Ludwig Minkus and Marius Petipa: Ballet Masters of the 19th Century

1. By Azalea K, Irene M, Jocelyn G., Sherlyn M., Nicholas W. Music composer: Ludwig Minkus Chorographer:Marius Petipa

2. Composer's Biography Ludwig Minkus • Ludwig Minkus was born as Aloysius Bernhard Philipp Minkus on March 23rd, 1826 in Vienna. • His parents were Theodore Johann Minkus and Maria Franziska Heimann. • He was of Jewish descent, but his parents converted to Catholicism. • Minkus first played publicly at a recital in Vienna at the age of eight and was declared a child prodigy by critics. • He began composing while he was still a student and published five pieces for the violin in 1846.  • Through his association with Saint-Léon, Minkus was discovered by the renowned choreographer Marius Petipa, who chose him to compose for Don Quixote after Cesare Pugni's alcohol addiction started to affect his music.

3. Composer's Biography • • Minkus retired in 1886 • • Minkus left Russia with his wife in 1891 • • Minkus' wife, Maria, died in 1895 • • Minkus moved to an apartment in Gentzgasse, where he died alone and in utter poverty from the cold in 1917. He was only survived by his niece. • • Sadly, his grave was removed by the Nazis and his body was deposited in a mass anonymous grave.

4. Biography—Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa • born in Marseille, France on the 11th March 1818 to Jean antoine Petipa (1787-1855) and Victorine Grasseau-Maurel (1794-1860) • He Was the third child of six children   • When he was 3 months old, his family settled in Brussels. • Petipa received education at the Grand College, but also attended the Fétis Conservatory where he studied music and learned to play the violin. • Petipa started dancing at age 7 by his father. At first, however, Petipa had cared little about the art and drama, but with convincing from his mother, he accepted that it was his duty to obey and follow his father’s will.

5. Biography • In 1834, Petipa's family moved to Bordeaux after his father was invited as Ballet Master of the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux. • The family spent five years in Bordeaux where Marius Petipa (age 16) complete his ballet training under the great French Ballet Master, Auguste Vestris.

6. Nantes • In 1839, Petipa received his first job at age 21 when he was appointed Premier Danseur at the Ballet de Nantes • Petipa was engaged at Nantes for three seasons from 1839 to 1842, which led him to show his abilities as a choreographer • On July 16, 1840, he made his professional début as a choreographer on a two-scene ballet called The Scatterbrain (The Love Affair) • Choreographeredby Petipa: "APas de trois in the opera La Favorite on the 25th April 1841, Une nouvelle Tyrolienne on the 9th December 1841 and a Saxon dance in the style of a Cracovienne on the 14th March 1842" (petipasociety.com)

7. Bordeaux • He choreographed three ballets for the Bordeaux company: Le Droit du Seigneur, La Petite bohémienne and La Noce à Nantes  • In 1843, Petipa returned to Bordeaux where he was invited to be Premier Danseur at the Grand Théâtre. • During the Bordeaux company, he became partners with 2 ballerinas,Joséphine Delestre and Célina Mouliníne, and by May 1843, his collection had expanded to include roles like The Village Sleepwalker, The Millers, La Sylphide, La Fille mal gardée, La Tyrolienne and Spanish Intrigues. • During his second title in Bordeaux, he staged his own stagings of four ballets: La Jolie Bordelaise, Les Vendanges, L’Intrigue Amoureuse and Le Langage des Fleurs.  • after 11 months in the theatre, Petipa was forced leave Bordeaux in May 1844 due to The place for going bankurpt

8. Premier Danseur, Second Ballet Master, and Premier Maître de Ballet • Note: Second Ballet Master, and Premier Maître de Balletare rankings  • In 1855, Petipa choreographed and had staged his own ballets for the Imperial Ballet: L’Étoile de Granade. Note: This was his 1st collaboration with Cesare Pugni. • Because L’Étoile de Granade was such a success, Petipa started to choreograph more ballets: La Rose, la Violette et le Papillon (1857), A Marriage Under the Regency (1858), The Parisian Market (1859), The Blue Dahlia (1860) and Terpsichore (1861). • in 1858, Petipa anticipated succeeding a man named Jules Perrotas as Premier Maître de Ballet of the Imperial Theatres, but the spotlight was taken by Arthur Saint-Léon • He had the ranking for about 4 years after 1858 and became Premier Maître de Ballet of the Imperial Theatres on the March 12, 1871 for a ballet called The Pharaoh’s Daughter.

9. Final years • Marius Petipa died on the 14th July 1910, aged 92 • He had his carrer for 60 years • His funeral was held on July 17, 1910, but According to eyewitnesses, no one from the Imperial Theatre administration attended (—that's sad) • He was buried next to his family but got transferred to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in 1948.

10. Premiere performance World Première December 26th 1869 Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow Saint Petersburg PremièreNovember 21st 1871 Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre

11. Plot/ Synopsis • Based on the novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote tells the story of Don Quixote setting out on an adventure with Sancho Panza, his squire, as a medieval knight to bring justice to the world and honor to Dulcinea, the woman of his dreams.

12. Prologue • Don Quixote de la Mancha, an old noble man, sits reading books speaking of knighthood and chivalry. He starts to believe himself a knight and appoints one of his servants, Sancho Panza, his squire. He sails, seeking for adventure throughout the world claiming his justices to be in service of Dulcinea, the woman of his dreams whom he'd seen in a vision.

13. ACT 1  A Square in Barcelona • →Kitri professes her love for Basilio, a young barber, but her father, Lorenzo, who was spying on them, forbids her from ever seeing him again. • →Lorenzo, to his daughter's horror, wants to marry her off to the nobleman Gamache. • →When Don Quixote and Sancho Panza arrive, Don Quixote mistakes Kitri for Dulcinea.  • →Kitri and Basilio sneak off and are shortly followed by her father, Gamache, Don Quixote, and Sancho Panza.

14. ACT 2 SCENE I A Gypsy Camp • →Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, Gamache, and Lorenzo arrive at a gypsy camp, but Kitri and Basilio have already left.  • →The gypsies invite Don Quixote to watch a puppet show, but he confuses the heroine of the story for Dulcinea and starts attacking the puppet stage with his sword.  • →He shortly after mistakes a windmill for a giant and strikes at it until he collapses and goes into a deep slumber. ACT 2 SCENE II the dream →In his sleep, Don Quixote dreams he's a knight surrounded by fair maidens.  →Kitri is Dulcinea in his dream.  →Lorenzo and Gamache wake him the next day and they continue to search for Kitri and Basilio.  →Don Quixote, influenced by his dream, tries to lead Kitri's father and Gamache astray

15. ACT 2 SCENE III A Tavern • →When Don Quixote catches up to the lovers, he forces Kitri to accept her father's decision.  • →Basilio fakes suicide and Kitri begs Don Quixote to tell her father to let her marry Basilio since I was his dying wish.  • →Don Quixote takes pity on her, and pursuades Lorenzo.  • →Lorenzo gives his blessing and Basilio revives.

16. ACT 3 SCENE I The Wedding • →The village celebrates their marriage.  • →The couple dance for Don Quixote, who's the guest of honor.  • →After congratulating the lovers and saying his goodbyes, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza leave.

17. Characters in the ballet • Main characters: • Don Quixote: The novel's/ ballets tragicomic hero • Sancho Panza: Don Quixote's squire  • Dulcinea del Toboso: Quixote's love interest / unseen driving force of all his adventures • Other: • Basilio: lover of kitri • Kitri: daughter to lorenzo, lover of basilio  • Gamache: betrothed to kitri  • Lorenzo: an inn inkeeper, father to kitri 

18.  Importance in the Ballet • Cervantes wrote his story to undermine the books that told of great white knights who were impossibly honorable and always won their battles.  • while he also wrote it for entertainment purposes, it was to mock popular novels of his time.  •  The lesson behind Don Quixote is that there is value in all people regardless of social standing, worldview, weight, age, etc. • "The significance of DON QUIXOTE lives not only on ballet theatre stages and bookshelves around the globe, but in our vocabulary. "Quixotic" is an adjective born from the personality of the Man of La Mancha used to describe something that is incredibly ideal, essentially unrealistic and impractical. "

19. Don Quixote trailer (The Royal Ballet)

20. RESOURCES  • https://petipasociety.com/don-quixote/ • https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/donquixote/characters/ • https://dancersforum.com/don-quixote-ballet-synopsis/ • https://www.pbt.org/the-company/artistic/repertoire/don-quixote/ • https://thetravelingballerina.com/famous-ballets/don-quixote-ballet/