Art can have the deepest and purest connection with anyone without considering their nation or language. Ballet is a bizarre form of art which can touch the people's soul without using a single word.
Ballet is a form of group dancing performance which its participants start their training from child age to sometimes late teenage years of their life to be able for performing on stage. The difference between Ballet and other forms of dance would be its mixture of Classical music and narrating a tale by developing some unique dance moves. However that the birth of Ballet would be during the Italian Renaissance but, it was in France and Russia that the Ballet developed and presented to the world.
Ballet was not existed in Russia not until, 1689. During the Peter the Great's father, Aleksey Mikhailovich reign that some French ballerinas and choreographer invited to Russia to perform a ballet during Mikhailovich's wedding. However, not until Peter the Great's reign who wants to combine Western Culture into the Russian's life, Ballet didn't recognize as Russian culture and never performed in Russia. He invited some Ballet dancers and choreographer to Russia for both performing and teaching this form of dance to Russians. Although not like the other countries in the world, in Russia, Ballet was not for entertainment only, Russia had intended to train and form westernized young noble Russian without neglecting their own culture. It was in early 19th centuries that theater doors opened to the public for anyone who can afford Ballet show tickets. There was even some wooden bench called Rayok which was inexpensive for people with low income to be able to watch Ballet without a high cost.
It was early 20th centuries that Russia with the help of its former foreign Ballet masters such as French man Charles Didelot, and also by combining the Russian folklore dance into the Ballet and pieces of Russian musicians introduced a new style of Ballet named Russian Ballet to the world. Establishing a few Ballet school with foreign teachers and choreographing a few Ballet with Russian literature leads Russian Ballet to be at the same level as French and Italian Ballet in the world which praised by many critics around the world. The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake are a few examples of the Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky's many works.
Many Russian or foreign dancers and ballerinas have risen to fame from Russia and its excellent Ballet companies, and the reason is their point of view toward Ballet which is unlike the rest of the world. Ballet is a form of entertaining performance for the whole world but Russia which is considered as a high-class action and has a noble social status in Russia and for this particular reason, they make it quite difficult for people to enter and graduate their Ballet academies to deliver world-class ballet dancers and ballerinas to the world. Rough diets, hard training programs from child ages, being away from the families, and having an attractive face are only a few parts of the challenges that students face before entering and during in the Russian Ballet academies.
There are lots of Ballet companies and academies in Russia which are famous in the world, and one of them is the Mariinsky company which dates back to around 150 years ago. The Bolshoi Theater of St. Petersburg established, in 1783, by Antonio Rinaldi in Carousel Square to be the beginning of opera and musical performances in Saint Petersburg. From the start until, 1842, the Bolshoi experience its golden age with lots of great performances held on its stages such as symphonies by Mozart and romantics operas. It was in 1842 that Bolshoi Opera Company relocates to the Circus Theater which was in front of the Bolshoi Theater building. The Circus Theater destroyed in a fire, in 1859, and another modern theater constructed at its place which named the Mariinsky after the Alexander II's wife. Until 1894, all the companies in Bolshoi Theater gradually moved to the Mariinsky including Bolshoi Ballet Company which performed on Bolshoi's stage till the last day.
In Soviet Russia, Ballet treated very poorly, and many choreographers and dancers left Russia during that time. However, even in those circumstances, many memorable ballets such as The Red Poppy, a remarkable adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, and Ivan the Terrible Ballet were performed on private or small stages. The Mariinsky Theater went under huge restoration, between 1968 to 1970, and changed into the construction that we know today. The Bolshoi Theater which also destroyed in a fire several times and reconstructed again is now the Saint Petersburg Conservatory at the time.
After Soviet reign, Ballet gained its former glory in Russia again. Russian is one of the most influential and powerful countries in Ballet industry in the world. Though that France never admitted it, many critics believe that Russian Ballet even inspired French Ballet as well as other worlds.
Ballet by successfully mixing delightful dance moves, charming music, and fascinating play in both entertaining and artistic point of view is a complete set for all kinds of taste in the art. That's why it's an extremely valuable form of art in Russia and all around Europe in general. You might only enjoy music, or simply wants to see a play, or you consider that dance is the preferred form of performance in all, either way, you would positively love Ballet for sure.
Ballet just like theater plays has several acts in one performance. In classical ballet, there would be at least two acts, and each act is around, 40 to 50 minutes long, therefore, each Ballet would be at least about two hours. For instance, Swan Lake which is one of the masterpieces of Tchaikovsky's fine works based on an old German tale is a three-act ballet. Act 1 and 2 is about one hour and act 3 around half-hour long.
As is clear, Russia emphasizes its history and culture, including Russian Ballet which has a high-rank between various sorts of art in Russia. Since there are lots of Halls that have a Ballet show in their calendar in Russia, travel agencies offer all sort of program to include at least one show in their tour schedule to make their tourists' journey even more pleasant. Mariinsky Theater is one of those halls that host a ballet performance the entire year.
The Mariinsky Theater hall with its modern and impressive construction can provide a way that both performers and audience have the opportunity to connect in the best way possible during the show. Mariinsky hosted major musicians, operas, and ballets on its stage, and also Tsars, writers, poets such as Pushkin as an audience during its presence.
As we said before, Ballet is a complete set of both art and entertainment. If you ever ask a ballet expert about should you go to one or not, they will probably tell you that any person without considering their taste in the art should at least watch one ballet show in their life. Ballet would deliver its spirit without using a word but only music, dance, and forming a concept. The dancer and ballerinas’ duet, astonishing costumes, and the music will bring joy and a pleasant feeling in the audience. Of course, besides the entertaining aim, Ballet would also touch your soul and feelings in most meaningful ways. Unlike operas which use the power of vocalist and words to express the feelings in their audience, Ballet completely depends on its dancers' technique and choreographer's skills, and since there are no words used in a ballet performance, you can enjoy the show with whatever language you spoke and hopefully experience a pleasant feeling at the end.
The Mariinsky Theater - Stage two would be the other well-equipped theater hall for ballet performances in the Saint Petersburg which of course is under the Mariinsky Theater supervision. The Mariinsky II is a modern and well-equipped theater hall which began its construction in 2006 and after lots of ups and downs, finally opened with a gala concert in honor of both the opening day and Valery Gergiev's 60th birthday, in 2013. This modern yet classic hall is perfect for operas performances, musicals especially classical symphonies, and ballet shows for sure, and these are the reason that some parts of Mariinsky show calendar would be host in Mariinsky Theater II.
Any ballet performance, especially if it belongs to one of the Russian Ballet companies, worth it to watch. However, there are several famous Russian Ballet with global tours such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo, and Juliet, Cinderella and many mores which are praised by many critics because of the well-mixed of Russian folklore dance and music, traditional costumes with classical ballet. The two major ballet companies in Russia Bolshoi and Mariinsky are performing both in Russia and the rest of the world all year round.
As we said several times now, ballet is one of the popular forms of art and dance performance between Russians. One can find several theater halls inside St. Petersburg that have a regular schedule of ballet shows such as Carnival Concert Hall inside the Anchikov Palace, Theater of Musical Comedy, and Aurora Ballet Hall. Other than the halls, there are several house and mansion belonged to famous ballerinas of Saint Petersburg such as the Kschessinska Mansion which belonged to Mathilda Kshesinskaya and now housed the Museum of Political History If you relish group dance performances in general, we recommend you to check out the Russian Folklore Dance and attend one of those performances as well.
We at the Star Travel Group believe that creating art is only possible with emotions, and dance is the purest visual way of showing that emotions. That's why we suggest people who travel to St. Petersburg or visit Russia to go and see at least one Russian ballet performance in their travel.
