Ballet history, companies, and famous works.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Ballet icon Mikhail Baryshnikov reached a new audience by playing Aleksandr Petrovsky on what hit TV series?
He joined the final season of Sex and the City as a wealthy Russian artist who romances Carrie Bradshaw, introducing his talents to a mainstream audience.
The evil sorcerer Rothbart uses his daughter Odile in the ballet Swan Lake to achieve what goal?
Rothbart magically disguises Odile to look exactly like Odette at a royal ball. By deceiving Siegfried into pledging his love to her, he dooms the real Swan Queen forever.
Who choreographed the 1877 premiere of Swan Lake?
Julius Reisinger choreographed the 1877 premiere; Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov replaced that choreography in 1895.
Which Russian composer wrote the score for the ballet The Nutcracker?
Tchaikovsky released a concert suite from the Nutcracker score months before the full ballet premiered, and audiences loved it instantly.
The famous Black Swan solo in Swan Lake challenges the lead ballerina to perform what physical feat?
Known as fouetté turns, this dizzying sequence tests a dancer's stamina. She must rapidly whip her raised leg for momentum while staying perfectly centered.
Which instrument creates the twinkling sound in The Nutcracker's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"?
Tchaikovsky had the celesta secretly shipped from Paris, afraid Russian composers would copy its twinkling sound before the premiere.
In The Nutcracker, what does Clara's Nutcracker doll transform into?
Clara helps defeat the Mouse King before the Nutcracker becomes a prince and leads her into his magical kingdom.
In the ballet Swan Lake, Prince Siegfried must do what to break the curse on Princess Odette?
The sorcerer's curse traps Odette as a swan by day. Only a vow of undying fidelity can break the spell, which makes Siegfried's later deception deeply tragic.
The Black Swan in the ballet Swan Lake dazzles audiences by executing what famous physical feat?
Known as fouettés, this exhausting sequence requires the dancer to whip her lifted leg to maintain momentum. Italian ballerina Pierina Legnani introduced the feat in 1895.
Where does Act II of the ballet The Nutcracker take place?
The Land of Sweets plays like a candy map: guests dance as treats from around the world, from Spanish chocolate to Chinese tea.