Marius Petipa: The Role of Other Players in His Rise and Fall - Research Paper Example

Marius Petipa: The Role of Other Players in His Rise and Fall Introduction Marius Petipa is widely considered the founder of classical ballet [Sch92]. Born in 1819 in Marseilles, France, Petipa began to train as a dancer with his father, at seven years of age, with Jean Petipa, as his trainer. Petipa attended the Grand College in Brussels and the Conservatoire and studied music. Marius Petipa was not only a dancer but also a teacher and choreographer of ballet. His career spanned nearly sixty years, most of which he spent at the Russian Imperial Ballet. Some of his masterpieces include The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. Petipa’s contributions to modern classical ballet are undeniable. Indeed, many written accounts of the career of Petipa credit him with almost single-handedly revolutionizing ballet, particularly in Russia where he served as the Imperial Ballet’s master of ballet for several years. However, Petipa's contribution to classical Russian ballet is over-stated; he did not make his accomplishments single-handedly. Discussion In 1847, for the second time, Marius eloped with another man’s wife[Sch92]. The threat of court proceedings loomed over him. As a result, his family decided that it was time he left France. As Marius’ brother Lucien Petipa had had experience working in Russia, he inquired from Antoine Titus in Petersburg. The events in Marius’ life back in France coincided with Imperial Theatres’ need for a strong male lead for Yelena Andreyanova, a leading female Russian ballet dancer at the Theatres. It was under these circumstances that Marius found himself at the Imperial Theatres[Smi00]. Later in the same year, Marius assumed the position of premier danseur at the Imperial Theatres. The position had become vacant following the departure of danseur Emile Gredlu, also a French. Several factors in Marius’ early life prepared him for his career at the Imperial Theatres[Sch92]. First, Marius was born into an artistic family. His mother was an actress while his father was a reputable choreographer and dancer. Not surprising, the Petipas encouraged their two sons to pursue the performing arts professionally. While Lucien embraced and succeeded at dance at an earlier age, Marius scorned it and pursued other interests. However, one event would change Marius’ attitude towards dance for the better. As a child, he starred in one of the productions of his father. The event marked the beginning of Marius’ dancing career. The family enjoyed considerable success in France until the Belgian Revolution broke out in1938, forcing the Petipas to move to Nantes around 1938. It was around this time that Marius became a principal ballet dancer. The following year in 1939, Marius and his father went on a tour of America. The tour, it appears, had a profound impact on Marius’ career[Smi00]. It is reported that upon returning to France, Marius embarked on intensive training under the tutelage Auguste Vestris, a famous dancer. By then, his dancing career is said to have truly begun to flourish. He collaborated with some of the greatest ballerinas of his time such as Carlotta Grisi. Inspired by his growing success as a dancer, he tried his hand at choreography, but success was not forthcoming until he moved to Spain and got a job at King’s Theatre. Thus, by the time he was joining the Imperial Theatres in 1847, Marius had considerable experience in several aspects of ballet – dancing, choreography, designing and research. In spite of his accomplishments, Marius’ career in Russia took off to a slow start[Sch92]. Initially, the company hired him as a principal dancer on a one-year contract. Unscathed by the modest beginnings, Marius and his father harnessed their creative energies and wooed Russians with Paquita and Leda, their first two productions. His youthful energy and unmatched creativity earned Marius favor before the company and the public. They praised him for reviving classical ballet. Throughout his career at the Imperial Ballet, Marius’ demonstrated creativity and willingness to try new designs and choreography. The role of Marius’ creativity in rejuvenating Russian ballet cannot be overemphasized[Smi10]. At the time of his arrival in St. Petersburg, the Imperial Ballet’s popularity among Russians had declined considerably following the departure of Marie Taglioni in 1842. Taglioni had worked for the company as a guest ballerina. Thus, Paquita and Satanella, punctuated by Marius’ creativity, went a long way towards recovering the company’s fortunes. Raphael Zotov, a critic praised Marius saying that Paquita and Satanellahad led to the rebirth of the company and placed it on its former path of glory[Sch92]. In the face of his growing popularity, it was around 1850, barely three years after his arrival at the Imperial Theatres that Marius’ career began to stabilize. He became responsible for many aspects of the company. He still danced and choreographed new pieces in spite the fact that he was advancing in years. Some of the works he produced around this time were The Blue Dahlia and A Regency Marriage. Although the reversal of the fortunes of the Imperial Theatres coincided with Marius’ entry into the company[Sch92], any attempts to credit the success of the company and the wider ballet industry in Russia must take into account the fact that a masters of ballet served at the company in Marius’ time before his rise to that position. The first Master of Ballet was the French Jules Perrot, who assumed the position in the winter of 1849. Perrot was assisted largely in his work by the Italian Cesare Pugni, who served as Ballet Composer, a position the company created specifically for him. Marius helped Perrot stage a number of revivals that included Giselle in 1850 and Le Corsaire in 1858[Smi10]. More importantly, Marius learned first-hand from the man whom Europe considered the most accomplished choreographer of the day. When Julie Perrot retired to their native France in 1858, Marius hoped to succeed him [Glo97]. He was now aged 41 and choreography seemed the most logical alternative to dancing. However, it was not his time yet. It took him another four years and hard work culminating in The Pharaoh's Daughter that premiered in late January 1862. The ballet was produced and performed in honor of and as a send-off for Carolina Rosati, a leading Italian ballerina that had worked with the company as a guest artist since 1855. The success of the ballet earned Marius the position of the Second Master of Ballet. Later, in March 1871, Marius rose to the position of Premier Master of Ballet. His accomplishments notwithstanding, Marius’ career in Russian ballet ended on a low note[Sch92]. His critics attributed his decline to his poor family relationships. Prior to leaving their native France for Russia in 1847, Marius had eloped with the wives of two different men. The second elopement had threatened to have him jailed, hence the family decision for him to move to Russia. Following the death of his first Russian wife in 1854, Marius’ embarked on a series of marriages and divorces. However, one cannot tell the extent to which troubles in Marius’ marriage life affected his career. Ultimately, Vladimir Teliakovsky dealt Marius his last blow in his career[Gar94]. Teliakovsky became the director of the Imperial Theatres in 1901. Marius and his colleagues found him boorish, unlike his predecessors who had been more cultured. In 1904, he cancelled Marius’ new ballet The Romance of the Rosebud and the Butterfly. The following year, he removed Marius’, then 86, from the theatre. Conclusion Marius Petipa is not doubt one of the leading figures in modern classical ballet[Sch92]. His teaching, dancing and choreography career lasted about sixty years, most of which he spent at the Imperial Theatres in St. Petersburg, then the capital of Russia, where he is credited with revolutionizing ballet. Several factors prepared Marius for his career right from his childhood. First, he was born into an artistic family where the mother was an actress and the father a ballet dancer and teacher. Later, he studied music at Brussels’ Grand College and the Conservatoire. While his contribution to revolutionizing ballet in the nineteenth century cannot be denied, he did not accomplish the feat single-handedly: many players were involved. As a result, any discussion of his role must take into account the contribution of those other players. Works Cited Sch92: , (Scholl and Scholl 40), Sch92: , (Scholl and Scholl 50), Smi00: , (M. Smith 32), Sch92: , (Scholl and Scholl 43), Smi00: , (M. Smith 33), Sch92: , (Scholl and Scholl 44), Smi10: , (M. Smith 36), Sch92: , (Scholl and Scholl 52), Sch92: , (Scholl and Scholl 38), Smi10: , (Smith 460), Glo97: , (Glossary of Choreographers 89), Sch92: , (Scholl and Scholl 56), Gar94: , (Garafola 78), Sch92: , (Scholl and Scholl 58), Read More