One century of ballet: It all started a hundred years ago, back in the time of Nušić

The National Theater in Belgrade celebrates the centenary of the ballet ensemble with the exhibition "One Century of Ballet". Considering the importance and scope of the topic, the exhibition is divided into two periods of 50 years each and two gallery spaces.

The exhibition "One century of ballet - the first fifty years" by Jelica Stevanović was opened in the Museum of Theater Arts of Serbia, while the exhibition about the second fifty years, by Milena Jauković, was opened in the National Theater Museum.

Jelica Stevanović presented the first segment of the story of one hundred years of the Belgrade Ballet with scenographic sketches and figures of some of the most important ballet artists, the stage life of 18 of over a hundred realized ballet titles in those first half-century, with the intention of simultaneously showing leading ballet artists and performances created in as many of different styles and genres, with the most success in the country and abroad, the longest stage duration, the best reviews.

The exhibition at the National Theater shows the entire ballet production from 1973 to 2023, pointing out those choreographic achievements and stage settings that had a particular impact and achieved significant success.

In those other 50 years of the Belgrade Ballet, 113 premieres were performed, which, according to Milena Jaukoivić, is an impressive figure. Retrospective insight into the repertoire is mainly provided by numerous photographs, in which the most prominent ballet artists and members of the ensemble are shown. The exhibition space is enriched with authentic costumes, stage props and original sketches of conceptual scenographic solutions.

The commemoration of the century of ballet at the National Theater began on March 19 with the premiere of the performance "The Pirate" choreographed by Bahram Yuldashev, a romantic adventure with a happy ending, which was performed for the first time in front of the Belgrade audience in an integral version, with the participation of the complete ballet ensemble.

On that day, in 1923, the first full-length ballet performances were premiered - the one-act plays "Scheherazade" and "Sylphide" (choreography by Jelena Polyakova). In that first period, works belonging to the classical ballet heritage were staged. Plays such as "Coppelia" (1924), "Swan Lake" (1925), "Giselle" (1926), "Sleeping Beauty" (1927), "Don Quixote" (1931)... with occasional short breaks, are still an integral part of the regular ballet repertoire.

In the introduction to the extensive catalog of the exhibition, Jelica Stevanović recalls that "the first mention of ballet comes during Nušić's short-term management of this company, in "Pozorisni list": "On our stage, for the first time, an attempt will be made with some kind of ballet in the great operetta Geisha" ( No. 62; June 3, 1901). The conditions for the formation of a ballet ensemble and the establishment of a repertoire, however, were achieved only after the end of the Great War and the arrival of Russian artists.

who, fleeing from the Bolsheviks, stayed in Belgrade for a shorter or longer time, and some even settled permanently.

The first ensemble of six members was formed in 1921 and performed in opera performances; it was headed by Klavdija Isachenko (1884-1951), a former member of the Art Theater. The first independent ballet work is considered to be the performance of excerpts from "Shchelkunchik" by PI Tchaikovsky, which was performed on January 22, 1923, with the opera "Spiders".

Soon, the first ballet performance was staged, which consisted of two short pieces - "Sylphides" to the music of Tchaikovsky and Chopin and "Scheherazade" by NR Korsakov. The ensemble now already had 22 members who, as "directors and teachers", led

Klavdija Isachenko and Yelena Polyakova, two artists of different attitudes and schools: the former represented "plastic" and the latter classical ballet. Very quickly, both the critics and the audience opted for the classical Russian school, which Poljakova very skilfully transferred to the Belgrade stage."

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