Marius Petipa

Marius Petipa (1818-1910), French-born dancer and choreographer, whose works represent the culmination of classical ballet. Born in Marseille, Petipa was the brother of the brilliant dancer Lucien Petipa and son of the French dancer-choreographer Jean Petipa, with whom he studied. In his early career Marius was principal dancer in Paris and Bordeaux, toured the United States with his father, danced and choreographed works in Madrid (where he studied Spanish dance), and often performed with the Austrian ballerina Fanny Elssler. In 1847 he went to St Petersburg as principal dancer at the Imperial Theatre, choreographing his first work there in 1855. In 1862, after the success of his ballet Pharaoh's Daughter, he was appointed first ballet master of the Imperial Theatre. Before his retirement in 1903 he created more than 50 full-length ballets. He died in Gurzuf, Crimea.

Petipa, through his discipline and choreography, was the most important builder of the Russian school of ballet. Subordinating music, decor, and plot to choreography, he worked closely with composers, librettists, and designers. In collaboration with the Russian composer Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, he planned in detail the 1892 production of The Nutcracker; when Petipa became ill, the choreography was completed by his assistant, the Russian choreographer Lev Ivanov. Petipa's other works include Don Quixote (1869), La Bayadère (1877), Raymonda (1898), and, to music by Tchaikovsky, The Sleeping Beauty (1890) and Swan Lake (1877; revised 1895, with acts II and IV by Ivanov).