Nikitin, Dmitry A. "Balls of the Russian Empire in the 18th-19th Centuries: How We can look at them in the Light of Modern Ideas about the Quality of Dance Events."

Nikitin, Dmitry A. "Balls of the Russian Empire in the 18th-19th Centuries: How We can look at them in the Light of Modern Ideas about the Quality of Dance Events." In Der Ball: Geselligkeit - Macht - Politik 1600-1900. 5. Symposion für Historischen Tanz, Burg Rothenfels am Main, 15.-19. Juni 2022. Tagungsband, edited by Uwe Schlottermüller, Howard Weiner and Maria Richter, 245-251. Freiburg: "fa-gisis" Musik- und Tanzedition, 2022.


Abstract:
The grandiosity and pomp of court balls in the Russian Empire has been steadily increasing since the time of Peter the Great. In the beginning of the 18th century the Russian emperors were mostly copying the court balls in the German states, and then the balls of London, Versailles, Vienna and other European capitals. But starting with a simple imitation of the West, they not only managed to reach the European level by the end of the 19th century, but also developed their own ballroom tradition. This was facilitated by both - the typical features of the Russian character and the economic opportunities of the powerful state. The report examines the most grandiose court balls in the Russian Empire in the 19th century, describes and evaluates them. The analysis and evaluation is carried out according to criteria, which were developed by the author and set out in the framework of his lecture at the Academy of Russian Ballet Vaganova in 2016.