The three Tchaikovsky ballets—Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker—are staples of the ballet repertory.  This course will look at them, from overture to the concluding apotheosis.   After a brief introduction to the development of ballet and the state of ballet in imperial Russia, we will turn to Tchaikovsky’s contribution.  Since dance notation has always been an inexact method of preserving steps, and the traditional way of passing along a ballet was by one generation of dancers teaching the next, there are often different versions of each ballet.  Later choreographers have also often put their distinctive interpretations on these works.  Swan Lake, in particular, had many changes from its first (unsuccessful) production before it became the ballet standard it is now.  For each, besides seeing the complete ballet, we will look at excerpts that highlight some of the different versions and interpretations.  While most of our time will be spent in looking at the ballets, there should be time for some discussion of our thoughts about the different versions.  

For each ballet, I will provide the libretto for both a contemporary version and for the original production.  I will also provide links to articles and videos, some intended to be optional for further background.  No prior knowledge of ballet (or Tchaikovsky) needed.  Weekly preparation time should be approximately one hour.

Please note that the last class is during break week.