Kingdom of the Shades

E799809

Kingdom of the Shades is the famous dreamlike scene from the ballet *La Bayadère* in which a long procession of white-clad ballerinas descends in hypnotically synchronized arabesques, epitomizing classical corps de ballet purity and precision.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ballet scene
corps de ballet showcase
appearsInAct Act III of La Bayadère NERFINISHED
composedBy Ludwig Minkus NERFINISHED
featuresCharacter Nikiya NERFINISHED
Solor NERFINISHED
featuresGroup shades (spirits of dead bayadères)
firstChoreographedBy Marius Petipa GENERATED
hasChoreographicStyle classical
hasColorSymbolism white
hasCostumeTradition white tutus GENERATED
white veils or headpieces GENERATED
hasFunctionInBallet iconic highlight of La Bayadère
showcase of corps de ballet technique
hasGenre classical ballet
hasInfluenceOn 20th-century neoclassical corps de ballet aesthetics
ballet training standards for corps work
hasKeyStep arabesque penchée variations
repeated arabesque descent
synchronized port de bras
hasLightingDesignTradition dim, bluish, otherworldly lighting
hasMusicStyle Romantic ballet score
hasNotableFeature dreamlike atmosphere
emphasis on purity and precision
geometric patterns of the corps
hypnotic repetition
long procession of ballerinas
slow, processional entrance
synchronized arabesques
white-clad corps de ballet
hasReputation epitome of classical corps de ballet purity
one of the most famous scenes in classical ballet
test of a company’s corps de ballet
hasSetting dream realm of shades (spirits)
hasTheme idealized, unattainable love
spiritual transcendence
vision of the afterlife
isFrequentlyPerformedBy American Ballet Theatre NERFINISHED
Bolshoi Ballet NERFINISHED
Mariinsky Ballet NERFINISHED
Paris Opera Ballet NERFINISHED
Royal Ballet NERFINISHED
isSometimesPerformedAs standalone excerpt
partOf La Bayadère NERFINISHED
premiereCountry Russian Empire NERFINISHED
premiereDate 1877
premieredInWork La Bayadère NERFINISHED
premiereLocation Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, Saint Petersburg NERFINISHED
requiresNumberOfDancers large female corps de ballet

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

La Bayadère notableScene Kingdom of the Shades