The History of the Pas De Quatre Dance
Throughout history, ballet has had a passionate following. The Pas De Quatre Dance was a big part of that, wowing audiences at London's His Majesty's Theatre on July 2, 1845. This ballet divertissement had no plot but was a beautiful showcase for the four top ballerinas of that time.
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How it Came To Be
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The Pas De Quatre dance was choreographed by Jules Perrot at the urging of opera manager Benjamin Lumley. While there were some creative differences between the ballerinas, they put those aside to deliver four more performances, which drew sold out crowds, including Prince Albert and Queen Victoria.
While the ballerinas were in sync onstage, offstage artistic differences flared. To keep the peace, the ballerinas appeared in order by age, from youngest to oldest. They were Lucile Grahn, Carlotta Grisi, Fanny Cerrito, and Marie Taglioni.
Pas De Quatre Reemergence
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Almost a hundred years later, in 1941, the Pas De Quatre was re-staged by dancer/choreographer Anton Dolin at American Ballet Theater, then known as Ballet Theatre.
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Pas De Quatre Today
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The Pas De Quatre continues to be performed by professional ballet companies and schools around the world. The New York Ballet most recently incorporated a Pas De Quatre within their 2010 performance of Swan Lake.
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References
- Photo Credit three ballet on point image by Paul Moore from Fotolia.com
