La Bayadere in Saint Petersburg, Mikhailovsky Theater

The ballet «La Bayadere» is among the most famous Russian ballets of the 19th century.

The premiere at St. Petersburg's Mikhailovsky Theatre first took place on October 21, 2000, and on February 15, 2012 the ballet was performed in a new version.

Libretto by Marius Petipa and Sergei Khudekov, choreography by Marius Petipa, revised by Vladimir Ponomarev and Vakhtang Chabukiani. The dance of the Golden Goddess is choreographed by Nikolai Zubkovsky.

The literary basis for the libretto of the ballet was two works at once - the drama of the ancient Indian poet Kalidasa entitled «Shakuntala» and Johann W. Goethe's ballad «The God and the Bayadère».

Petipa's choreography was highly detailed, thought out to the smallest detail - each character was characterized exclusively by his dance, expressing a certain mood, mental experiences, feelings.

The musical score was written by Petipa's friend and constant collaborator, the Austrian composer Ludwig Minkus. There is nothing Indian or oriental in the music, but everything interesting and modern - gallop, waltz, fashionable rhythms of the time, rhythmic and comfortable music for the artists and for the audience.

The action of the performance unfolds in India in times of deep antiquity. The main characters - the Indian dancer Nikiya and the brave warrior Solor are passionately in love with each other. They meet secretly in a temple and plan to escape - only so they can be together. But the lovers are not destined to achieve such a cherished happiness: many obstacles arise on their way.

The high simplicity of the classics and the exotic luxury of the Maharajas were harmoniously combined in the performance. The ballet «La Bayadere» became a «bridge» between the eras of romanticism and classicism in ballet. It is no coincidence that India, a distant and exotic country popularized in romantic works, was chosen as the place of action.

A simple and clear plot, beautiful music, the talented work of the scriptwriter and director, and the ingenious development of the choreographer - these are the ingredients that have made the performance a success in our country and on world stages to this day.