La Bayadere: Variation 2: Allegro -

The variation typically opens with a series of sissonnes and assemblés . The challenge for the soloist is to achieve height while maintaining the "weightless" quality of a ghost (a Shade).

The music for La Bayadère was composed by Ludwig Minkus, who served as the official Ballet Composer to the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres. Variation 2 is set in a bright 2/4 time. Unlike the haunting, melodic lines of the opening entrance, this variation utilizes a "ticking" rhythmic quality. The orchestration is light, often highlighting the woodwinds, which demands that the dancer maintain a sharp, percussive relationship with the score. III. Choreographic Structure and Technical Demands La Bayadere: Variation 2: Allegro

The "Kingdom of the Shades" scene in La Bayadère is widely considered one of Marius Petipa's greatest achievements. While the entrance of the thirty-two shades is famous for its hypnotic repetition, the three soloist variations that follow provide the individual technical highlights of the act. Variation 2, characterized by its Allegro tempo and crisp footwork, offers a rhythmic contrast to the slow, flowing adagio of the corps de ballet. II. Musical Context: Ludwig Minkus The variation typically opens with a series of

Analysis of La Bayadère : Kingdom of the Shades, Variation 2 (Allegro) Petersburg Imperial Theatres