Paquita
Elizaveta Gerdt, Elsa Vill, and Pierre Vladimirov in the "Paquita" Pas de Trois, 1905. commons.
QUICK F A C T S
- ✦ Paquita premiered in 1846 in Paris with choreography by Joseph Mazilier and music by Édouard Deldevez.
✦ Set in Spain during the Napoleonic era, the ballet follows the young gypsy Paquita as she discovers her true noble birth and finds love with the officer Lucien d'Hervilly.
✦ The ballet was later revived in Russia, where Marius Petipa added new choreography and additional music by Ludwig Minkus.
✦ Petipa's brilliant Paquita Grand Pas Classique became one of the most celebrated examples of classical academic ballet.
✦ Although the full nineteenth-century ballet was largely forgotten for many years, portions of Paquita survived through the continued performance of its famous grand pas.
✦ Modern reconstructions have helped restore Paquita as an important link between the Romantic ballet era and the height of classical ballet in Imperial Russia.
Paquita pas de deux, performed by Daria L and Ross at a NW Fusion Dance Company concert at the World Trade Center Theater in Portland, Oregon. 2014. Photo: Lambtron, commons.
S U M M A R Y
Paquita is a lively Romantic-era ballet that premiered in 1846 at the Paris Opéra. Choreographed by Joseph Mazilier with music by Édouard Deldevez, it tells the story of Paquita, a young Spanish Romani woman who helps a French officer, Lucien d'Hervilly, escape danger during the Napoleonic era. The ballet's original stars were Carlotta Grisi and Lucien Petipa, whose names appear together on period sheet music and promotional materials from the production.
Dancer Pierre Vladimirov in "Paquita." St. Petersburg, Russia. 1905.
Carlotta Grisi and Lucien Petipa (Marius's famous older brother) in 'Paquita', 1847.
Although Paquita was successful in Paris, the version most audiences know today comes from Russia. In 1881, Marius Petipa revived the ballet for the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg and added new dances, including the celebrated Paquita Grand Pas Classique. While much of the original full-length ballet gradually disappeared from the repertory, these brilliant classical additions survived and became favorites of gala performances and ballet competitions around the world.
Today, Paquita stands at a unique crossroads in ballet history. It connects the Romantic Ballet era of Carlotta Grisi with the grand Classical tradition of Marius Petipa, linking two generations of ballet's most influential artists. Whether performed as a complete story ballet or through its famous Grand Pas, Paquita remains a dazzling showcase of virtuoso technique, elegant style, and the enduring legacy of nineteenth-century ballet.
Aurelia Dimier (Mlle Dimier) in Paquita. A member of the Paris Opéra Ballet during the Romantic era, Dimier later carried French ballet traditions to audiences in North and South America through an extensive international performing career, which was rare!
E N C O R E
✦ On Today's Stage
Though the full-length ballet is performed less often than many classics, Paquita remains a favorite of major companies through its dazzling Grand Pas Classique, a showcase of precision, elegance, and virtuoso technique.
✦ Iconic Interpreters
Carlotta Grisi created the title role in 1846, while later generations of dancers such as Natalia Makarova, Ekaterina Maximova, Alina Cojocaru, and Marianela Núñez helped keep Paquita's celebrated variations alive on the modern stage.
✦ Legacy
Paquita stands as a rare bridge between the Romantic and Classical eras of ballet. From Carlotta Grisi and Lucien Petipa in Paris to Marius Petipa's Imperial Russian revival, the ballet preserves the artistic legacy of two generations of the Petipa family and nearly two centuries of ballet history.