- Considered the greatest ballet choreographer of the 19th century, and one of the greatest of all time. He choreographed the original productions of many ballets written by some of the world's greatest composers.
- Petipa and Tchaikovsky seem to have met for the first time in Saint Petersburg in November 1886, in connection with a projected ballet on the subject of Undina, which was never realised . However, in subsequent years they worked closely together on the ballets The Sleeping Beauty (1888-89) and The Nutcracker (1891-92).
- After engagements in Bordeaux, the United States and Madrid, Petipa was invited to become principal dancer at the Imperial Theatres in Saint Petersburg.
- Many pieces have survived in an independent form from Petipa's original works and revivals in spite of the fact that the full-length ballets that spawned them had disappeared from the Imperial Ballet's repertoire. Many of these pieces have endured in versions either based on the original or choreographed anew by others - the Grand Pas classique, Pas de trois and Mazurka des enfants from Paquita; Le Carnaval de Venise Pas de deux from Satanella; The Talisman Pas de deux; La Esmeralda Pas de deux; the Diana and Actéon Pas de deux; La Halte de Cavalerie Pas de deux; the Don Quixote Pas de deux; La Fille Mal Gardée Pas de deux; and the Harlequinade Pas de deux.
- It was in 1891 that many of Petipa's original ballets, revivals, and dances from operas began to be notated in the method of dance notation created by Vladimir Stepanov.
- Petipa created over fifty ballets, some of which have survived in versions either faithful to, inspired by, or reconstructed from the original. Among these works, he is most noted for The Pharaoh's Daughter (1862); Don Quixote (1869); La Bayadère (1877); Le Talisman (1889); The Sleeping Beauty (1890); The Nutcracker (choreographed jointly with Lev Ivanov) (1892); Le Réveil de Flore (1894); La Halte de cavalerie (1896); Raymonda (1898); Les Saisons (1900), and Les Millions d'Arlequin (a.k.a. Harlequinade) (1900).
- He was a French ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer.
- In 1825, he took up ballet lessons, and made his stage debut in one of his father's productions two years later.
- All of the full-length works and individual pieces which have survived in active performance are considered to be cornerstones of the ballet repertory.
- 4 letters from Petipa to Tchaikovsky, dating from 1888 and 1889, are preserved in the Klin House-Museum Archive.
- On 25 August 1830, the Belgian Revolution erupted after a performance of Daniel Auber's opera La muette de Portici at the Théâtre de la Monnaie, where Marius' father now served as Premier maître de ballet. The violent street fighting that followed caused all theatres to be shut down for a time, and consequently Jean Petipa found himself without a position. The Petipa family was left in dire straits for some years.
- Petipa revived a substantial number of works created by other choreographers. Many of these revivals would go on to become the definitive editions on which all subsequent productions would be based. The most famous of these revivals were Le Corsaire, Giselle, La Esmeralda, Coppélia, La Fille Mal Gardée (with Lev Ivanov), The Little Humpbacked Horse and Swan Lake (with Lev Ivanov).
- Marius Petipa is noted for his long career as Premier maître de ballet (First Ballet Master) of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres, making him Ballet Master and principal choreographer of the Imperial Ballet (today known as the Mariinsky Ballet), a position he held from 1871 until 1903.
- At the time of Marius's birth, his father Jean Petipa was engaged as Premier danseur (Principal Male Dancer) to the Salle Bauveau (known today as the Opéra de Marseille), and in 1819 he was appointed Maître de ballet to that theatre.
- From 1873 till 1903 he held the coveted title of Premier maître de ballet (First Ballet Master) of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres, making him Ballet Master and principal choreographer of the Imperial Ballet (precursor of the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet). He remained at the Mariinsky until 1907, before retiring to the Crimea at the age of 89.
- In 1846, he began a love affair with the wife of the Marquis de Chateaubriand, a prominent member of the French Embassy. Learning of the affair, the Marquis challenged Petipa to a duel. Rather than keep his fateful appointment, Petipa quickly left Spain, never to return. He then travelled to Paris where he stayed for a brief period. In 1847 Marius seduced yet another man's wife, and the husband called for a duel, yet again. Duels were banned, and the threat of court repercussions loomed over Marius, so the family decided it was best for him to leave France. Marius' brother, Lucien Petipa, was familiar with working in Russia and sent an inquiry to Antoine Titus in St. Petersburg.
- Petipa is one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history.
- Marius Petipa spent his early childhood traveling throughout Europe with his family, as his parents' professional engagements took them from city to city.
- His mother, Victorine Grasseau, was a tragic actress and teacher of drama, while his father, Jean-Antoine Petipa, was among the most renowned Ballet Masters and pedagogues in Europe.
- From the age of six he was educated in Brussels, studying music and the violin at the city's conservatory.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content