Opera dances

Polka in Act 2 of Friedrich von Flotow’s Alessandro Stradella. First performance: 19th January [O.S. 7th January] 1849, Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow

Slavonic Dance and Gypsy Dance in Act 2 and Dance of the Mermaids in Act 4 of Alexander Dargomyzhsky’s Rusalka, all choreographed jointly with Nikolai Golts. First performance: 16th Mary [O.S. 4th May] 1856, Theatre-Circus, Saint Petersburg

National Dance, Character Dance and English Dance in Act 1 of Friedrich von Flotow’s Martha, with additional music for the divertissement by Cesare Pugni. First performance: 22nd Janaury [O.S. 10th January] 1859, Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Dances and mime groups in Christoph Willibald von Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice. First performance: 27th April [O.S. 15th April] 1868, Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Travelling Players in Act 3 and Spring Festival in Act 5 of Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet. First performance: 26th October [O.S. 14th October] 1872, Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Groupings of Bacchantes, Nymphs, Graces, etc. in Act 1 of Richard Wagner’s Tannhauser. First performance: 25th December [O.S. 13th December] 1874, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Oriental Dance and Lezginka in Act 3 of Anton Rubenstein’s The Demon. First performance: 25th January [O.S. 13th January] 1875, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Dances of the Priestesses in Act 1, Dances of the Slaves and Dances of the Almées in Act 2 of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida. First performance: 1st December [O.S. 19th November] 1875, Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Dance of the Savages, Arrow Dance and March in Carlos Gomes’s Il Guarany. First performance: 1st December [O.S. 19th November] 1875, Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Dance of the Amazons and Dance of the Slaves in Act 1, Dance of the Almées, Dance of the Bayadères, Devil’s Dance and Bacchanalia in Act 4 of Karl Goldmark’s The Queen of Sheba. First performance: 23rd February [O.S. 11th February] 1880, Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Obertas in Act 1, Sabbath Round Dance in Act 2 and Chorea in Act 4 of Arrigo Boito’s Mefistofele. First performance: 24th January [O.S. 12th January] 1881, Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Dance of the Almées in Act 2, Fantastic Ballet – Adagio, Theme and Variation, Waltz and Coda in Act 3 of Jules Massenet’s Le Roi de Lahore. First performance: 11th January 1882 [O.S. 30th December 1881], Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Pas de cinq in Act 2 and Dances in Act 3 of Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Robert le Diable. First performance: 9th October [O.S. 27th September] 1882, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Morena in Act 2, Running of the Bulls, Stocking Weavers, Picadors, Fandango and Olé in Act 4 of Georges Bizet’s Carmen. First performance: 10th November [O.S. 29th October] 1882, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Waltz in Act 2 and Walpurgisnacht in Act 4 of Charles Gounod’s Faust. First performance: 1st December [O.S. 19th November] 1882, Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Dance of the Nymphs and Gypsy Dance in Act 3 of Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenois. First performance: 8th January 1883 [O.S. 27th December 1882], Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Furlana in Act 1 and Dance of the Hours in Act 3 of Amilcare Ponchielli’s La Gioconda. First performance: 30th January [O.S. 18th January] 1883, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Oriental Dancer and Lezginka in Act 3 of César Cui’s A Prisoner in the Caucasus. First performance: 16th February [O.S. 4th February] 1883, Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Dances in Giacomo Meyerbeer’s L’Étoile du Nord. First performance: 1st March [O.S. 17th February] 1883, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Dances in Gervais Bernard Gaston Salvayre’s Richard III. First performance: 17th December [O.S. 9th December] 1883, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Dance of the Bacchantes in Act 2 of Charles Gounod’s Philémon et Baucis. First performance: 31st December [O.S. 19th December] 1883, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Dance of the Kashmiris in Act 1 of Félicien César David’s Lallah-Roukh. First performance: 5th February [O.S. 24th January] 1884, Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Dances in Anton Rubenstein’s Nero. First performance: 10th February [O.S. 29th January] 1884, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Round Dance and Dance of the Wandering Players in Act 2 of Alexander Serov’s Rogneda. First performance: 18th September [O.S. 6th September] 1884, Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Folk Dance in Act 1 and Andalusian Dance, Dances of the Greek Slaves and Soldiers’ Dances in Act 2 of Amilcare Ponchielli’s Aldona. First performance: 18th September [O.S. 6th September] 1884, Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Dances of the Bayadères, Tirana and Charming of the Snake in Act 2 in Léo Delibes’s Lakmé. First performance: 18th December [O.S. 6th December] 1884, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Dances in Act 3 of Jules Massenet’s Manon Lescaut. First performance: 31st December [O.S. 19th December] 1885, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Bayadères and Lezginka in Act 2 and Tamara’s Visions in Act 4 of Boris Fitinhof-Schell’s Tamara. First performance: 4th May [O.S. 22nd April] 1886, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Veil Dances and Groups in Act 2, Dances of the Sea Slaves, Oriental dances and Lezginka in Act 4 of Mikhail Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmilla. First performance: 12th September [O.S. 31st August] 1886, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Guaracha, Bolero and Tarantella in Act 1 of Daniel François Esprit Auber’s Fenella, ou La Muette de Portici. First performance: 1st February [O.S. 20th January] 1887, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Interlude ‘The Serenity of the Shepherdess’ – Shepherdesses, Shepherds and Zlatogor’s Retinue in Act 2, scene 1 of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of the Shades. First performance: 19th December [O.S. 7th December] 1890, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Waltz, Redova, Skating Quadrille and Pas des Frileuses in Act 2 and Groups and Dances in Act 5 of Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Johann von Leyden. First performance: 27th October [O.S. 15th October] 1891, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Quadrille (later called Contredanse) and Polonaise in Act 4 of Eduard Napravnik’s Dubrovsky. First performance: 15th January [O.S. 3rd January] 1895, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Groups of angels in Englebert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. First performance: 5th November [O.S. 24th October] 1897, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Sources

• Nadine Meisner (2019) Marius Petipa, The Emperor’s Ballet Master. New York City, US: Oxford University Press