RSAL Opened “The Leading Names in Russian Ballet” Exhibition for World Ballet Day

On 5 February, “The Leading Names in Russian Ballet” exhibition opened in the Russian State Art Library (RSAL). RSAL’s collection of theatre photography has been called an encyclopedia of the theatre. It contains photos of actors, directors, and other theatre figures — idols of the past and present. The collection also includes photographs of scenes from performances. The exhibition was created using this unique collection.

The exposition is dedicated to legends of the Russian ballet: Vaslav Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova, Mikhail Fokin, Tamara Karsavina, Olga Lepeshinskaya, Marina Semyonova, Galina Ulanova, Maya Plisetskaya, and Yury Grigorovich. Their art mesmerised the viewer and will be remembered forever. It has defined the line of modern classical ballet. It is no coincidence that when discussing classical dance, experts never tire of repeating that classical ballet is Russian ballet. On stage, during rehearsals, and in everyday life, they were captured by outstanding photographers: Charles Bergamasco, Elena Mrozovskaya, Karl Fischer, Miron Sherling, and Vladimir Bliokh.

The exhibition opens with unique documents from the Petipa family photo archive. It was Marius Petipa, French by birth, Russian by contribution to the treasury of ballet art, teacher, and inspirer of the modern masters of dance, who opened a new page in the history of Russian ballet, which abounds with great names.

The exhibition includes publications from RSAL’s collections: richly illustrated albums, memoirs, monographs of famous connoisseurs of the art of dance: Vera Krasovskaya, Yuri Slonimsky, Yelizaveta Surits, and Boris Lvov-Anokhin.

The exhibition is open until 29 March 2024.

1 Nikoloyamskaya S