Russian Ballets Trivia Quiz

Answer: Poland

This "choreographic poem" (haha) is based on a poem by Alexander Pushkin, who based it on a real event. The Tartars invade Poland and capture a princess named Maria, who plays the harp. The harp comes with her. The Tartar king, Khan Girey, falls in love with her and kills her husband and takes her with him.

His mistress, Zarema, hates Maria because Girey is more interested in her. So Zarema stabs Maria in the back and she dies. Khan Girey orders Zarema to be killed, which she is, and then, overcome with grief, has the Fountain of Tears built because after all, he really did love Maria. Sad.

Answer: female

I have only seen a short clip of this ballet; it is the scene where Ivan plays his flute for the princess and she falls asleep. I believe she was danced by Maya Pliesetskaya and Ivan by Yuri Grigorovitch. Unfortunately I've forgotten who danced the horse but there was a lot of pantomime and running around on pointe. Looked like something I could do.

Answer: Khachaturian

I personally thought at first that this ballet was a bit "novel" for a Soviet work, but come to think of it, it is about the slaves revolting against the Roman patricians. Nonetheless, it doesn't have a happy ending, so I'm puzzled as to what kind of message that sends to the proletariat.

Answer: Odette dies to save Siegfried's life

...Although this too may be an ending some day. Whenever Swan Lake is being performed, I watch to see the 32 fouettes, the 4 cygnets, and the ending. I never read the programme to see which it is. I saw the Moscow Festival Ballet do it, and they used the "Soviet" ending, where Siegfried kills Rothbart and the spell is broken, and everyone lives happily ever after. Propoganda I suppose.

In NYC Ballet's full-length version, staged by Peter Martins, Rothbart is vanquished, but the spell remains, because Siegfried swore his love twice.

It was so sad. I guess the point was that everything has a consequence and that sometimes things just turn out really badly, but you just have to face it and move on.

Answer: No

Nah, lots of versions don't.

Answer: male

Yeah...see here's the story...I saw "TSB" performed by the Kirov when I was about 3. It may have been the first ballet I ever saw, and unfortunately, that image was forever fixed in my mind as to what a ballet should look like. But anyway, Carabosse appeared in "her" chariot and I was really scared because of the music, and the familiars, and "her" appearance. I swear to God I thought it was a really ugly woman. And you know, my mother never told me that it was a man, and I never watched for the name on the credits. SOOOO...one day when I was maybe 13, there was a show on called "Dancing for Dollars" (which seems to be on twice a year) and they were behind the scenes of the Kirov, and they showed many clips of rehearsals, "TSB" among them. I recognized the music albeit the out-of-tune piano and saw this guy named Sergei or something prancing around with a cane making these hideous faces, and realized that he must be playing Carabosse, and therefore that the part was always played by a guy in drag.

It was quite a revelation. I asked my mother about it and she just said I was young and she didn't think I'd have understood if she'd tried to explain, which is probably true, but still...

Answer: Igor

The legend, "The Song of Igor's Campaign" is a very famous poem, again by Pushkin and again about those pesky Tartars. I guess Igor tried to rebel against the Tartars who kept invading Russia, but they killed him anyway. I bought the book at a flea market but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Oh--Yarouslavna was his wife, and the ballet is named after her for some reason.

It was created in Soviet times and is rarely performed. The music is by Shostakovitch.

Answer: Nijinsky

One of the things critics who saw Nijinsky perform always remarked on was his ability to change the appearance and movement of his body. Petroushka is limp and scrawny, the Rose is thin and lithe, and the Faun is young but sculpted. In this case, the Slave is supposed to be voluptuous, almost to the point of being a bit plump. Such was the genius of one of the greatest danseurs of all time.

It is such a pity none of us could see him, or that there was never a recording made of him dancing. I'm sure you've all seen the black-and-white clip of Baryshnikov dancing the other Slave from "La Corsaire" when he was 18 or something...:)

Answer: Ulanova

She's my favorite ballerina of all time. She's so small and cute, plus she has brilliant technique and she can act up a storm.

Answer: Paquita

It's a crowd favorite and it's SOOO Petipa.