What is Leonide Massine known for?

Massine created the world’s first symphonic ballet, Les Présages, and many others in the same vein. Besides his “symphonic ballets,” Massine choreographed many other popular works during his long career, some of which were serious and dramatic, and others lighthearted and romantic.

How did Massine come to work with Diaghilev?

Massine studied acting and dancing at the Imperial School in Moscow and had almost decided to become an actor when Serge Diaghilev, seeking a replacement for Vaslav Nijinsky, invited Massine to join his company.

What contributions did Massine make to the company?

Massine worked first for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo as chief choreographer and later organized his own company. Despite legal battles that eventually reached the courts of two continents, Massine continued to create ballets and enhance his already considerable reputation.

What is the significance of the Ballets Russes for the contemporary dance world?

“The Ballets Russes transformed the future of ballet in the West and really in the world. By bringing dancers with great traditional training to look at modern forms of movement, great music — and bringing music and design and dance together into a cohesive whole.”

Who was the composer of the music for Sleeping Beauty Nutcracker and Swan Lake?

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
What is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky known for? Tchaikovsky’s most popular compositions include music for the ballets Swan Lake (1877), The Sleeping Beauty (1889), and The Nutcracker (1892).

Why was Ballet Russes so important?

What is an impresario who was the impresario of the ballet Russe?

Serge Diaghilev
Serge Diaghilev (1872 – 1929) was a Russian ballet impresario and founder of the legendary Ballets Russes dance company. The work of the Ballets Russes revolutionised ballet and had a huge influence on 20th-century art, theatre, fashion and interior design. Diaghilev embraced the modern and exploited the avant-garde.

Which famous ballet was performed by the Ballets Russes?

Principal productions

Year Title Composer(s)
1920 Le chant du rossignol Igor Stravinsky
Pulcinella Igor Stravinsky
Ballet de l’astuce féminine or Cimarosiana Domenico Cimarosa
Le sacre du printemps (revival) Igor Stravinsky

Why did Tchaikovsky write Sleeping Beauty?

Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty originated in a proposal made three years earlier by Ivan Vsevolozhsky, Director of the Imperial Theatres in St Petersburg, for a ballet based on the story of the mythological water nymph Undine.

Who was the Russian composer who wrote The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty?

Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky may have only written three ballets, but they are the three most famous ballets of all time: Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and The Sleeping Beauty.