#petrushka

(no one asked but imma do it anyway, this is just my opinion obv. a mixture of classic and ballets russes repertoire)

January: Swan Lake (gives me winter vibes for some reason)

February: Petrushka (Carnival-esque with a bit of tragedy)

March: La Bayadère (spring vibes but not exactly)

April: The spectre of the rose (flowers! pretty pink flower petals!)

May: The Rite of Spring (spring. its brutal face. also the infamous riot which happened on May 29th 1913)

June: The Afternoon of a Faun (it's short, early lazy summer afternoon vibes)

July: Romeo and Juliet (the story happens in july according to shakespeare, also big passions=big heat so hot summer is perfect)

August: Shéhérazade (as i said before, eroticism + exotic visuals that shine like liquid gold = heat)

September: The Firebird (end of summer vibes, spooky fairytale with a happy ending)

October: Giselle (the opposite, looks cute at first, spooky and slightly gothic vibes for the 2nd act, perfect for october)

November: Sleeping Beauty (gives me end of the year vibes. lazy, sleepy winter)

happy international women's day, my friends!!

Now, I'm not mad at Mr Chalamet for his recent remarks on ballet and opera. I think it was likely an ill thought out joke that got clipped and effectively became ragebait.

However, I'd like to take this opportunity to explore my very first special interest with all of you. It never ceases to surprise me how much of the general public is infamiliar with ballet stories! So here is a short guide to the most famous ballets, besides those based on stories better known in other mediums (e.g. Sleeping Beauty, Beatrix Potter, A Midsummer Night's Dream).

The Nutcracker - Based on "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by E.T.A. Hoffman, this classic Christmastime ballet tells the story of a girl named Clara who is gifted a nutcracker doll by her Uncle Drosselmeyer, which turns out to have once been an apprentice of his, transformed into the toy by the since deceased Mouse Queen. Now her son the Mouse King is out for revenge, with his army of mice!

Swan Lake - Inspired by the "Swan Maidens" of folklore, this ballet tells the tale of Odette, who was transformed into a swan by the evil Rothbart. During a time when she is briefly human again, she starts a romance with one Siegfried, who offers to break her spell. Unfortunately, Rothbart finds out and replaces her with his daughter Odile during a ball where Siegfried intends to propose to Odette...

Coppelia - Loosely based on Hoffman's gothic tale "The Sandman", this tells the story of Swanhilda, who is unhappy that her boyfriend Franz is more interested in an elusive neighbour named "Coppelia" than herself. The girl lives with the local mad inventor, Dr Coppelius, and one day Swanhilda sneaks into his shop, only to find out that Coppelia is actually a very realistic doll. She disguises herself as the doll, to fool Dr Coppelius and get back at Franz.

Petrushka - A clown puppet named Petrushka has a crush on his ballerina puppet co-star, but she is more enamoured by the Moor puppet, breaking his heart. Petrushka becomes angry at both the puppet master and the Moor, culminating in a sword fight with the latter.

Giselle - Based on a spooky poem by Victor Hugo, this tells the tale of a nobleman named Albrecht, who disguises himself as a peasant and cheats on his girlfriend with a commoner named Giselle, who has a weak heart. When Giselle finds out the truth, she dies from the shock. Albrecht is remorseful and visits her grave at night, only to find out that Giselle has joined a tribe of ghostly virgins named the "Wilis", who pose a danger to any man...

The Firebird - Based on several Russian folk tales, this ballet concerns one Ivan, who spares the life of a magical firebird. She gives him a feather of hers so he can summon her in his time of need...a time which comes very soon, when the evil Koschei arrives!

La Sylphide - Based on "Trilby, or the Fairy of Argyle" by Charles Nodier, this ballet is about a Scotsman named James, who is taunted by a sylph while preparing to marry his fiance. Wanting to be rid of the sylph, he asks a witch named Madge for help, who gives him a magical scarf, saying it will make the sylph turn human...but witches aren't exactly known for their honesty.

Crown of Stone - Petrushka

Reasons for inclusion

There's a marionette theme running through this Akt. Rue begins to recognize Uzura, and begins to ask her something - because Edel had given answers in the past? (Incidentally, I think she's sitting under the same tree that she and Mytho had their picnic under.) Uzura could follow Tutu when she was captured by Drosselmeyer. Autor comments that they're all marionettes.

Petrushka is a tragic story about puppets in love

Autor also has an unrequited love for Rue which she rebuffs as she's in love with someone else, just like Ballerina who rejects Petrushka's feelings for she's in love with his rival

It might be a subjective opinion that comes down to director preference. I haven’t seen the ballet.

Anon, thanks for the question! I’ve been seeing a lot of clips of the Bolshoi’s Petrushka which is gorgeous/ I believe that casting is based on height, so at the Bolshoi, most of their principal dancers are quite tall, but (IIRC) both Kokoreva & Staskevich have danced the ballerina role recently in the current revival.

I love Stravinsky’s score to Petrushka — and the Slavic flair of the libretto and set design just immerses you into a magical Russian fairytale. The one big drawback (very big) is the use of blackface, which is so unnecessary to tell this story about magical puppets.

Anyway, if you haven’t seen the ballet, it’s very short and easy to watch in one sitting. This version is a ballet film rather than a stage recording but I love the energy you get from being right next to the dancers, and weaving through the crowds as if you were also at the fair.

Vaslav Nijinsky in the title role of Petrouchka

Paris Opera Ballet production of Petrushka recorded for television, aired December 27, 1976.