Choreografie jako vyvážená kompozice dramatu a virtuozity

Abstract

In her article Professor Božena Brodská recalls one of the greatest personalities of the world ballet scene – Marius Petipa, who died 100 years ago. Marius Petipa was born into the family of French dancer and ballet master, Jean-Antoine Petipa, in Marseille on March 11, 1818 and made his début a s a dancer in Brussel in 1831. While his older brother Lucien Petipa became the first soloist of the Paris Opera in 1839, Marius went on a not very successful tour of the USA, then danced in Bordeaux and Madrid, where he learned Spanish dance. Being more a demi-character kind of dancer, he never entered the Paris Opera, but took classes with the acclaimed Auguste Vestris. In 1847 he finally established his long career in St. Petersburg, which lasted until 1903. He danced in most of the ballets of Jules Perrot and Arthur Saint- Léon and from 1862 he became the first ballet master of the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg, following the success of his ballet La fille du Pharaon to the music of Cesare Pugni. Nevertheless, it was his collaboration with the composer P. I. Tchaikovsky which kept his choreography alive on contemporary stages all over the world. He died on July 14, 1910 at Gurzuf, Crimea.