Bashkirtseff
Orig | CZ

Petipa

Comprehensive Aktualizováno: 2025-12-07

Research Status: Comprehensive Last Updated: 2025-12-07 Diary Coverage: Book 00 (1884 retrospective)

Basic Information

Marius Petipa (1818-1910) was a French-born ballet dancer and choreographer who became one of the most influential figures in classical ballet history. During Marie's childhood in Russia (1860s), Petipa was rising to prominence at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, where he worked for nearly 60 years.

Historical Context

Career in the 1860s-1870s

During Marie's early childhood in Russia, Petipa was at a crucial phase of his career:

  • 1860s: Engaged in a productive rivalry with Arthur Saint-Léon as ballet masters of the Imperial Ballet
  • 1862: Breakthrough with "La Fille du Pharaon" (The Pharaoh's Daughter), appointed as one of the company's ballet masters
  • 1868: Danced his final role, transitioning fully to choreography
  • 1869: Created "Don Quixote" with its Spanish flair and demanding technique
  • 1871: Became Premier Maître de Ballet of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres
  • 1877: Created "La Bayadère" with the famous "Kingdom of the Shades" scene

Fame and Recognition

Petipa was enormously famous throughout the Russian Empire during Marie's childhood. Ballet was central to Russian high culture, and the Imperial Ballet's performances were major social events. Even a five-year-old child in a noble Russian household would have known who Petipa was - his ballets were the talk of society.

Significance to Marie's Childhood

When Marie pretended to be "la grande danseuse Petipa" at age five (around 1864), she was play-acting as the most celebrated ballet figure of her world. This reveals:

  • Cultural Awareness: Even at five, Marie absorbed the cultural celebrity of the day
  • Performance Instinct: Her early desire to perform for an audience ("toute la maison était là à me regarder")
  • Aristocratic Culture: Ballet was central to Russian noble life; children naturally absorbed this
  • Gender Expression: Female ballet dancers were glamorous, celebrated figures - aspirational role models

When Marie says "la grande danseuse Petipa," she likely refers to Marie Petipa (née Surovschikova, 1836-1882), Marius Petipa's wife, who was a celebrated ballerina at the Mariinsky Theatre during the 1860s. Marie Petipa:

  • Studied at the St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet academy
  • Married Marius Petipa in 1854 (divorced 1869)
  • Created many roles in her husband's ballets
  • Excelled in travesti roles (male roles danced by women)
  • Performed at the Paris Opéra in 1861-62
  • Died of smallpox in 1882 in the Caucasus

Young Marie Bashkirtseff would have been pretending to be this glamorous ballerina who bore the Petipa name, conflating performer and choreographer into the household word "Petipa."

Historical Note

Marie's childhood play-acting as Petipa occurred during the very years he was creating his most important early works and establishing his reputation. The "grande danseuse Petipa" would have been a household name in any Russian noble family of the 1860s.

Legacy

Petipa is often called the "Father of Classical Ballet" and held his position until 1903. George Balanchine cited him as his primary influence. His ballets - including "The Sleeping Beauty" (1890), "The Nutcracker" (1892), and "Swan Lake" (1895 revival) - remain cornerstones of classical ballet repertoire worldwide.

Sources

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