About Us
OUR BACKSTORY
The Petipa Heritage Foundation grew out of the founders’ shared appreciation of Marius Petipa and their desire that his unique choreographic ballet collection, and that of his contemporaries, endure for future generations to experience and advance.
In 2016, world-renowned choreographers Vasily Medvedev and Stanislav Fečo established the Petipa Heritage Foundation in Europe to honor the creative and academic genius of Marius Petipa – the father of classical ballet. Their mission was to preserve, restore, and further develop his choreographic work. Under their artistic guidance, reconstructed versions of many of Petipa’s treasured works debuted with major companies worldwide, including
- Staatsballett Berlin,
- Bolshoi Ballet,
- Compañía Nacional de Danza,
- Ballet of the Slovak National Theater,
- Romanian National Opera,
- Lithuanian National Ballet Theater.
As Vasily and Stanislav’s re-imagined work grew in popularity, they saw an opportunity to further the organization’s reach and network. In 2022 the Petipa Heritage Foundation expanded to become a California-based nonprofit public benefit corporation. With the broadened scope of popularizing and developing the legacy of Petipa, enriching and supporting performing arts programs, and recognizing and nurturing artistic potential, the foundation will continue to bestow an annual award in global recognition of exceptional talent and dedication to Petipa’s vision, and progressing the art of ballet.
