As the First Ballet Master at the Imperial Ballet, Marius Petipa produced some of the most notable and important ballets. Aside from those he originated, many of his revivals are the version most modern productions are based on. Born in France to his ballet dancer father and his actress mother, he started training in classical ballet at a young age and quickly rose to prominence in Europe. In his late 20s, Petipa moved to St. Petersburg (in part to escape yet another duel that spawned from his many love affairs with married women) to take on the role of principle dancer at the Imperial Ballet. As he took on more leadership and responsibility, he choreographed more and more, finally becoming the First Ballet Master. He originated over 50 ballets, including The Pharaoh’s Daughter, Don Quixote, and The Nutcracker, and revived scores more, including Swan Lake, Coppélia, and Giselle.
In The Sleeping Beauty, Petipa choreographed some of the most challenging pieces present in the classical ballet repertoire, pushing his dancers to their physical and mental limits (as was common in many of his ballets). This ballet is known for its graceful, slow pieces referred to as adagios, several variations on grand pas d’ensemble (variations are pieces featuring different characters but are still considered part of the larger grand pas d’ensemble). The Rose Adage (Grand Adage à la Rose) is my personal favorite and you can read more about it in that section of this website.
By 1890, Petipa was well established as a master of choreography. There were high expectations for his production of The Sleeping Beauty and, according to some critics, these expectations were not met. Many wrote that there was no ballet in the ballet, that despite the best efforts of the designers and dancers, it could not be considered a ballet. They also criticized what they saw as a lack of plot. At this time in ballet, many audiences and critics were used to dramatic plot lines filled with mystery and action and sometimes a lack of happy ending. However, the fairly straightforward plot, combined with creative liberties taken by the Imperial Ballet director to include other French fairytale characters, did not impress the critics.
It is safe to say, however, that despite the musings of these writers, the general audience adored the ballet for all its dramatic court gatherings and luscious set and costume design. It is still one of the highest performed ballets around the world and has earned its place as a choreographic masterpiece.