''Paquita'' is a

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

in two acts and three scenes originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to music by Édouard Deldevez and Ludwig Minkus. Paul Foucher received royalties as librettist.

History

''Paquita'' is the creation of French composer Édouard Deldevez and Paris Opéra Ballet Master Joseph Mazilier. It was first presented at the

Salle Le Peletier The Salle Le Peletier or Lepeletier (sometimes referred to as the Salle de la rue Le Peletier or the Opéra Le Peletier) was the home of the Paris Opera from 1821 until the building was destroyed by fire in 1873. The theatre was designed and con ...

by the

Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...

on 1 April 1846 and was retained in the repertory of the Opéra until 1851. In 1847, ''Paquita'' was staged for the first time in Russia for the Imperial Ballet of

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (; born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa; 11 March 1818) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history ...

and Pierre-Frédéric Malavergne, being the first work ever staged by Petipa in Russia. In 1881, Petipa produced a revival of the ballet for which he added new pieces specially composed by Ludwig Minkus. This included the ''Paquita pas de trois'' for the first act and the ''Paquita grand pas classique'' and the ''Mazurka des enfants'' for the last act. Petipa's version of ''Paquita'' was retained in the repertory of the

Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre (, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic opera house in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces ...

until 1926. Petipa's 1881 additions for ''Paquita'' survived long after the full-length ballet left the stage. Today these pieces, particularly the ''Grand pas classique'', are major cornerstones of the traditional

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as en pointe, pointe work, turnout (ballet), turnout of the legs, ...

repertory and have been staged by ballet companies throughout the world. Petipa's choreography for the Imperial Ballet's production of ''Paquita'' was notated in the Stepanov method of choreographic notation around 1902. The notations were made while Petipa himself taught and rehearsed the great

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova. (born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova; – 23 January 1931) was a Russian prima ballerina. She was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev, but is most recognized for creating ...

for her début in the title rôle. Today, this notation is part of the

Sergeyev Collection The Sergeyev Collection (officially Nikolai Sergeev Dance Notations and Music Scores for Ballets) is an assemblage of materials that document the repertory of the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg as it existed at the turn-of-the 20th century. The ...

, a cache of notations and other materials that document many of the works in the Imperial Ballet's repertory during the twilight of the Russian Empire. In 2001, director Brigitte Lefèvre asked French choreographer Pierre Lacotte to produce a revival of the full-length two act ''Paquita'' for the Paris Opera Ballet. Although Lacotte re-choreographed all of the ballet himself, he restored Joseph Mazilier's original

mime A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek language, Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a the ...

sequences and

mise-en-scène (; or "what is put into the scene") is the stage design and arrangement of actors in scenes for a theatre or film production, both in the visual arts through storyboarding, visual themes, and cinematography and in narrative-storytelling through ...

, as well as Petipa's 1881 additions. ''Paquita'' was performed again by the Paris Opera in 2007. In 2014, the Stepanov notation expert Doug Fullington and Russian choreographer

Alexei Ratmansky Alexei Osipovich Ratmansky (, born August 27, 1968) is a Russian-Ukrainian-American choreographer and former ballet dancer. From 2004 to 2008 he was the director of the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet. He left Russia in 2008. In 2009 he was appointed the ar ...

mounted a reconstruction of Petipa's final revival of ''Paquita'' for the Bayerisches Staatsballett.

Roles and original cast

Plot

The story takes place in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

during the presence of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's army. The heroine is the young Romani girl, Paquita. Unbeknownst to Paquita, she is really of noble birth, having been abducted by Romani people when she was an infant. She saves the life of a young French officer, Lucien d'Hervilly, who is the target of a Spanish governor who desires to have him killed by Iñigo, a Roma chief. By way of a medallion, she discovers that she is of noble birth, being in fact the cousin of Lucien. As such, she and the Officer are able to get married.

History of the ''Paquita grand pas classique''

Marius Petipa added the ''Grand pas classique'' to the third act of ''Paquita'' in 1881 for the

benefit performance A benefit performance is a type of live entertainment which is undertaken for a cause. In its original usage, benefit performances were opportunities for an actor to supplement his/her income. In its modern usage, benefit performances are given to ...

of the Imperial Ballet's ''Prima ballerina'' Ekaterina Vazem. The music was composed by Ludwig Minkus, whose original composition featured a ''Grand adagio'' with

cadenza In music, a cadenza, (from , meaning cadence; plural, ''cadenze'' ) is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist(s), usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing virtuosic display ...

for solo violin composed for Leopold Auer.

included the ''Grand Pas classique'' in her company's repertory.

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of his generation as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all ...

staged the piece in 1964 for the Royal Academy of Dancing, and at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

in 1970. Nureyev also staged it for the

Vienna State Opera Ballet Vienna State Ballet, ''Wiener Staatsballett'', is considered one of the world's top Ballet company, ballet companies. It was formerly named the Vienna State Opera Ballet as it is based at the Vienna State Opera building. In 2005 the ballets of t ...

and

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...

in 1971. For all of his productions of the work Nureyev used

John Lanchbery John Arthur Lanchbery OBE (15 May 1923 – 27 February 2003) was an English-Australian composer and conductor, famous for his ballet arrangements. He served as the Principal Conductor of the Royal Ballet from 1959 to 1972, Principal Conductor o ...

's adaptation of the music. In 1984

Natalia Makarova Natalia Romanovna Makarova (, born 21 November 1940) is a Russian prima ballerina and choreographer. ''The History of Dance'', published in 1981, notes that "her performances set standards of artistry and aristocracy of dance which mark her a ...

staged a new version of the ''Paquita grand pas classique'' for American Ballet Theatre with music again arranged by Lanchbery. To date the company still retains Makarova's staging in their repertory, and many companies throughout the world have staged her version of the piece. In 1974 the Ballet Master Nikita Dolgushin produced a staging of the ''Paquita grand pas classique'' for the Maly Theatre Ballet of St. Petersburg. For his production Dolgushin called upon the former ballerina Elizaveta Gerdt—who performed in Marius Petipa's original version of the piece— to assist in restoring the ''Paquita grand pas classique'' to its form as performed during the early 20th century. In 1978 the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet's newly appointed artistic director Oleg Vinogradov staged a new version of the ''Paquita grand pas classique'' for the company, a staging largely based on the version Pyotr Gusev staged for the Maly Theatre Ballet in 1952. The Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet still retain Vinogradov's version in their repertory, and many companies throughout the world include his version of the piece in their repertories.

Gallery of historical images

Image:Paquita -Piano reduction -1846.jpg, Image:Paquita -Carolotta Grisi, Lucien Petipa, & Georges Ellie -1844.JPG, Image:Paquita -Ekaterina Vazem -1881.JPG, Image:Paquita -Children's Polonaise & Mazurka -circa 1900.JPG, Image:Paquita -Virginia Zucchi -1886.JPG, Image:Paquita -Lucien d'Hervilly -Mikhail Fokine -circa 1905.JPG, Image:Paquita -Pas de Trois -Elsa Vil, Elizaveta Gerdt, & Pierre Vladimirov -1909.JPG, Image:Paquita -Pas de Trois -Pierre Vladimirov -1909.JPG, Image:Paquita -Erin Joseph, Patricia Barker, Bathurel Bold, Kimberley Davey - Angela Sterling.jpg,

References