If you are a ballet dancer, you probably know about the grandeur of the Russian ballet. While there are several prominent ballet troupes in Russia, one of the most well known in Russia is the Bolshoi Ballet. One of the most famous ballet companies in the world, the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia is known for its large ensembles, realistic scenes, and exciting and bold style of dance. Here are eleven things that you may not know about the Bolshoi Ballet company, and the Bolshoi theater:
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1. Prince Pyotr Urusov and Michael Maddox first started the group in 1776 by getting permission from Empress Catherine II to have performances in Moscow. ¹
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Performance at the Bolshoi Theater by Mikhail Alexandrovich Zichy, c. 1856
2. Originally the dance school was made for a Moscow orphanage in 1773. When Urusov and Maddox took control, they became employed dancers for the theatre company. ²
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3. The Bolshoi theater has been built and rebuilt several times. The first theater burned down in 1805, and a less advanced theater was built. It burned down in 1812. Joseph Bové rebuilt the theater, which was named the Petrovsky Theatre, but was appropriately named the Bolshoi Petrovsky, because “bolshoi” means “big”. That building burned down in 1853, destroying it completely.Alberto Cavos rebuilt it with the grandeur and excellence and is the building that we know and love today. ¹
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4. When Alexander Gorsky was appointed in 1900 as Ballet Master the company began to get more traction and performed ballets such as Don Quixote (1900), Swan Lake (1901), Giselle (1911), and La Bayadère (1917). He is also credited with bringing a livelier performance style to the ballet company. ²
Swan Lake 1901, Bolshoi Theatre
5. They use a hierarchical system, with principal dancers being the highest and them the lead soloist, first soloist, soloist, and corps de ballet. They are so big that they have to use two troupes of corps de ballet that totals around 169 dancers! ²
Sleeping Beauty, 2013: Bolshoi Theatre
6. There is a Bolshoi Ballet school located in Joinville, Brazil that opened in 2000. ²
Escolo de Teatro Bolshoi no Brasil
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7. The dress code for visitors of the ballet is much more casual than it used to be. While many still wear black tie attire, they now just require that men wear pants and that women “keep to a decent dress style”. ¹
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8. The New Stage was opened as a second location in 2002. It seats about 1,000 guests while the Historic Stage seats 2,000.
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The New Stage
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9. The start ballerina, Olga Smirnova, left Bolshoi Ballet in March of 2022 due to the Russian invasion on Ukraine.
Olga Smirnova and Semyon Chudin 2015; Bolshoi Theatre
10. Days after Smirnova’s departure, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested returning to a pre -1917 revolution system in which a single director oversaw the opera, ballet and theatre companies of both the Bolshoi Theatre and the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. The intended leader of this merger would be noted Putin loyalist, Valery Gergiev who currently leads the Mariinsky Theatre.
Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia
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11. While the uniting two of the most powerful musical theatres on Earth isn’t a final decision, many think the suggestion is a form of punishment against Bolshoi head, Vladimir Urin.
A Performance of Romeo and Juliet, Bolshoi Theatre
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Want to help Ukranian Dancers in need during this difficult time? Check out these resources below to find ways to donate and help.
