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Synopsis
In 1999 the Maryinsky (formerly Kirov) Ballet and Theater in St. Petersburg re-created its 1890 production of Sleeping Beauty. The revival showed the classic work in its original sets and costumes and restored pantomime and choreography that had been eliminated over the past century. Nevertheless, the work proved unexpectedly controversial, with many Russian dance professionals and historians denouncing it. In order to understand how a historically informed performance could be ridiculed by those responsible for writing the history of Russian and Soviet ballet, Tim Scholl discusses the tradition, ideology, and popular legend that have shaped the development of Sleeping Beauty. Drawing on a wide range of sorces, most of which have never appeared in English, School describes the artistic controversies surrounding the early production and the debates it fostered about the future of dance during the formative years of the Soviet Union. He shows that the 1999 revival brought to the surface a collision of imperial, Soviet, official, and popular histories that mirrored many of the rifts felt more generally in post-Soviet society. A fascinating slice of cultural history, the book will appeal not only to dance historians but also to those interested in the arts and cultural policies of the Soviet and post-Soviet periods.