Erin Kerr Tells Us Why Famous Ballet Choreographer Tchaikovsky Is So Important

Today, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake remain hits for ballet companies around the world. Each has been carefully written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Tchaikovsky, pictured here getting ready to bust a move at any moment

 

The Nutcracker is a ballet for a certain time of year. It has charmed Christmas audiences over the years with its range of gorgeous music and historic moves, but the performances and interpretations have changed hugely.

Sadly, Tchaikovsky didn’t live long enough to see his ballet become an international success. He died in 1893 (aged 53.) Years following his death ‘The Nutcracker’ was performed in Russia and the rest of Europe.

It was first performed in the United States in 1940 when the ballet created a shorter version of it in New York City. The first full version of it was performed in the USA in 1944 by the San Francisco Ballet. Over the years this successful ballet has got better over the years becoming more and more popular every year round.

In the years between Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky's musical abilities definitely grew, in this time he wrote another ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, whose score is just as inventive as The Nutcracker. He used the unique colours of the woodwind instruments that he continues using in The Nutcracker. To compare Swan Lake to The Sleeping Beauty, Sleeping Beauty is more musical in space making greater use of the full orchestra.

Swan lake is one of the most influential and important ballets of all time

 

‘Swan Lake’ in particular has caught the eyes of many.  It has been enjoyed by over 500,000 people and has enlightened audiences worldwide.

Tchaikovsky remains one of the most influential and important choreographers ever to have lived.





by Erin Kerr