The world renown Mariinsky Ballet and Opera Theater opened in 1860 after its reconstruction by the architect A. Kavos, named after Marina, the wife of the reigning Tsar Alexander II.  It has since been the home of Russian ballet and opera and has become a mecca for both Russian and international artists. In fact, while Henry and I were visiting St. Petersburg, advertisements for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater were among the upcoming events offered here, projected on flat-screen monitors in the lobby of the theater. In the years after the Revolution, between 1919 and 1992, the theater and the ballet company were renamed Kirov. Now officially the Mariinksy Theater and the Mariinsky Ballet Company, the theater provides a beautiful setting for world class performances by such famous names as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolf Nureyev, Anna Pavlova, and Maurius Petipa. The theater first staged the ballets choreographed by George Balanchine, who began his career in St. Petersburg. The theater itself is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the world, with its rich decorations, a splendid royal box, and tiers of seats. A grand chandelier hangs from the frescoed ceiling, balconies and boxes fronted by carved and gilded plasterwork, and the theater’s seating is in velvet upholstered carved wooden chairs. When visiting St. Petersburg, Henry and I enjoyed an evening’s performance of  Don Quixote at the Mariinksy Theater, with the principal dancers, a married couple Denis Matvienko and his wife, Anastasia Matvienko dancing the leading roles. The ballet and the performances were superb!

PHOTOS: Top Two: 1. Diorama of the Mariinsky Theater. This architectural model was part of an exhibition in the theater, focused on the history of the Mariinsky Theater and its 20th century set designers and costume designers for Russian operas and ballets, part of the “gold reserves” of theater. 2. The crystal chandelier that hangs in the Royal Box of the Mariinsky Theater. Middle Two:  1. Painted ceiling decorations surrounding the central chandelier that hangs above the orchestra or stalls seating of the audience in the center of the theater. 2. Detail: Imperial emblems in the plasterwork moldings around the interior doorway of the Mariinsky Theater. Bottom Three:   1. View of the Royal Box  and the tiered balconies in the Mariinsky Theater. 2. The fire curtain of the Mariinsky Theater. 3. Theater seating and the audience at the interval of the ballet in the Mariinsky Theater. Note the opulence of the gilded interiors, the young ballerina in the center, and the enthusiastic audience in the background, waving at friends. Ballet students are probably offered free admission to the ballet as part of their education. This deduction was based on the fact that this slight, young ballerina (obvious by the way her feet turned out when she walked, as well as the style in which she dressed) shifted seats after each interval as they were available to her. Seating was wooden chairs upholstered in velvet.        

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                        BACK TO MAP  PAGE