July 3 - 9, 2006

120 Years of the Mariinsky Ballet on the Mariinsky Stage

A journey through ballet history as it has developed on the stage of
the Mariinsky theatre, from the classic works of the company's great
director Marius Petipa, through the radical changes of the Diaghilev
era and Mikhail Fokine, followed by the upheaval of Revolution and the
development of Soviet ballet, right through to the collaboration with
international choreographers of the early 21st century.

A few more words on the 120 year anniversary of the Mariinsky Ballet.

It was in 1886 that the troup moved from the Petersburg Bolshoi Theatre to the current theatre. In accordance with company history, the performances will be divided into three sections:
"Imperial Ballet" (those in the repertoire up to 1917),
the "Kirov Ballet" (those done during the Soviet era) and
the "Mariinsky Ballet" (new repertoire added after 1992, when the company resumed its historical name)*. Ballets by Petipa, Balanchine, Lacotte and Forsythe will be featured.

* when you see these titles on their web site, that is what they signify.