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Lecture series "The Empire of ballerinas. Russia at the turn of the XIX – XX centuries" 29.11-20.12

Lecture series "The Empire of ballerinas. Russia at the turn of the XIX – XX centuries" 29.11-20.12

The period of the late XIX - early XX century in Russia was fruitful and eventful for many arts, but still there were two areas that did not experience such a flourishing either before or after - jewelry and ballet. For them, it was a time of searching for new forms and synthesis of styles, a rapid creative rise and the creation of real masterpieces - in short, a time of deafening triumph, which, without exaggeration, continues to this day, if we evaluate how great the influence of what was created in that era on modern viewers and researchers.

But today, when ballet is rather an elitist art, it is difficult to imagine how popular its creators, choreographers, were at that time, but above all, the ballerinas themselves - Matilda Kshesinskaya, Anna Pavlova, Vera Karalli, Tamara Karsavina, Nadezhda Bakerkina, Alexandra Balashova and many others. Real stars, style icons and, of course, Faberge's regular customers, who contributed a lot to the widespread spread of fashion for his precious products.

Paying tribute to that amazing era, the Faberge Museum, together with the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, presents a series of lectures dedicated to ballet and ballerinas of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. From November 29 to December 20, you will meet with Nikolai Tsiskaridze, Lev Lurie, Olga Makarova and Nadezhda Vasilyeva. It will be about the phenomenon of ballet's popularity in Russia, the fate of the main participants in the events and the triumph of Russian ballerinas in Europe. A real gift to the guests will be the performance of Nikolai Tsiskaridze with the presentation of a new book about the legendary ballerina Marina Semenova. And the final lecture by Nadezhda Vasilyeva will reveal the secrets of working on one of the most anticipated films of the year - "Matilda" by Alexei Uchitel - a unique picture for modern cinema, for which 3,000 magnificent historical costumes were created.

"Talents and fans"

Lev Lurie

Historian and TV presenter

Peasant women are not courted, nobles are not to be trifled with: after a few dances, you have to choose - a wedding or a duel. In the St. Petersburg big world, you can only love actresses, first of all ballerinas. They are surrounded by admirers - grand dukes, guards officers, bankers. The history of the Mariinsky Theatre is not only about Petipa and Fokine. Historian and TV presenter L.Ya. Lurie will talk about Russian ballerinas of the late XIX-XX century, their success in society, relations with the imperial court and ballet lovers who loved ballet, but especially ballerinas.

Diaghilev's "Russian Seasons" is a ballet verdict on Europe

Olga Makarova

Critic, ballet historian, PhD in Art history, executive editor of the publishing department of the Mariinsky Theatre, senior lecturer at the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts.

The "Russian Seasons" organized by Diaghilev in Paris broke into the measured European life with a riot of colors and talents. The triumph of the entreprise was a breakthrough of Russian art into the Western world and not only brought recognition to ballerinas, choreographers, composers and artists, but also influenced ballet art and fashion in Europe. Who created that success and became a trendsetter for many years to come? What new forms inspired Europeans so much? And what was the fate of the triumphants at home?

"The Great Marina"

Nikolay Tsiskaridze

People's Artist of Russia, laureate of State Prizes, Rector of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet

The results of the development of ballet in the era of Imperial theaters. He will talk about how, at a time when the great ballerinas for the most part had to emigrate from the country, it was possible to preserve one of Russia's greatest arts for Russia, thanks to the work of Agrippina Vaganova and the triumph of her graduates. The first in the list of famous ballerinas of the Soviet era, of course, was Marina Semenova.

In more than 80 years of active creative activity, Taglioni of the twentieth century not only became the "most dancing ballerina", who performed all the main parts of the ballet repertoire, but also brought up a whole galaxy of world ballet stars herself. On December 16, without exaggeration, her most brilliant student Nikolai Tsiskaridze will present a new book dedicated to her beloved and incomparable teacher at the Faberge Museum. The publication includes a whole gallery of photographs, memoirs of contemporaries, personal correspondence - materials that draw for the reader a living portrait of the legend of Russian ballet - the "Great Marina", Marina Timofeevna Semenova.

"Matilda Kshesinskaya. Life and cinema. Image. Search. The solution"

Nadezhda Vasilyeva

Costume designer, winner of the Nika Cinematographic Award

Nadezhda Vasilyeva's lecture will be devoted to the work on the film "Matilda" by Alexey Uchitel, which caused a huge stir even before its release. How was the search for images of heroes based on historical facts, photographs, films and diaries going? How did the backstage life of ballerinas in the late XIX- early XX century affect their appearance, costume and jewelry? How does a costume designer manage to rethink and combine reality and invention on the screen? And how, in the end, did you manage to find a creative solution to the image of Matilda Kshesinka? This will be discussed at the lecture, which will be accompanied by working materials from the filming of the film.