"The Stream"/"La Source" pas de deux - Students of the Vaganova Academy

Special thanks to K. for this film & kind permission to upload it.


A performance of the "The Stream"/"La Source" pas de deux by Boryana Petrova & Dmitri Timofeyev . Taken from the 2008 graduation performance of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.


**History -
Due to my obsession with balletic archaeology, I have tried my best to identify this orgins of this pas de deux -

This pas de deux is rarely seen outside of Russia. The Vaganova Academy erroneously credits the music to Delibes. The choreography is by Konstantin Sergeyev.

This pas de deux is taken from a revival of Arthur Saint-Léon's 1866 ballet "La Source" (original music by Minkus & Delibes), staged at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1902 by the Italian Ballet Master Achille Coppini. It is likely that this pas de deux was created for the great ballerina Olga Preobrajenskaya, who performed the principal role of Naila in the revival.

The music for this pas de deux is by Riccardo Drigo, who was the composer responsible for almost all of the additional pas, incidental dances, variations, etc. added to the company's repertory during the late Imperial period.

Both the female & male variations are often found in various stagings of the "Paquita" Grand pas classique. With regard to the male solo, it is always credited to Minkus, but is actually by Alexei Papkov, who was principal conductor of the Imperial Ballet until 1886. Although it is often danced by a man (as in Makarova's version of "Paquita"), the solo is actually for a woman. It was created for the ballerina Alexandra Shaposhnikova, wife of the legendary danseur Pavel Gerdt & mother of the Bolshoi's renowned pedagogue Elizaveta Gerdt.

Drigo also wrote a male solo for the 1902 revival of "La Source", but I do not know if this solo was intended for the pas de deux in this clip. The Bolshoi Ballet's recent staging of the "Paquita" Grand pas classique uses this solo for the danseur. It can be viewed here in a performance by Andrei Uvarov - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-mWwwSsiwk

--More balletic history lessons to come! :)

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• Source
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• Stream
• Delibes
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• St.
• Petersburg
• Marius
• Petipa
• Riccardo
• Drigo
• Mariinsky
• Theatre

[balletnut]

Why is that p.d.d. performed so rarely outside Russia because it's fabulous?

It's difficult to believe they're only students 'cos they're such wonderful dancers. How old are they?

[sk8r5678pc1b]

beautiful...thanks for posting.

[robertPgreer]

Such a rarity, the boy's variation shows up occasionally in ballet competitions, but this is the entire PDD and what a pas it is!

[BernardProfitendieu]

haha - was just kidding (obviously)

really enjoy your posts (not kidding here)

[mrlopez2681]

you are so BAD!! :)

[tutugirl4life]

I felt so bad for them at 3:33-3:37

[palubob]

Beautiful - and these are students!! Thanks yet again for a comprehensive history lesson.

[BernardProfitendieu]

she had asked for it

[HelgaMaq]

1:47 - ??

[colorsilk30]

wow!! pretty good, how old are they? sometimes they look/act a little younger...?