Mariinsky Ballet

The Mariinsky Ballet is one of the oldest Ballet Companies in Russia and one of the most popular classical ballet companies in the rest of the world. Mariinsky Ballet is currently based in St. Petersburg, Russia at the Mariinsky Theatre. The origin of the Mariinsky Ballet can be traced all the way back to mid-18^th century when it was founded by the name of Imperial Russian Ballet. Currently Mariinsky Ballet stands one of the leading names when it comes to classical ballet companies. Apart from Mariinsky Ballet, the company is also more than often known as the Kirov Ballet, which was its former Soviet name. To further promote the learning and to encourage young talent, Mariinsky Ballet also operates an international ballet school called Vaganova Ballet Academy. Over the years, Mariinsky Ballet has staged thousands of shows that have been viewed by millions worldwide. Mariinsky Ballet’s performances are highly anticipate by the enthusiasts of the art form, which is why the demand of Mariinsky Ballet tickets grows during the company’s ongoing season performances.
 
The history of the Mariinsky Ballet goes all the way back to 1738 when the first ever Russian dance school was founded by the name of Imperial Theatre School. The school was established on May 4^th of that year, and it is currently known as the precursor of the Vaganova Ballet Academy that stands today. The school was erected with the aim of educating and training the young and aspiring dancers. Under the supervision of Jean Baptiste Lande, as the founding director of the school, the first group of dancers to enter and train in the school comprised of twelve girls and twelve boys. These were the twenty four dancers who later laid foundation to the original form of Mariinsky Ballet.
 
Even though there is some information about the whole formation of the Imperial Ballet School, but still there isn’t much to go about the ballet company. However it has been said that both Ballet Company and the ballet school of that time had the same name, which means it was known as the Imperial Russian Ballet. The company kept on using the same name up until the end of the Imperial Rule. In the later years, the ballet company soon started to enjoy huge amount of popularity and it also started to feature big names in the ballet history like Enrico Cecchetti, Fanny Cerrito, Christian Johansson, Carlotta Grisi and Charles Didelot.
 
After the fall of tsarist regime and the Russian Revolution, the Russian government decided to shut both the company and the school down. However later on, the Ballet Company was re-established by the name of Soviet and the Ballet School re-established as Leningrad State Choreographic School. In 1934, following the assassination of Sergey Kirov, a Bolshevik Revolutionary, the name of the company was then changed to Kirov Ballet. Even today, the company still continues to be commonly known by that name. And following the fall of the communist regime, the name of both the school and the company was changed to Mariinsky Ballet because of Mariinsky Theatre in which it was housed. For the entirety of its existence, the Mariinsky Ballet has been housed in the Mariinsky Theatre.
 
Today the Mariinsky Ballet stands as the one of the most popular and biggest ballet companies in the entire world; having more than 200 personals which include character artists, reserve troupe and the dancers. Currently the ballet runs under the supervision of Valery Gergiev as its current Artistic Director. Under Gergiev’s direction, the Mariinsky Opera and the Mariinsky Ballet, both are managed by the Mariinsky Theatre. Each year, Mariinsky Ballet gives out numerous live performances, most of which are staged at the Mariinsky Theatre. For any admirer of this form of performing arts, it’s a joy to watch a performance of Mariinsky Ballet live, and if you happen to be one of those enthusiasts then Mariinsky Ballet tickets are just for you.