Who was Mikhail Fokine?
Q: Who was Mikhail Fokine?
A: Mikhail Fokine was a Russian choreographer and dancer born in St Petersburg. He is best known for his works with the Ballets Russes, such as The Firebird, Petrushka, Le Spectre de la Rose and Daphnis et Chloé.
Q: When did he debut on stage?
A: Mikhail Fokine debuted on the stage of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Paquita on his 18th birthday in 1898.
Q: What were some of his reformist ideas?
A: Some of Mikhail Fokine's reformist ideas included stripping ballets of their artificial miming and outdated costumes, taking ballerinas out of their pointe shoes, and experimenting with a freer use of the arms and torso.
Q: How did he become involved with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes?
A: In 1909 Sergei Diaghilev invited Fokine to become the choreographer of his Ballets Russes in Paris.
Q: What are some of his most famous works?
A: Some of Mikhail Fokine's most famous works include Chopiniana (later revised as Les Sylphides), Le Carnaval and Le Pavillon d'Armide for the Ballets Russes, as well as Acis and Galatea (1905) and The Dying Swan (1907).
Q: Why did he break off collaboration with Diaghilev?
A: Mikhail Fokine broke off collaboration with Sergei Diaghilev due to jealousy over Diaghilev's close relationship with Vaslav Nijinsky.
Q: Where did he move to after leaving Paris?
A: After leaving Paris, Mikhail Fokine moved to Sweden in 1918 before eventually establishing his home in New York City where he founded a ballet school.
