Strange as it may seem, the viewer begins his tour of the exhibition “First Position. Russian Ballet” from the stage – it can be seen from different points: from behind the scenes and the technical area, from the stalls or the theater box.
“The artistic solution of the exhibition space gives the viewer an opportunity to look behind the scenes of the theater, get in touch with the world of ballet and feel its beauty,” say the creators of the project.
The “Manege” space was divided into several thematic sections. In the “Tsar’s Package” the ballet will be presented to the public in the form of successive images of theatrical boxes associated with milestones in the historical events of pre-revolutionary Russia; the section “Russian Spirit” will tell about the ballet performances of the Diaghilev company; The “Soviet Ballet” covers the period from 1917 to 1991 and reflects the change in dance technique, the emergence of new heroes of the ballet scene. “Costume Shop” will demonstrate the transformation of the female ballet costume canon; “Ballet Anatomy” will allow you to find out what happens to the artist’s body from the point of view of the laws of physics and biomechanics, and the “School” section will tell you about the formation and development of ballet education in Russia.
Guests of the exhibition will see paintings by Mikhail Vrubel and Zinaida Serebryakova, unique historical costumes, including Galina Ulanova’s tutu for the Dying Swan party and Matilda Kshesinskaya’s pointe shoes. And also: personal belongings of Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Agrippina Vaganova and Alexander Benois, posters of “Russian Stations”, videos and archive photos.
Authentic elements of the museum’s collections are combined in the rooms of the “Manege” with multimedia installations, and in addition, a special audio guide has been created for guests: the voices of artists Yulia Rutberg and Igor Mirkurbanov will guide the exhibition.
The exhibition “First Position. Russian Ballet” will be open until May 21. Throughout its operation, visitors are promised a rich educational program with lectures, debates, performances by artists, as well as special events for children and adolescents. You can follow the program on the official website of the project and with the help of the information resources of the Manege itself.
Direct speech
Roman Karmanov, Director General of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives:
– The inter-museum project “First position. Russian Ballet” – a complex and multi-component exposition, created with the participation of more than 40 museums, is really long-awaited. Most importantly, the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives made it possible to build this ballet city in the St. Petersburg Manege in such a way that people would like to come here. I am sure that this exhibition will be a great success.
Pavel Kaplevich, creative curator of the project:
– “Surprise me” – the legendary requirement for artists of Sergei Diaghilev became the main principle when working on the concept of the exhibition “First position. Russian ballet.” When choosing works, we sought not only to reflect the facts, but also to convey the expression, the expressiveness of ballet images: ease of movement, weightlessness, flight – Pushkin’s lines dedicated to Avdotya Istomina served as inspiration: “Flies like fluff from Eol’s lips…”.
