Dancers and Revolution: the Bolshoi Ballet Company at the Turn of 1917–1918
Abstract
The article analyzes the artistic and social activities of the Bolshoi Ballet Company during the
period from late October 1917 to late January 1918. Following the destruction of the old
imperial theatres during the October uprising in Moscow, artistic activity resumed there. During
this time, called the “sabotage period”, when the intelligentsia tried to resist the Bolshevik
authorities, performances continued at the theatre. Though they were interspersed with heated
gatherings of actors and technical services. The article explores such phenomena of this time
as the worsening of the living conditions in Moscow and the actors’ desire to emigrate from
Soviet Russia. It also includes some critical comments on the artistic level of the ballet company’s productions, which, according to some reviewers, did not benefit from their “autonomy”.
The article examines the internal conflicts within the troupe, specifically the dissatisfaction of
the “deputy ballerinas” with their positions and the limited roles they were given to perform,
as well as the conflicts between individual dancers and the troupe’s leader V.D. Tikhomirov.
The role of one active member of the troupe, L.L. Novikov, is highlighted in the process of
accepting the conditions of Bolshevik officials (represented by E.K. Malinovskaya) and end
of the “sabotage” within the ballet and the Bolshoi Theatre on the whole. The activities of
individual dancers, the Artistic and Repertoire Committee, and the leadership of the Bolshoi
Ballet are based on newly discovered documents from the Russian State Archive of Literature
and Art, as well as materials from periodical press sources.
Keywords
Bolshoi Theatre, Bolshoi Ballet, Soviet ballet, Russian ballet, V.D. Tikhomirov, E.V. Geltser,
N.G. Legat.
For citation
Gordeev P.N. Dancers and Revolution: the Bolshoi Ballet Company at the Turn of 1917–1918. Theatre. Fine Arts. Cinema. Music. 2025, no. 3, pp. 55–66.
DOI: 10.35852/2588-0144-2025-3-55-66
EDN BHTWWP
References
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Received: 08.04.2025
Revised: 12.08.2025
Accepted: 16.08.2025