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I’ll start! A couple months ago I made this research paper. I’m hiding it because it’s really long lol. But if you choose to read it, you can. It hasn’t actually been graded yet, so I’m sure there can be some improvements lol. It’s possible some of my spacing was messed up from the discourse, but it should definitely be readable still.
My research paper
Why are many ballet variations listed under the name of Petipa? Who is Petipa and what affect did he have on the present ballet world to have his name in so many dances? He was in fact very influential. Marius Petipa was a dancer in Russia who changed the future of ballet with his choreographic masterpieces. How did Petipa live his life to one day affect the future generations of ballet?
Before Petipa was alive ballet was most often combined with Opera. The Opera was mixed not only with singing but with dancing. In 1783, the first permanent ballet and opera theatre was founded. Later, ballet became a more competitive art and standards were raised for the dancers. In Russia, children were handpicked from ages 9-12 to study at Imperial Theatres domain in St. Petersburg from ages 9-12. But if the teachers decided the child didn’t have enough potential in ballet, they would be sent home at 13. The rest would continue their training in St. Petersburg.
Marius Petipa was born on March 11, 1818 into that competitive ballet world under his danseur father. He was the younger of Jean-Antoine’s sons: Lucien and Marius Petipa. Lucien and Marius were both raised by Jean-Antoine to be danseurs. Lucien was the more remarkable of the two in his skill of dancing. He debuted at the Paris Opera House, and stayed on for many more years. Marius Petipa, however, took longer to settle into his professional dancing career.
For nearly a decade, Marius Petipa bounced around different companies, staying in each for several years at a time before moving on. He first debuted in Nantes, France, where he stayed from 1839-1842. In 1840, Petipa choreographed his first ballet at the age of 22, showing his promising signs as a choreographer from a young age. He then relocated to Bordeaux, France for another season. He continued on to spend a short time in New York and then Spain. June of 1844 was Petipa’s first debut in Madrid, Spain. His experience in Madrid taught him the Spanish artistry that he later used when choreographing Don Quixote. But, once again, he stayed only a few years.
Marius Petipa finally found his home in Russia. He was offered and accepted a 3-year contract by the director of Imperial Theatres in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was contracted as premier danseur and mime. Petipa began his career in Russia on May 24, 1847 at the age of 29. He did however, lie about his age to appear younger so his contract would be lengthened. His 3-year contract was, in fact, renewed twice. Petipa was not considered particularly strong in his classical ballet talent, but his miming was astounding. Vazem, a dancer who later writes about Petipa’s performances accounts,
“The crowning glory of Petipa’s art as a ballet artist was his mime…his face mirroring a whole range of experience and mood, his broad, clear, convincing gestures and a most profound identification with his role and the character of the person portrayed.placed Petipa, as a ‘silent actor’ on a pinnacle, which only a very few of his colleagues attained. His acting could, without overstating the case, excite and shake his audience.” (Meisner 67)
Petipa’s professional dancing career ended in 1869 after 22 years. However, his time in Russia was far from over.
In September 1855, Petipa was appointed to teach the senior boy’s class at Imperial Theatres (now Mariinsky Ballet). Later he was switched to teach the girl’s class before he passed that job to a woman. Instead, he began teaching mime in 1887. Mime had never before been a class, and since ballet acts out emotions, thoughts, and history, Petipa happily coached his students. But he was known for his harsh ways of teaching. Alexandra Kemmerer, as female student of his recalls,
“He was a real terror to us. An outstanding ballet master and great expert in his subject, he did not hesitate to be irascible, outspoken, and sometimes impossibly harsh. The smallest mistake or lack of understanding from a pupil would cause him to boil over. We were all afraid of him, like fire, although behind his back we also sniggered, because he spoke Russian badly and it would come out in a very funny way.” (Meisner 88)
In the midst of teaching and dancing Marius Petipa became ballet master and principal choreographer of the Imperial Theatres.
From the beginning his professional career at Imperial Theatres through his time of teaching and some partnership with Bolshoi Ballet, Petipa was constantly choreographing ballets. He had quite a talent for choreography and used that talent by creating about 80 ballets. Even after he quit teaching, he would still rehearse with the Imperial Theatres company and students. In fact, Petipa’s ballets changed much of ballet future because his ballets are still famous throughout the world. Some of his best ballets are Don Quixote (1869), La Bayadere (1877), The Sleeping Beauty (1890), Raymonda (1898), Harlequinade, and the Ivanov-Petipa Nutcracker (1892) and Swan Lake (1895).
Petipa’s attention to detail made it possible to put on such celebrated shows that were passed throughout the world. Many of the ballets he choreographed himself, but a few times he partnered with Lev Ivanov. Ivanov was certainly not to the level of choreographer that Petipa was, but together the two made some of the most famous ballets in history: Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. During the production of Swan Lake, Petipa was at ill health during the choreography and rehearsals. The Swan Lake choreography ended up being split in half between Petipa and Ivanov, meaning Petipa choreographed Act 1 and sections of Acts 3 and 4, while Ivanov choreographed Act 2 as well as Acts 3 and 4. Even with the partnership, Swan Lake turned into a famous ballet that is danced across the world to this day.
The ballets Petipa choreographed independently are just as riveting and famous as the Petipa-Ivanov Swan Lake and Nutcracker. Raymonda was a phenomenal ballet choreographed near the end of Petipa’s ballet career. Raymonda was such a performance it surpassed all of Petipa’s ballets in the past 7 years, though it was also his last huge success.
Raymonda also paved the way for more modern danseurs and the difficult level they need to perform. One of Raymonda’s attractions was the huge and difficult male jumps. “As such, it marks Raymonda as significant in the evolution of male dance, the start of Russian Ballet’s famously strong male dancing, unequalled to anywhere in the twentieth century.” (Meisner 248-249)
Petipa had much influence on the future of ballet. During a season of sickness, he would often partner with Ivanov as well as Enrico Cecchetti. Together they produced the new ballet, Cinderella. Cecchetti worked near Petipa for awhile and was under some of Petipa’s influence. Cecchetti worked and taught at Imperial Theatre and trained some of Petipa’s students, such as Anna Pavlova, in the crisp Italian way. He strengthened the students so they could dance much better.
Kshesinskaya, a dancer who trained under Cecchetti writes about his teaching,
“Quite a few of our best classical ballerinas studied with him. He toughened up their legs, giving them, through his exercises, that muscular strength which had marked him out. Anna Pavlova–the great ballerina for two decades of the twentieth century—is much indebted to him for the development of her talent…Italian technique called for abrupt, precise, clear-cut movements, while Russian and French techniques are more lyrical, softer, more expressive, even in steps most marked with brio and virtuosity.” (Meisner 245)
Petipa’s influence wasn’t just on Cecchetti though. He trained the renowned Anna Pavlova and George Balanchine. At one point, Anna Pavlova performed Harlequinade worldwide and Balanchine was a student danseur in the ballet. Pavlova went on to dance famously for twenty years and she is still considered an inspiring dancer. Balanchine took his career to New York where he founded the American Ballet Theater, School of American Ballet, and New York City Ballet. Balanchine learned and took much of Petipa’s technique and put it into his own choreography.
Royal Ballet, in London, England, was founded in 1931 by Ninette de Valois. Although she never danced under Petipa, she was trained by Cecchetti and brought the now famous choreographer George Balanchine to help for a time at Royal Ballet. Royal Ballet was, and still is, one of the closest in the world to St Peterburg’s repertoire and holds a strong influence around the world.
Paris was marked by Petipa’s influence when Serge Diaghilev founded the company, Ballet Russes. Excluding one, all the choreographers and many of the dancers came from St Petersburg and Petipa’s schooling.
“The Ballet Russes had a colossal impact in Paris and London where ballet had been demoted from art to entertainment and serious-minded people took no interest. Suddenly all that changed, sparked by the company’s modernist credentials, the high caliber of its participants, and its ‘exoticism’.” (Meisner 293)
Petipa’s downfall was when he was hired to choreograph “The Magic Mirror.” Through sickness, old age, and early senility, the production of “The Magic Mirror” in 1903 was a failure. The story of Snow White was messy and ununified. The director Teliakovsky blamed it on Petipa, even though his directions were not often clear. Through other accounts, however, it seems Petipa is not at fault for the messy ballet but Teliakovsky was. Benois, a man who witnessed the production struggle, writes about it saying Teliakovsky lacked control over his company and was unable, through lack of skill, to unify the composer, the artist, and the chorographer (Petipa), in making a rounded ballet. But, even though one of Petipa’s last ballets was a flop, he still kept his artistic touch. Even in his tired, old age, Petipa paid attention to all the details. From unified ensemble to a missing costume button, Petipa was there to catch it.
Marius Petipa finally died a peaceful death on July 14, 1910, at the age of 92. After years of dedication to the art of ballet and mime, Petipa changed the ballet world he was living in and the ballet world in his future. In all, he choreographed over 80 ballets, many of which are still being performed. Today in America, many dancers dream of roles in his ballets and the majority of variations danced at competitions such as YAGP are from Petipa’s ballets. Meisner explains the influence Petipa had in the ballet world by saying this:
“Of course, this triumph, this victorious march of Russian choreography around the cities of the New and Old World is the immediate result of the feverish and talented activity of Diaghilev, Fokine, and the brilliant galaxy of their like-minded performers and artists. But this to be exact is a result, the result of that mighty creative work, which in the course of many decades was shouldered by the genius of the old ballet—Petipa. (Meisner 293-294)
From danseur to teacher, from ballet master to principal choreographer, Marius Petipa has shaken the ballet world. The many ballets he created allowed dancers to strive to reach a level never before expected. His ballets required excellent training and artistry that soon created dancers who were willing to live up to the expectations. Those dancers like Vazem, Pavlova, Balanchine, Nijinsky, and many more brought Petipa’s talent and artistry throughout the world. Classical ballet is deeply indebted to Petipa for the passionate dedication he put into the art.
Works Cited
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Marius Petipa”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Mar. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marius-Petipa. Accessed 14 March 2024.
Katy Matheson. Marius Petipa, The World Book Encyclopedia
London, Chicago, Sydney, Toronto: World Book, Inc. a Scott Fetzer Company, 1992
“Marius Petipa” Wikipedia, 24 February 2024, Marius Petipa - Wikipedia. Accessed 14 March 14 2024
Meisner, Nadine. Marius Petipa: The Emperors Ballet Master (pp. 67, 88, 248-9, 245, 293, 293-4)
New York: Oxford University Press, 2019
Morrison, Simon. Bolshoi Confidential: Secrets of the Russian Ballet from the Rule of the Tsars to Today
New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2016
I’ll change it
