Before leaving the United States for Russia, one of the experiences I was most excited for was going to see the Russian Ballet. Russian ballet is world-renowned and known for having some of the most skilled and talented dancers in the world. The group walked to the Mariinsky Theater, and immediately the craftsmanship of the building previewed the exquisite show we were going to see.
The building itself is beautifully made, and resembles many building styles seen in Saint Petersburg throughout the duration of our stay there. The grandeur does not stop with the tall mint green exterior. Upon entrance, we made our way through security, but the metal detector was the only device that wasn’t covered in lavish ornamentation. Going up the stairs transported me back in time to 1859, when the Mariinsky Theater was originally built. The group had seats located on the first balcony, which provided a great view for the ballet. I was ecstatic when I was told we were seeing The Sleeping Beauty, as I was already familiar with the symphony composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. I was surprised to find out that The Sleeping Beauty first premiered at the Mariinsky Theater in 1890. This show is known around the world, and there was even a Disney movie that includes some of the same musical themes, so I find it interesting how far this Russian work has spread throughout not only Europe, but the entire world.
The ballet itself was not what I was expecting. I had assumed it would only be two hours maximum, and only have one short intermission between acts. I was very wrong; the ballet consisted of a prologue and three acts, with intermissions of about 20 minutes each between the first and second acts, as well as between the second and third act. In my opinion, the prologue and first act seemed to drag on for hours. It ended up being an hour and forty five minutes just for that portion of the show! At that point, I remember feeling tired and my back was aching from the excursions we had gone on earlier in the day. I wondered if I should leave early, but I decided to stick through my slight discomforts in the hopes that the second and third acts would go more quickly.
To my delight, the second and third acts were full of more action and I am so happy I decided to stay! My favorite part of the show was during the third act, where various fairy tale creatures arrived at the royal wedding of Aurora and the prince. There is nothing quite like seeing Puss In Boots dance, along with Cinderella and her own Prince Charming, followed by Little Red Riding Hood, who, for some reason, decided to come to the wedding with the wolf that ate her grandmother in her popular fairy tale. The costuming on each character throughout the show was amazing, and these minor characters were no exception; their tutus glistened just as much as any lead dancer. This attention to detail was stunning and showed a strong sense of dedication by the costume designers.
Image from http://passioneperladanza.tumblr.com/post/153620150277/oksana-skoryk-as-princess-aurora-in-the-sleeping
After the show had it’s happy ending, the crowd gave a standing ovation to the dancers as they came out for their final bows. I thought it was interesting how the crowd varied in appearance(some people dressed very formally and others wore jeans), but each Russian citizen was engrossed in the ballet for the duration of the show, whereas I had become exhausted after just the first act! This showed how highly regarded the Russian Ballet truly is in the Russian culture. To those people, it wasn’t simply ballet – it was a show of some of the finest artistic works to come from Russia, and I felt their pride show as they applauded each dancer vigorously. As the curtain closed after the final bows and the group left the Mariinsky Theater, I felt content with being a part of a very Russian experience.
References:
Attending the Russian Ballet
https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/about/history/mariinsky_theatre/
http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/work.aspx?work=1344
That is so interesting that the ballet originally appeared at that exact theatre in the 19th century, I had no idea! As one of the few who made to the end, I can concur that the second and third acts were the saving grace of the ballet, only because I think every one was a little tired after the extensive first act. Anyway, the third act was also my favorite because the characters were SO random. Like, red riding hood and the wolf? WHO invited the wolf? I wanna know! And puss in boots and I guess his girlfriend were definitely my favorites, they were just silly. I think ballet comedy is probably some of the most obscure arts in existence, to its credit. I loved the music, I think that’s what brought it to the next level and kept my interest. Overall, a great night at the theatre!
I agree, I had no idea the ballet would last as long as it did. The second act was my favorite! The show did get better with time. I think it was a beautiful way to show a small part of Russia’s culture. The third act for me was a little wild. I had no idea that was how Sleeping Beauty ended. It was as if it was a dance competition with random fairytale characters. Even though this act was a little crazy, this was such a fun experience to have!
The ballet was such an experience. The theater itself was so pretty and extravagant. It’s crazy how many performances have happened here and how old the building is. From the little bit I could see, the performance was really pretty.
I’m actually really sad that I missed the ballet. It seems to have been an amazing experience. It is interesting to learn more about the attitude toward ballet in Russia and how it compares to the US. I have to say that I am extremely intrigued by the additional characters! reading your blog post gave me an insight to an expirence that I unfortunately missed!
Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite composers, and it really is too bad that I was very sick and did not get to go that night. I’m very jealous just from your post. It seems like it was really an experience to see such a talented artist’s work in person in such a ornate, old-style Russian building. I can only imagine the hard work that the dancers and musicians have to put in to make such a show happen.