Andrey Galkin

«For me Petipa is the choreographer, whose ballets embodies the concept of "academicism". His choreography is absolutely logical, absolutely musical, absolutely completed. All pas are in its place. No one is excess. No one unrelated with characters, action and environ. Even in non-principal his works, where Petipa didn't make the breakthroughs, he demonstrated the art of embodying the characters in classical dance and in academic ballet forms. In my opinion, today the studies and reconstructions of old choreography, based on documents, is our only opportunity to maintain classical ballet repertory. Everyone who knew it directly, has already died. No one to show us it. And If we want to stage and to see original choreography by Petipa, Ivanov and other old masters, not retellings and retellings of retellings, we need to study every document, containing information about their works, and used it at scene».

Senior researcher at State Institute for Art Studies (Moscow, Russia) PhD (Art criticism) Graduate: Vladimir State University Postgraduate studies: Bolshoi Ballet Academy Subject of dissertation: Poetics of ballet at the end of XIXth century (The 1^st St. Petersburg production of Swan Lake)