Bolshoi Ballet

The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally famous classical ballet group based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. It was started in 1776, making it one of the oldest ballet groups in the world.

In the early 1900s, the Bolshoi Ballet became very well-known when Moscow was the capital of Soviet Russia. Ever since, it has been recognized as one of the best ballet companies in the world.

Today, the Bolshoi Ballet also has a school in Joinville, Brazil, where young dancers can learn and train.

History

The Bolshoi Ballet started with a dance school for children in an orphanage in Moscow in 1773. In 1776, the school’s dancers joined a new theatre company led by Prince Pyotr Vasilyevich Urusov and Michael Maddox. They first performed in private venues but later moved to the Petrovsky Theatre, which eventually became the Bolshoi Theatre after several rebuilds.

Over time, the Bolshoi Ballet grew and created famous ballet performances. In 1900, Alexander Gorsky helped the company develop its own style with new and updated ballets like Don Quixote and Swan Lake. Later leaders, including Yuri Grigorovich and others such as Alexei Ratmansky and Sergei Filin, brought fresh ideas and modern dance styles to the Bolshoi Ballet.

Repertoire

The Bolshoi Ballet performs many famous and classic stories from around the world. Some of their most popular shows include tales like Apollo, Carmen Suite, and Coppélia. They also dance beautiful versions of well-loved stories such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and The Sleeping Beauty. Each performance brings new life to these timeless tales, making them exciting for new audiences.

The company also enjoys sharing modern and creative works, like Forgotten Land and Short Time Together, showing that ballet can be both classic and fresh.

Notable staff

The Bolshoi Ballet has had many famous dancers and performers over the years. Some well-known names include Galina Ulanova, Marina Semyonova, Olga Lepeshinskaya, and Mikhail Mordkin, among others.

The company has also been led by notable directors such as Alexander Gorsky and Vasily Tikhomirov. Famous conductors, choreographers, and composers have also worked with the Bolshoi Ballet, contributing to its rich history.

Company structure

The Bolshoi Ballet is one of the biggest and most famous ballet companies in the world, with about 220 dancers. The word "bolshoi" means "big" or "grand" in Russian. Dancers in the company are ranked, with the top dancers called principals. Below them are lead soloists, first soloists, soloists, and then the corps de ballet. Because the company is so large, it has two groups of corps de ballet dancers.

In 2000, the Bolshoi Ballet opened its first Ballet Academy outside of Russia, in Joinville, Brazil.

Performance style

The Bolshoi Ballet is known for its colorful and bold style, mixing skill and energy with strong feelings and drama. This way of performing is often linked to Alexander Gorsky. There has been a long-standing friendly competition between the Bolshoi Ballet and the Mariinsky Ballet from St. Petersburg. The Bolshoi focuses on lively and striking performances, while the Mariinsky is famous for its clean and elegant classic style.

Dancers

Principal dancers

Female

• Elizaveta Kokoreva
• Alena Kovaleva
• Kristina Kretova
• Ekaterina Krysanova
• Anna Nikulina
• Evgenia Obraztsova
• Eleonora Sevenard
• Yekaterina Shipulina (working under contract)
• Anastasia Stashkevich
• Yulia Stepanova
• Svetlana Zakharova

Male

• Artemy Belyakov
• Semyon Chudin
• Egor Gerashchenko
• Vladislav Lantratov
• Mikhail Lobukhin
• Vyacheslav Lopatin
• Artem Ovcharenko
• Denis Rodkin
• Denis Savin
• Ruslan Skvortsov (working under contract)
• Dmitry Smilevsky
• Igor Tsvirko

Leading soloists

Female

• Arina Denisova
• Olga Marchenkova
• Eva Sergeyenkova
• Margarita Shrayner
• Maria Vinogradova

Male

• Mark Chino
• Dmitry Vyskubenko

First soloists

Female

• Daria Khokhlova
• Maria Koshkaryova
• Elizaveta Kruteleva
• Anastasia Meskova
• Anna Tikhomirova

Male

• Klim Efimov
• Daniil Potaptsev
• Alexei Putintsev
• Alexander Vodopetov
• Gennadi Yanin (working under contract)
• Denis Zakharov

Soloists

Female

• Anastasia Chapkina
• Anastasia Denisova
• Nelli Kobakhidze
• Yaroslavna Kuprina
• Sofia Maymula
• Maria Mishina
• Uliyana Moksheva
• Kristina Petrova
• Stanislava Postnova
• Maria Shuvalova
• Anastasia Smirnova
• Alexandra Trikoz
• Ana Turazashvili
• Ekaterina Varlamova
• Anastasia Vinokur
• Angelina Vlashinets
• Ksenia Zhiganshina

Male

• Alexander Fadeyechev (working under contract)
• Georgy Gusev
• Egor Khromushin (working under contract)
• Alexei Loparevich (working under contract)
• Makar Mikhalkin
• Anton Savichev (working under contract)
• Andrei Sitnikov (working under contract)
• Alexander Smoliyaninov
• Ivan Sorokin

Corps de ballet

The Bolshoi Ballet has two groups of corps de ballet, with about 169 dancers in total.

Controversies

In 2013, a dancer shared concerns about unfair treatment and pressure to pay for special roles. Later that year, the company's art director faced a harmful attack using a dangerous chemical, which led to serious legal consequences for someone involved.

Over the years, there have been various disagreements and debates within the company, including questions about decisions made regarding performances and promotions. These events have sometimes caused confusion and disagreement among those connected to the Bolshoi Ballet.