speed and precision of the lead ballerina. Ballo della Regina was made for the New York City Ballet, and premiered on January 12, 1978, at the New York State Theater, with Merrill Ashley and Robert Weiss in the two lead roles.

Barbe-bleue

Ballet · 1896

Barbe-bleue (Синяя борода) is a ballet-féerie in three acts and seven scenes, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of. The libretto was created by the author and dramatist Countess Lydia Pashkova from the fairy tale Bluebeard by Charles Perrault. The ballet was first presented by the Imperial Ballet on at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, the first performance being a benefit in honor of Marius Petipa's fiftieth anniversary in service to the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres.

Billy the Kid

Ballet · 1938

Setting: New Mexico and Arizona, 1870s and 1880s The story follows the life of the infamous outlaw Billy the Kid. It begins with "The Open Prairie" and shows many pioneers trekking westward. The action shifts to a small frontier town, in which a young Billy and his mother are present. His mother is killed by a stray bullet during a gunfight and he stabs her killer, then goes on the run. The next scene shows episodes in Billy's later life. He is living in the desert, is hunted and captured by a posse (in which the ensuing gun battle features prominent percussive effects) and taken to jail. He manages to escape after stealing a gun from the warden during a game of cards and returns to his hideout, where he thinks he is safe, but sheriff Pat Garrett catches up and shoots him to death. The ballet ends with "The Open Prairie" theme and pioneers once again travelling west.

Broken Wings

Ballet · 2016

Broken Wings is a one-act ballet about Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, dramaturged by Nancy Meckler and designed by Dieuweke van Reij. The music was composed by Peter Salem, and featured Mexican folk song "La Llorona" sung by Chavela Vargas. The ballet premiered on 13 April 2016 at the Sadler's Wells Theatre, danced by the English National Ballet, with Tamara Rojo as Kahlo and Irek Mukhamedov as Kahlo's husband, Diego Rivera. Lopez Ochoa then created a three-act version titled Frida for the Dutch National Ballet, premiered in 2020.

Camargo

Ballet · 1872

Camargo (or La Camargo) is a grand ballet in three acts and nine scenes, with choreography by Marius Petipa and music by Ludwig Minkus. The libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Marius Petipa is based on an incident in the life of the 18th-century dancer Marie Camargo, in which she and her sister Madeleine were abducted by the Comte de Melun in May 1728 and taken to his mansion. The ballet was first presented by the Imperial Ballet on December 7/19 (Julian/Gregorian calendar dates), 1872 at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Principal Dancers were Adèle Grantzow (as Marie Camargo), Alexandra Virginia (as Madeleine Camargo), Lev Ivanov (as Vestris, the Maître de Ballet) and Timofei Stukolkin (as the Comte de Melun).

Carmen

Ballet · 1949

The first scene is set in a street in Seville (Sevilla), Spain, where the dancing of a crowd is interrupted by a girl being chased by Carmen. Their fight is only stopped by the arrival of Don José, who assists Carmen's defeated opponent. As he is about to arrest Carmen he is struck by her allure and arranges an assignation for later. That evening in the tavern Don José enters and dances a zapateado to the music of the habanera. Carmen next appears and dances, ending at Don José's feet; he lifts her up and they go up to the bedroom. The customers dance and when Carmen and Don José return they join in before José wraps Carmen in his cape and they go off. The third scene is in Carmen's bedroom. After a passionate pas de deux, three of Carmen's friends come in and invite her to go outside. At night in the street, Carmen, Don José and the friends prepare to rob a passer-by. Using a dagger Carmen has given him, Don José stabs a man, and after the women have taken his purse, they all flee. The final scene is set outside the bull-ring where girls await the arrival of their hero, the toreador. He enters and greets them but is fascinated by the indifference shown by Carmen. José enters and notices their looks. The toreador moves into the arena whereupon Don José threatens Carmen, and in a fight to the death he overcomes her. As she dies, hats are tossed from the bull-ring to land at his feet.

Carmen Suite

Ballet · 1967

Place: Seville, Spain, and surrounding hills Time: Around 1820 Alonso's scenario centers on Carmen, Don José and the bullfighter Escamillo. Carmen is a passionate, free-spirited woman in contrast to the temperamental and fickle Don José. Fate, a ballerina dressed in black and a representation of Carmen's alter ego, tells Carmen's fortune with a deck of cards. A fight with tobacco dealers leads to Carmen's arrest by Captain Zúñiga. In jail, she seduces Don José and convinces him to release her. Carmen is subsequently caught in a love triangle between Don José and popular bullfighter Escamillo. Boris Messerer's sets included a mock bullring which symbolizes life, uniting the bullfight and Carmen's destiny in a sinister personage. Masked spectators and a uniformed judge represent society's disapproval for the unconventional behavior of Carmen and her lovers. Fate reappears in the final act playing the role of a bull and the three main characters meet in the arena. Carmen dances alternatively with Fate, Escamillo and Don José until she is stabbed. She dies caressing Don José's face, revealing him as the assassin.

Carnaval

Ballet · 1910

Carnaval (Russian: Карнавал) is a ballet based on the music of Robert Schumann's piano suite Carnaval, Op. 9, as orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Anatoly Lyadov and Alexander Tcherepnin. It was choreographed by Michel Fokine to his own libretto, with costumes designed by Léon Bakst, and premiered in Pavlovsk on 5 March (old style, 20 February) 1910. The leading dancers of the Imperial Ballet were engaged in the production: Tamara Karsavina (Columbine), Leonid Leontiev (Harlequin), Vera Fokina (Chiarina), Ludmilla Schollar (Estrella), Bronislava Nijinska (Papillon), Vsevolod Meyerhold (Pierrot), Vasily Kiselev (Florestan), and Alexander Shiryaev (Eusebius). The ballet became world-famous due to its production by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes (Theater des Westens, Berlin, 20 May 1910), with new sets and costumes by Bakst, with Lydia Lopokova as Columbine and Fokine himself as Harlequin.

Caroline Mathilde

Ballet · 1991

Caroline Mathilde is a two-act ballet to music by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. Its original choreographer was Flemming Flindt in 1991. It tells the story of the eighteenth-century English princess Caroline Mathilde (sister of George III), who in 1766 was sent to Denmark aged 15 to be married to the 17-year-old schizophrenic Danish king, Christian VII. The ballet portrays her unhappy marriage, the king's growing madness and her fatal love-affair with Struensee, the king's influential physician, which ultimately leads to their arrest, his execution and her exile at the age of 20, separated from her two young children. As with Davies' earlier ballet, Salome, it was a commission by the Royal Danish Ballet. It was first performed on 14 March 1991 at the Royal Danish Theatre, Copenhagen. The orchestra was conducted by Markus Lehtinen. Davies prepared two concert suites, each based on an act of the ballet.

Catarina or La Fille du Bandit

Ballet · 1846

Catarina ou la Fille du bandit is a ballet in three acts and four scenes, with libretto and choreography by Jules Perrot and music by Cesare Pugni. The libretto is based on an incident in the life of the Italian painter Salvator Rosa. The work was first presented by the Ballet of Her Majesty's Theatre on 3 March 1846 in London, England, with Lucile Grahn (as Catarina, leader of the bandits), Louis-François Gosselin (as Salvator Rosa), and Jules Perrot (as the Lieutenant Diavolino).

Chaconne

Ballet · 1976

Chaconne is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and ballet master George Balanchine to ballet music from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice (Vienna, 1762; Paris, 1774). The premiere took place Wednesday, 22 January 1976 at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center, with lighting by Ronald Bates; Robert Irving conducted. Chaconne was danced in practice clothes at its premiere; Karinska's costumes were added in the spring season. The finale to Orfeo ed Euridice is a chaconne, a dance form built on a short bass phrase and often used by 17th and 18th century opera composers to achieve a festive mood at the end. The choreography was first performed at the Hamburgische Staatsoper in their 1963 production of Orpheus und Eurydike and somewhat altered in Chaconne, especially that for the principal dancers. Balanchine added the pas de deux for Suzanne Farrell and Peter Martins to the 1976 ballet and the opening ensemble (to the 1774 Dance of the Blessed Spirits) for the Spring season. Balanchine's first Orpheus and Eurydice was made on the Metropolitan Opera in 1936; his approach, the singers remaining in the pit while the action was danced on stage, was not well received; the production had only two performances. He choreographed Orphée et Eurydice for the Théâtre National de l'Opéra, Paris in 1973 and Orfeo ed Euridice for the Chicago Lyric Opera in 1975 as well.

Checkmate

Ballet · 1937

The premise of the ballet is that the chess pieces become animated and act out human emotions. The main conflict of the story concerns the Red Knight's love for the Black Queen. In the Prologue, two chess players are shown, ready to do battle. The player in gold represents Love and chooses the red side. The player in black represents Death and takes the black side. The ballet proper begins with the Red Pawns assembling on the chessboard. The Red Knights arrive on the scene, afterwards joined by the Black Knights. The Black Knights prostrate themselves at the entry of the Black Queen, who fills them with fear. The Black Queen makes advances to the Red Knight and tosses him a rose, and the Red Knight becomes infatuated with the Black Queen. The Red King and Red Queen arrive, with the old Red King requiring assistance. An initial "game" between the two sides finishes as the Black Queen has the Red King in a "check" position. This game leads to a duel between the Red Knight and the Black Queen, where the Red Knight is victorious over the Black Queen. However, he cannot bring himself to kill her because of his love for her. In one moment, he turns his back and recalls the rose from the Black Queen. The Black Queen takes advantage and fatally stabs the Red Knight. The funeral cortège for the Red Knight is described as "Death leading, Love at the end of the procession". The Black Queen then turns on the Red King, and the Black forces surround him. The Red King has one last moment of recalling his youth before the Black Queen stabs him in the back with a spear, in the final "checkmate".

Chorale

Ballet · 1926

Chorale is a modern dance work choreographed by Martha Graham to music by César Franck. The piece premiered on April 18, 1926, at New York's 48 Street Theater in the first independent concert presented by Graham. Members of the newly formed Martha Graham Concert Group, Thelma Biracree, Evelyn Sabin and Betty Macdonald, also appeared in the piece. A critic for The Democrat-Chronicle reported the dance was "subtle" with a "dark, emotional mood." The all-Graham program also featured the ballets: Arabesque No. 1, Clair de Lune, Danse Languide, Danse Rococo, Désir, Deux Valses, Intermezzo, Maid with the Flaxen Hair, The Marionette Show, Masques, Novelette, Portrait--After Beltran-Masses, A Study in Lacquer, Tanze, The Three Gopi Maidens, and Trois Gnossiennes.

Chroma

Ballet · 2006

Chroma is a one-act contemporary ballet created by Wayne McGregor for the Royal Ballet. The work received its premiere at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, on 17 November 2006. The ballet is performed to a combination of original music by Joby Talbot and arrangements of music by the White Stripes, with orchestrations by Christopher Austin. The ballet was a great success, winning a number of awards, including the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production, and led to The Royal Ballet appointing McGregor as resident choreographer.

Chronicle

Ballet · 1936

Chronicle is more than an hour in length and chronicles the time frame from 1914 to 1936. It is divided into three major sections: Dances Before Catastrophe, which includes Spectre-1914 and Masque; Dances After Catastrophe, which includes Steps in the Street and Tragic Holiday-In Memoriam; and a final section Prelude to Action. Each section has been performed as an independent work. The opening solo Spectre-1914 is a prelude to the action that follows. The dancer moves with stiff, robotic gestures in response to off-stage drums and trumpet, an embodiment, perhaps, of the inevitability of marching off to war. In the subsequent section Masque, a soloist costumed in metallic gray holds forth to an audience of followers in a formal, "court-like" display. Steps in the Street, a long ensemble piece, suggests a mass of unwanted individuals, such as a group of the unemployed or homeless. The dancers shuffle dejectedly, occasionally rallying to execute rebellious gestures, and then return to their resigned trudging. Carrying a black flag, the soloist then leads the ensemble in a service of commemoration (Tragic Holiday-In Memoriam). The finale Prelude to Action depicts a call for "a brave new world".

Cigale

Ballet · 1904

The story is inspired by Jean de la Fontaine's fable La cigale et la fourmi (a version of The Ant and the Grasshopper), and portrays "Cigale" (Cicada) as a charitable young woman who takes pity on "La Pauvrette" (The Poor Girl) and gives away her breakfast, bonnet and red umbrella, and finally her money. She is then ridiculed for her kindness by "Madame Fourmi" (Madam Ant), ticketed by "Le Garçon de Banque" (The Banker), and seduced by her "Petit Ami" (The Boyfriend). On a cold winter's night, Cigale, whose kindness and carefree nature has led her to lose what little she has, is refused shelter by Madame Fourmi. Her lover and the poor girl enter and dance under her red umbrella. She falls to the grounds and dies in the snow grasping her guitar but the ballet ends with her ascending to heaven with the angels.

Cinderella

Ballet · 1893

ACT I – A large kitchen Scene 1 At the rise of the curtain, Gianna the cook and her scullery maids are busy preparing dinner, but Gianna no sooner leaves the kitchen than the scullery maids abandon their duties and begin to dance and play with saucepans and skillets. Gianna returns, sees their mischief and sternly orders them back to business; they pay her no heed and Gianna, drawn into their merriment, begins to dance with them. A bell is heard. Gianna now emphatically orders her helpers to calm down; in confusion, they rush back to their places. Scene 2 Aloisa and Odette enter hurriedly, hunting for their little sister to help them dress for the ball. Seeing that Cinderella is not there, they order the scullery maids to find her at once. The sisters are in a frightful worry. The hour of their departure for the royal celebration is approaching and their toilettes are not yet finished; they begin to smarten themselves up, angry and astonished at Cinderella's absence. Scene 3 Cinderella runs in holding a sheaf of straw; her sisters rush over to push and pinch her and make their poor sister suffer, then they order her to set right their toilettes, which Cinderella willingly tries to do. The sisters, now content, begin to dream and boast to one another of their successes at the ball. Making fun of Cinderella, they dance and force her to dance as well. Their parents enter and press their daughters to get ready to leave. In vain, Cinderella begs her parents and sisters to take her along. Her sisters laugh and her father orders her sternly to stay at home and tend to her chores. Scene 4 Alone and sad, Cinderella dreams about the pleasures of the ball, imagining the dances, but realising that she cannot go, and hurries about her work. The hearth flares up; Cinderella watches astonished as living sparks fly out of the fireplace. They surround her; delighted, she admires them and dances with them. Scene 5 The Good Fairy appears; Cinderella's godmother and protector. Amazed by the good will and patience with which Cinderella bears her undeserved debasement, she promises to grant her any wish. Cinderella asks to go to the royal ball. With pleasure the Fairy agrees, but on the condition that she stay no later than midnight: with the last stroke of twelve o'clock, all the luxuries granted her will disappear. Cinderella happily thanks the Good Fairy, at a wave of whose hand a brilliant cortège appears. Servant-fairies assist Cinderella in completing her toilette for the ball and putting on magnificent slippers. The Fairy, when Cinderella is properly dressed, gives her a lesson in deportment and hurries her off, reminding her of the condition she set. ACT II – The Throne Room of the Castle Scene 1 Courtiers have gathered to greet the King, and promenade in expectation of his arrival; a few make lively conversation about the celebration. The Master of Ceremonies announces the royal family; the courtiers hurry to their places. Scene 2 The royal couple enters and take their places, Prince Charming standing next to them. The guests, including the Pignarole family, pay their profound respects to the Queen and King. The King, enraptured by the prettiness of Cavalier Pignarole's daughters, invites them to take a place next to the throne. Scene 3 Just then the herald's trumpets sound, announcing guests from Moscow and Poland, who, charmed by their welcome, pay their respects to the King and take their places. The Chamberlain rushes in and announces the arrival of an unknown princess, accompanied by a brilliant retinue. General excitement; the Prince hastens to meet the stranger. Scene 4 Cinderella enters; Prince Charming, respectfully offering his arm, presents her to the King, Queen and court. The onlookers are struck by the unknown princess's beauty and brilliant toilette. The Pignaroles are amazed at the stranger's striking likeness to their youngest daughter, who was left at home. The Prince lavishes his attentions on the newly arrived princess and the King and Queen invite her to take a place next to them; this causes Aloisa and Odette to bear her malice and to envy the unknown guest. The Prince orders the Master of Ceremonies to begin the ball; the Prince takes part, dancing only with the Princess, delighted by her beauty. Odette and Aloisa also take part in the dances and try to attract the Prince's attention, but he is charmed by Cinderella's beauty. Scene 5 The clock begins to strike midnight. Cinderella, enchanted by the Prince's attentions, completely forgets the Good Fairy's condition. With the last stroke of twelve, she suddenly remembers and quickly retires at the moment her mother walks up to the Prince and engages him in conversation. Cinderella, whose rich attire has turned simple, tries to leave the royal palace unnoticed. The Prince, observing the beautiful stranger's disappearance, orders his chamberlain to follow her, but just then, a page enters and gives the Prince the slipper which the Princess lost. The Prince, admiring the slipper, orders it to be announced throughout the land that he will choose for his bride the woman whose foot the slipper fits. ACT III – A Fantastic Garden in the Prince's Castle Scene 1 Servants and pages, preparing for the Prince's celebration, walk through the garden from time to time. The Prince enters with his retinue, wanting to know if his wishes have been met and if the beautiful stranger has turned up. The chamberlain calms the Prince, adding that the Princess is probably there. Contended with the chamberlain's assurances, the Prince invites the King and Queen into the ball. Scene 2 On the day after the ball, Cinderella, wishing to see the Prince again and to look for her lost slipper, comes to the royal garden. Hearing footsteps, she hides in the bushes, frightened, falls to her knees in despair and prays for her godmother to help her. Scene 3 The Good Fairy appears, and wishing to help her favourite again, still reproaches her for disobeying and not coming home in time. Cinderella begs the Good Fairy's forgiveness and asks her to help. Trumpets sound; the herald announces that Prince Charming will choose as his bride the woman whose foot fits the slipper which was found. Cinderella wants to be at the celebration to see him again and begs the Fairy to let her go to the ball. The Fairy gladly agrees; they withdraw. Scene 4 The King and Queen enter with the Prince and the others invited to the celebration. The Prince asks the assembled beauties to try on the slipper, but their efforts are in vain; the slipper does not fit any of them. The herald now announces the Good Fairy with Cinderella. The Prince suggests that Cinderella also try the slipper and, to the astonishment of all, the slipper fits and stays on her foot. The onlookers are struck by Cinderella's beauty and the Prince, delighted, declares his love to her; her sisters beg forgiveness for treating her badly. She forgives them and the heralds announce Cinderella as the Prince's bride. The entire court congratulates them.

Circus Polka

Ballet · 1942

Circus Polka: For a Young Elephant was written by Igor Stravinsky in 1942, and scored for wind band and Hammond organ by David Raksin. Stravinsky wrote it for a ballet production that the choreographer George Balanchine did for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The ballet was performed by fifty elephants and fifty ballerinas. Stravinsky's own orchestration was prepared later, and was premiered on 14 January 1944 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Stravinsky conducting.

Concerto Barocco

Ballet · 1941

Concerto Barocco is a neoclassical ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Bach's Concerto for Two Violins. Danced by a cast of eleven, the ballet is completely plotless, and according to Balanchine, "has no "subject matter" beyond the score which it is danced and the particular dancers who execute it". The ballet was made for the American Ballet Caravan's 1941 South American tour, and premiered on June 27, 1941, at Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro. The ballet has entered the repertories of many ballet companies, including Balanchine's New York City Ballet.

Coppélia

Ballet · 1870

Dr. Coppélius is a doctor who has made a life-size dancing doll. It is so lifelike that Franz, a village youth, becomes infatuated with it and sets aside his heart's true desire, Swanhilda. She shows him his folly by dressing as the doll, pretending to make it come to life and ultimately saving him from an untimely end at the hands of the inventor. Act I The story begins during a town festival to celebrate the arrival of a new bell. The town crier announces that, when it arrives, anyone who becomes married will be awarded a special gift of money. Swanhilda and Franz plan to marry during the festival. However, Swanhilda becomes unhappy with Franz because he seems to be paying more attention to a girl named Coppélia, who sits motionless on the balcony of a nearby house. The house belongs to a mysterious and faintly diabolical inventor, Doctor Coppélius. Although Coppélia spends all of her time sitting motionless and reading, Franz is mesmerized by her beauty and is determined to attract her attention. Still upset with Franz, Swanhilda shakes an ear of wheat to her head: if it rattles, then she will know that Franz loves her. Upon doing this, however, she hears nothing. When she shakes it by Franz's head, he also hears nothing; but then he tells her that it rattles. However, she does not believe him and runs away heartbroken. Later on, Dr. Coppelius leaves his house and is heckled by a group of boys. After shooing them away, he continues on without realizing that he dropped his keys in the melée. Swanhilda finds the keys, which gives her the idea of learning more about Coppélia. She and her friends decide to enter Dr. Coppelius' house. Meanwhile, Franz develops his own plan to meet Coppélia, climbing a ladder to her balcony. Act II Swanhilda and her friends find themselves in a large room filled with people. However, the occupants aren't moving. The girls discover that, rather than people, these are life-size mechanical dolls. They quickly wind them up and watch them move. Swanhilda also finds Coppélia behind a curtain and discovers that she, too, is a doll. Dr. Coppelius returns home to find the girls. He becomes angry with them, not only for trespassing but for also disturbing his workroom. He kicks them out and begins cleaning up the mess. However, upon noticing Franz at the window, Coppélius invites him in. The inventor wants to bring Coppélia to life but, to do that, he needs a human sacrifice. With a magic spell, he will take Franz's spirit and transfer it to Coppélia. After Dr. Coppelius proffers him some wine laced with sleeping powder, Franz begins to fall asleep. The inventor then readies his magic spell. However, Dr. Coppelius did not expel all the girls: Swanhilda is still there, hidden behind a curtain. She dresses up in Coppélia's clothes and pretends that the doll has come to life. She wakes Franz and then winds up all the mechanical dolls to aid their escape. Dr. Coppelius becomes confused and then saddened when he finds a lifeless Coppélia behind the curtain. Act III Swanhilda and Franz are about to make their wedding vows when the angry Dr. Coppelius appears, claiming damages. Dismayed at having caused such an upset, Swanhilda offers Dr. Coppelius her dowry in return for his forgiveness. However, Franz tells Swanhilda to keep her dowry and offers to pay Dr. Coppelius instead. At that point, the mayor intervenes and gives Dr. Coppelius a bag of money, which placates him. Swanhilda and Franz are married and the entire town celebrates by dancing. (Note: In some Russian versions of the ballet, after getting caught, Swanhilda confesses to Dr. Coppelius about what she and her friends did and her situation with Franz. Coppelius decides to forgive Swanhilda and teach her how to act like a doll coming to life to fool Franz, thus ending Act 2 on a happier note.)

Corroboree

Ballet · 1950

Corroboree is a ballet written by Australian composer John Antill in the early 1940s. The first full version of the score was completed in 1944 and it was first performed as a concert suite in 1946. On 3 July 1950 it was performed as a ballet, at the Empire Theatre in Sydney, choreographed by Rex Reid, with dancers of the Melbourne-based National Theatre Ballet. Wildly successful and seen as a national "coming-of-age", the ballet was performed again with new choreography by American-born dancer, choreographer and writer Beth Dean in 1954. Notably, Dean and her Australian husband, Victor Carell, had spent several months in remote outback Australia researching Aboriginal ceremonies, costumes and dance, upon which Dean's version was based. In this first production, Dean danced the role of the Initiate herself. Many of the costumes and props for this version of the ballet are held by the National Museum of Australia.

Dance Panels

Ballet · 1963

Dance Panels is a ballet composed by Aaron Copland in 1959 for a planned collaboration with choreographer Jerome Robbins. After Copland had written the score, Robbins reneged on his commitment and the performance did not take place. Three years later, Copland revised the score for a ballet by the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany, where it premiered on 3 December 1963. The ballet was performed by the New York City Ballet in 1965 and the concert version received its first performance at the Ojai Music Festival the following year. According to Copland biographer Howard Pollack, Dance Panels has proven from a musical standpoint one of the composer's more accessible late scores. While some of its more dissonant moments sound similar to Copland's twelve-tone compositions, other parts recall his earlier stage and screen music. It is also the only one of Copland's six ballets not written to a specific program.

Daphnis et Chloé

Ballet · 1912

Daphnis et Chloé (1906–1912) is a ballet and orchestral concert work subtitled symphonie chorégraphique (choreographic symphony), for orchestra and wordless chorus by Maurice Ravel. It is in three main sections, or parties, and a dozen scenes, most of them dances, and lasts just under an hour, making it the composer's longest work. It premiered as a ballet, but it is more frequently given as a concert work, either complete or excerpted. The dance scenario was adapted by choreographer Michel Fokine from a pastoral romance by the Greek writer Longus thought to date from the 2nd century AD, recounting the love between the goatherd Daphnis and the shepherdess Chloé. Scott Goddard in 1926 published a commentary on the changes to the story Fokine had to apply in order to make the scenario workable.

Deaths and Entrances

Ballet · 1943

Deaths and Entrances is a ballet choreographed by Martha Graham performed to music by Hunter Johnson. Arch Lauterer created the original set; Edythe Gilfond designed the costumes. The ballet was well-received from the first performance despite being labeled as one of Graham's most personal, least accessible works. Oscar de la Renta created new costumes for the ballet's 2005 revival. The piece premiered on July 18, 1943, at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont. The first performance was an informal preview for which the dancers wore practice clothes although the set was in place.

Die Vogelscheuchen

Ballet · 1970

Scene: In the Garden Since birds invaded the garden, the gardener is terrified they might destroy his beautiful work. His daughter shows no understanding for her father's anger. When the gardener chases the birds away, the girl brings them back. As a last resort, he builds a scarecrow. After placing it in the garden, it comes to life and pretends to be the prefect. The birds fear him and stay away from the garden, which makes the gardener happy. But when the scarecrow falls in love with his daughter, he becomes worried. Finally, the prefect persuades the girl to accompany him to the world of the scarecrows. Scene: World of the Scarecrows The abbess, the grenadier, and the Hallelujah Scarecrows give the girl and her lover a warm welcome. Then, the individual groups are introduced to her: the headless knights, the epileptic nuns, the grenadiers, and the uniformed men. All the scarecrows want the young lady to soon learn their secret language so that she can become one of their own. The wedding of the prefect and his sweetheart is immediately set in motion. As the procession turns into a leaping dance, the girl, who has grown frightened by the entire spectacle, manages to escape. Scene: In the garden The father refuses his daughter entry into the house. The girl collapses in despair. Only when the scarecrows approach to bring the runaway back to their realm does the father reconsider. In his attempt to rescue his daughter, he is attacked by the birds. With difficulty, he manages to drive them off; but in the end, he discovers that he himself has become a scarecrow.

Divertimento No. 15

Ballet · 1956

Divertimento No. 15 is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Mozart's eponymous music. The ballet was made for the New York City Ballet. Balanchine first choreographed the score in 1952, for a ballet titled Caracole. In 1956, he planned to revive Caracole for a celebration of Mozart's bicentenary but made a new ballet to the same music instead. Divertimento No. 15 premiered on May 31, 1956, at the American Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford, Connecticut.

Dolorosa

Ballet · 1931

Dolorosa is a modern dance solo choreographed by Martha Graham to music by Heitor Villa-Lobos. The work premiered on February 2, 1931, at New York's Craig Theatre. Dolorosa sometimes appeared in program notes with the subtitle from Primitive Cycle or from Primitive Cycle-Dance of Sorrow II. The ballet is one of a group of dances inspired by Graham's visits to New Mexico. Her fascination with Native American religious rituals was also explored in El Penitente, Incantation, and Primitive Mysteries. Some sources suggest Dolorosa is based on the theme of the Mater Dolorosa, familiar subject matter for the choreographer. Little else is known about the piece. Graham disliked revivals of her work, forbade notation of her dances and thought they could not be successfully filmed.

Don Quixote

Ballet · 1869

In a Barcelona marketplace, Kitri meets her lover Basilio, but her father Lorenzo accepts a proposal from Gamache. The lovers flee; Don Quixote and Sancho pursue them through gypsy encampments, a puppet theatre, windmills, and Don Quixote's dream of Dulcinea. When Basilio feigns suicide to avoid the unwanted marriage, Lorenzo relents and the lovers wed. In the 1869 version, Don Quixote later loses a duel to the Knight of the Silver Moon and sets out for home with Sancho.

Edward II

Ballet · 1995

Edward II is a ballet in two acts, with music by the English composer John McCabe. Commissioned by Stuttgart Ballet, with a narrative conceived by choreographer David Bintley, the ballet largely follows the plot of Christopher Marlowe's play of the same name, rather than the life of the real Edward. Bintley incorporates elements of the 14th century satire Roman de Fauvel with the character of Edward, replacing that of the ass Fauvel, Piers Gaveston as the Fool, and Queen Isabella as the Virgin. As such, the narrative depicts the self-obsessed sexual relationships of the three main characters with the increasing civil unrest in the country as a backdrop. Although McCabe's score uses motifs associated with music of medieval times, the treatment is modern, with the orchestra including a large battery of percussion as well as a celesta and electric guitar. The ballet was premiered in Stuttgart on 15 April 1995. The UK première was given by the Birmingham Royal Ballet at the Birmingham Hippodrome on 9 October 1997. The score was recorded by Hyperion Records in 1999, with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Barry Wordsworth.

Edward Scissorhands

Ballet · 2005

The work "tells the gothic story of a boy, created by an eccentric inventor, trying to adapt to suburban life with only scissors for hands." The dance version is set in the 1950s, unlike the 1990 film, which was set in the late 1980s. The piece has no spoken words. Like in the film, Edward is equipped with only scissors for hands because his inventor died in the middle of outfitting him. He is discovered in his castle by an Avon lady who brings him into her home. He then wanders into a town where a family takes him in. The theatrical adaptation has a more robust prologue than the film, but the additional backstory does not add content to the character.

El amor brujo

Ballet · 1925

The ballet version premiered in Paris in 1925, following the original staged gitaneria of 1915. El amor brujo is the story of an Andalusian gypsy woman called Candela. Although her affection is for a man named Carmelo, as a girl she was promised to be married to another man (then a boy). After many years Candela's husband has died (at the hands of the husband of a woman named Lucia), but he continues to haunt his wife. The entire village knows about the haunting, but still brands Candela as crazy because she dances every night with her husband’s ghost ("Danza del terror"). Candela, now a widow, is free to establish a relationship with Carmelo, but continues to be haunted by her husband's ghost. After a conversation with other women of the village, Candela finally comes to realise that her husband was unfaithful to her, despite all her efforts to make their marriage work; her husband's lover is revealed to have been Lucia. Candela and Carmelo get advice that a ritual dance is necessary to cast the ghost off ("Danza ritual del fuego"), but it does not work. The ghost is still obsessed with Candela's soul. Candela manages to trick Lucía to come that night, with the excuse of hooking her up with Carmelo. As she turns up, the nightly ritual of Candela's dance with her husband's ghost begins, but at the last moment Candela moves away from her husband and Lucía is taken away by her now dead lover ("Danza del juego de amor"). Dawn breaks, Candela and Carmelo are now truly free to enjoy their love.

Episodes

Ballet · 1959

Episodes is a ballet choreographed by Martha Graham and George Balanchine, to compositions by Anton Webern. The ballet was a co-production between the Martha Graham Dance Company and Balanchine's New York City Ballet (NYCB). Though it was conceived to be a collaboration between Graham and Balanchine, leading choreographers in modern dance and neoclassical ballet respectively, they ultimately worked separately on the ballet's two halves. Episodes I was choreographed by Graham, for dancers from her company and four NYCB members, and depicts Mary, Queen of Scots remembering the events in her life before her execution. Episodes II, by Balanchine, is completely plotless, and made for members of the NYCB and Graham dancer Paul Taylor, who originated a solo. The ballet uses all seven orchestral compositions by Webern. Episodes premiered on May 14, 1959, at the City Center of Music and Dance. Starting in 1960, Balanchine's section is presented as a standalone piece, with Taylor's solo removed the following year. Since then, Balanchine's Episodes had been revived by both NYCB and other ballet companies, with Taylor's solo performed in a few rare instances. The complete Episodes has not been seen in full since 1959, and the Graham section had only been revived once, in 1980, with the choreography significantly revised.

Errand into the Maze

Ballet · 1947

The original program notes describe the action as "that errand-journey into the maze of the heart to face and do battle with the Creature of Fear". Barely fifteen minutes in length, Errand into the Maze is designed almost as a solo work, with the bull-horned, staff (bone)-carrying Creature of Fear serving more as a prop than an active participant. The unnamed female protagonist weaves her way through a rope maze outlined on the stage to arrive at a set (originally by Isamu Noguchi) that includes a suggestive v-shaped wooden frame (like a tree, or a woman's crotch). She is confronted three times by the creature, ultimately overpowering him. He drops the bone/staff as he sinks to the floor in surrender. The heroine dances in the void between the two vertical set elements as the curtain falls.

Estancia (Ginastera)

Ballet · 1952

Estancia (Op. 8) is the second ballet composed by Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera premiered in 1952 commissioned by American writer Lincoln Kirstein. Ginastera took inspiration for the ballet's plot from the epic Martin Fierro by Argentine writer José Hernández, incorporating the nationalist themes and language into his musical score. The ballet was created the same year the composer had made his acquaintance with American composer Aaron Copland. The ballet began its life as a four-part orchestral suite in 1941 before being turned in a one-act ballet. The ballet form is approximately one-half hour in length and tells the story of the love between a boy living in the city and the daughter of a rancher. The girl finds the boy lacking in courage when compared to the gauchos. However, by the end of the ballet, he wins her over by outdancing the gauchos in a competition.

Every Soul Is a Circus

Ballet · 1939

Every Soul Is a Circus is a comedic ballet choreographed by Martha Graham. The dance premiered on December 27, 1939, at the St. James Theatre in New York City. The original score was composed by Paul Nordoff. Philip Stapp created the set. Edythe Gilfond designed the costumes. The production marked the first appearance of Merce Cunningham with the Martha Graham Dance Company. The troupe still performs the work on occasion. It was last reprised for the 85th anniversary season in 2012.

Everywhere We Go

Ballet · 2014

Everywhere We Go is a ballet choreographed by Justin Peck and scored by Sufjan Stevens. The ballet is plotless, danced by a cast of 25 and features nine sections. This is the second collaboration between Peck and Stevens, following Year of the Rabbit (2012). Everywhere We Go was created for the New York City Ballet (NYCB), and premiered on May 8, 2014, at the David H. Koch Theater, during NYCB's spring gala. The success of the ballet led to Peck's appointment as resident choreographer of NYCB, as the second person to hold the position.

Fall River Legend

Ballet · 1948

Fall River Legend is a ballet by American choreographer Agnes de Mille, with music by Morton Gould. Set in Massachusetts in 1892-1893, the ballet tells the infamous story of Lizzie Borden. The work notably alters the outcome of the court case, with Borden receiving a guilty verdict rather than an acquittal. De Mille herself believed that Borden was guilty of the murder of her father and stepmother. Like the majority of de Mille’s ballets, Fall River Legend is deeply character driven. The ballet was commissioned by American Ballet Theatre and premiered on April 22, 1948 at the Metropolitan Opera House. Today, Fall River Legend is considered by many scholars to be her masterpiece and when it first premiered, the reviews of the ballet were generally positive.

Faust ballets

Ballet · 1895

Faust ballets are a set of ballets, choreographed between the 18th and 20th centuries, based on the legend of Faust. As early as 1723, London-based John Rich put on a Faust-inspired ballet pantomime called The Necromancer at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. In the 19th century several productions took Faust as their subject matter including August Bournonvilles 1832 production Faust for the Royal Danish Ballet. In 1833, Andre Deshayes Faust premiered in London with music by Adolphe Adam. On 12 February 1848, a Faust ballet premiered at the Ballet of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. This version featured choreography and libretto by Jules Perrot and music by Giacomo Panizza, Michael Andrew Costa, and Niccolò Bajetti, with Fanny Elssler (as Marguerite), Perrot (as Mephistophelis), Effisio Catte (as Faust), and Ekaterina Costantini (as Bambo, Queen of the Demons). Perrot revived the ballet three times between 1848 and 1854, the last featuring a revised score by Cesare Pugni. In 1867, Marius Petipa revived this version again for the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, St. Petersburg, using the revised Pugni score. In 1852 Paul Taglioni, brother of Maria Taglioni (the first ballerina to dance en pointe), choreographed Satanella oder Metamorphosen with music by composed by Peter Ludwig Hertel. A few years later, Julius Reisingers Mephistophelia premiered in Hamburg and Meyer Lutz composed the score for Joseph Lanners 1895 production. The trend continued into the 20th century with ballets created by Remislav Remislavsky, Heiner Luipart and female choreographer Nina Kirsanova based on an unstaged 19th century libretto Der Doktor Faust, written by Heinrich Heine. Romantic composer Berliozs La Damnation de Faust was staged by French choreographer Maurice Béjart for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1964). Béjarts 1975 production Notre Faust was set to Bachs B minor Mass.

Façade

Ballet · 1931

Façade is a one-act ballet of seven to ten divertissements, described by the ballet critic Debra Crane as "choreographic satires on popular dance forms and their dancers". There is no plot. The numbers as danced in the original production are: Scotch Rhapsody Jodelling Song Polka Valse Popular Song Tango-Pasodoble Finale – Tarantella Sevillana. Ashton revised the ballet over the years. "Country Dance" was added in 1935 and "Noche Espagnola" and "Foxtrot" were added in 1940.

Fiametta

Ballet · 1863

Fiametta is a fantastic creature, produced by Cupid from the flame of love, who took the form of an earthly girl in order to charm Count Sterngold and prevent him from marrying a rich bride Regonda for self-interest. Cupid, with the help of Fiametta, reunites Regonda and officer Otto, who love each other. The action, which began on Olympus, was transferred to Tyrol. In an eclectic plot, a magical creature, mythological heroes, Tyrolean aristocrats and gypsies coexisted - the presence on the stage of fantastic as well as real characters from different layers of society allowed the choreographer to use both classical and characteristic dance. The reviewer Bocharov noted that the author “quite managed to reconcile the graceful pride of Greek mythological creatures with the un-ceremoniousness of some Tyrolean Count and the violent revelry of idle gypsies” (a few years later, a similar combination is used by Marius Petipa in his ballet Don Quixote). Cupid, god of love Fiametta Mercury Terpsichore Coquetry Count Friedrich Sterngold Ritter, his friend Molari, tutor and guardian of the Count Martini, servant of the count Princess Milfleur Regonda, her daughter Yolanda and Margarita, friends of Regonda Otto, officer Three graces, nymphs, cupids, muses, gypsies, Tyrolean villagers and villagers Scene I The goddesses of Olympus worship Cupid. Terpsichore, nymphs and other mythological creatures entertain the inhabitants of Olympus with dances. Mercury appears. He informs Cupid that a young man has appeared on earth, denying his power. Having squandered his fortune, he intends to marry a rich heiress who is in love with a brave officer and these lovers cry to the god of love, hoping for his protection. Cupid offers a view of Regonda and Otto on one side and a pavilion with the inscription "Temple closed to love", where he has fun, drinking wine and playing cards with friends, surrounded by gypsies, Count Sterngold - on the other. Cupid decides to punish the dissolute count and help the lovers. Having extinguished the altar with the flame of love, he reproduces Fiametta: endowed with magical beauty, she must take revenge on Sterngold for insulting Cupid. Scene II Sterngold estate in Tyrol. The count is still having fun in the pavilion. A shot is fired, followed by Cupid in the guise of a hunter. Young people and gypsies persuade him to join their company. Cupid brings Fiametta in the guise of a gypsy. When she starts dancing, she charms Sterngold.

Figure of a Saint

Ballet · 1929

Figure of a Saint was a modern dance solo choreographed by Martha Graham to the music of George Frideric Handel. The work premiered on January 24, 1929, at The Bennett School in Millbrook, New York. The all solo program also included: Valse Noble, Maid with the Flaxen Hair, Fragilite, In a Boat, Insincerities (Petulance, Remorse, Politeness, Vivacity), Tanagra (Gnossienne 1 and 2), Scherzo Waltz, Deux Valses Sentimentales, Prelude and La Cancion. Louis Horst accompanied Graham on piano.

Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan

Ballet · 1976

Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan is a ballet solo choreographed by Frederick Ashton to music by Johannes Brahms, inspired by Isadora Duncan and created for Lynn Seymour. The first version, under the title Brahms Waltz, used only Brahms' Op. 39, No. 15, and premiered on 22 June 1975, at the Hamburg State Opera. The expanded version, which featured more Brahms waltzes, premiered on 15 June 1976, during Ballet Rambert's 50th anniversary gala, at the Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, and is dedicated to Marie Rambert.

Five Movements, Three Repeats

Ballet · 2012

Five Movements, Three Repeats is a dance choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. It is set to music by Max Richter, including his mashup of "This Bitter Earth", written by Clyde Otis and sung by Dinah Washington. It premiered at the Vail International Dance Festival in Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail, Colorado, performed by Fang-Yi Sheu, Wendy Whelan, Tyler Angle and Craig Hall. The "This Bitter Earth" pas de deux is often performed separately from the rest of the piece.

Flames of Paris

Ballet · 1932

Flames of Paris or The Flames of Paris (Пла́мя Пари́жа) is a full-length ballet in four acts, choreographed by Vasily Vainonen with the stage director Sergei Radlov to music by Boris Asafyev based on songs of the French Revolution. The libretto by Nicolai Volkov and Vladimir Dmitriev was adapted from a book by Felix Gras. It was premiered at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad on 7 November 1932, with Natalia Dudinskaya as Mireille de Poitiers, Vakhtang Chabukiani as Jérôme, Olga Jordan as Jeanne, Nina Anisimova as Thérèse, and Konstantin Sergeyev as Mistral. The Bolshoi Ballet premiered the full work on 6 July 1933 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, with Aleksey Yermolayev (Jérôme), Anastasia Abramova (Jeanne), Nadezhda Kapustina (Thérèse) and Marina Semenova (Mireille de Poitiers). The conductor was Yuri Fayer. A new production (using some of the original choreography) was staged in 2008 by Alexei Ratmansky for the Bolshoi Ballet and is available on DVD with Ivan Vasiliev and Natalia Osipova. In 2013 a three-act reconstruction of the Vainonen ballet was staged by Mikhail Messerer for St Petersburg's Mikhailovsky Theatre. It is based on a 1947 version done by Vainonen for the Bolshoi.

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