Unless you are new to the blog, you will know that I love the history of ballet. (If you are new here, welcome!) And I love making that history accessible to everyone as it can make such a difference in going to see ballets. My Behind the Ballet posts specifically cover the history of different ballets and things that you can look for when you are seeing that particular ballet. In order to be more helpful to you, I’ve created this hub where you will be able to find all of my Behind the Ballet posts in one place!
Behind the Ballet Posts
You will find each of my Behind the Ballet posts linked here (each title is linked to the full post); please visit each post for more history and information before you go! And future BTB posts will be added to this hub, so never fear!
Giselle
This Romantic, French ballet features the haunting Wilis (aka ghosts of unmarried women whose lovers betrayed them) and distinct bell-shaped tutus.
Swan Lake
This classical ballet features the incredibly difficult dual role where the same dancer will usually play both Odette (the white swan) and Odile (the black swan). Depending on the production, you may see the infamous 32 fouette turns.
Don Quixote
This three-act ballet is based on the novel of the same name by Miguel de Cervantes. Although this is a longer ballet, it has quite a bit of comedy in it and is an excellent choice for anyone new to ballet.
Sleeping Beauty
This classical ballet is Tchaikovsky’s longest ballet at nearly four hours with intermissions. It is based on the Brothers Grimm version of “Dornröschen” but also incorporates several different characters from different fairytales into the third act.
La Fille mal gardée
La Fille mal gardée is a comic ballet and is actually one of the oldest surviving ballets still performed with the first performance in Bordeaux on 1 July 1789. There are two main versions of this ballet that you will see performed.
Coppélia
This is another comic ballet that is good fun to watch at any age- it is not performed by many main companies, so absolutely grab the chance to watch it if you can. Fun fact: Emperor Napoleon III loved the premiere performance.
The Firebird
This is a twentieth-century ballet that was created in 1910 for the Ballet Russes (an itinerant Russian ballet company that travelled throughout Europe)! However, new productions are regularly created, meaning that you very likely will be seeing different choreography between companies.
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is obviously a holiday classic for so many of us; however, it actually was widely panned by critics in St. Petersburg when it premiered in 1892…
Mayerling
This classical ballet was created in the 1970s and is based on the historical events of the Mayerling Incident. The seeming murder-suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera makes for an incredibly dramatic ballet on the stage.
Jewels
Jewels is truly a modern ballet; choreographed by the “Father of American Ballet” George Balanchine, this three-act, abstract ballet pays homage to the three major eras of ballet.
Interested in more book previews, period dramas, royal news, history exclusives, and more? You can subscribe to my biweekly substack newsletter here: https://anhistorianabouttown.substack.com/.
If you are interested in more ballet history, you might enjoy these posts:
The Best History of Ballet Books
Please continue to check back on this full listing of my Behind the Ballet posts for more ballets!
Cheers,
The Historian
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