| | Russian Classical ballet and Modern Dance |
 | | The dissemination of ballet in Russia and its deep rooted appeal to all Russians can be traced back to those nobles who, often living so far away from the capital, commanded their own entertainment, setting up ballet troupes often composed of serfs who had been trained at the Imperial School. |
 | | But by the late 19th century ballet in Russia was a stagnant form where the virtuoso demonstration of classical technique had become an end in itself while the narrative was enlivened only by character dances. |
 | | By the time the Kirov Ballet began to tour the west, Vaganova had died, however, we know her methods through her book, Fundementals of the Classic Dance, and once it was translated into English it became a "bible" of dance. |
| slis.cua.edu /ihy/sppj/cl_hist.htm (2718 words) |