San Francisco, CA – September 23, 2023 – The city of San Francisco witnessed a dazzling celebration of ballet excellence at the Petipa Awards Gala 2023, hosted by the Petipa Heritage Foundation. Read press release…
Marius Petipa
“The most important is that classical ballet continues to live thanks to the heritage of academic repertory; to live, which means to evolve.”
Martine Kahane
Marius Petipa’s choreographic works are the cornerstone of today’s classical ballet repertoires and considered to be artistic and cultural treasures. Almost 200 years later, Petipa’s ballets and dances continue to be a vibrant source of imagination to the artistic community. Original choreographic notations, sketches of décor, and costume designs for Petipa ballets are carefully preserved at Harvard University library and other archives. Many modern choreographers study them in hopes of understanding the master and his art – classical ballet. “We are standing on the shoulders of giants” says Vasily when speaking of classical ballet’s legendary Marius Petipa and other master choreographers of that era.
“The pursuit of excellence is inherent in the very idea of classical ballet, and it implies continuous creative search, positive change, and innovation. If you think about it, then Petipa, Gorsky, and Fokine were innovators for their time, and we must preserve their legacy while sometimes striving to surpass them in some way.”
Vasily Medvedev
“I contribute in every possible way to the preservation of this unique tradition, as a stage director and as a theater director, so that culture, as a living, endless stream, reaches from its origins to future generations.”
John Neumeier
