"Sequel to the stories of Scheherazade"

“Fateful Orientalism” appeared in Russian Ballet at the beginning of the XX-th century. A promiscuous and dangerous seductress, a vampire sadistically luring men to an unpleasant demise played by Ida Rubinstein and her lover-premier performed by Vaslav Nijinsky became very famous characters.
The Russian Orientalism of earlier generations would find new interpretations on the concert stage thanks to Mikhail Fokin. “Scheherazade” (1910) is one of the most famous oriental ballets based on “The Book of One Thousand and One Nights”. It is considered Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's most popular work.
The actual version of “Scheherazade” staged by Vyacheslav Gordeev is closely resemble aesthetic conceptions of “World of Art” movement and Fokin's ballet, that became a hit during the Ballets Russes in Paris.
Trying to keep the spirit of the original choreography by Fokin, Gordeev seems to take the baton from the outstanding ballet-master. But he also evolves his own ideas out of the works of his predecessor who wasn't just inspired by the oriental theme but also artistically examined the peril of the wild outburst of instincts in defiance of mind.

Chopiniana

Chopiniana is a full dance without a plot to strictly follow. There is just the music by Chopin, and choreography set to it. The sylphides recall famous ballerina Maria Talioni (1804-1884).

 From “Against the Stream” by M. Fokin:

“In my “Reverie Romantique” (“Romantic Dream”) I didn't try to surprise audience with novelty but to lead a conventional ballet dance to advanced stage of its development. I'm not sure if our ancestors dance in the same way. Nobody knows it. But in my dreams they danced like this. I set a series of plays by Chopin as solo concerts. Maurice Keller conducted them. I included a waltz from the first Chopiniana... Twenty three Talioni beset me...”