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Bolshoi Ballet’s 250th Anniversary Tour Stops in Istanbul
As part of the Türkiye Culture Route Festival, the Bolshoi Ballet performed four shows in Istanbul between September 26–30, presenting Romeo and Juliet and Swan Lake to an eager audience of art lovers. As the Bolshoi celebrates its 250th season in 2025, let’s take a closer look at the legacy behind one of the world’s greatest ballet institutions.
After years of small-scale visits, the Bolshoi Ballet and Orchestra finally arrived in Istanbul in full force. On September 29, I had the chance to witness Swan Lake in its 2001 reimagined version —a breathtaking performance that more than justified the months of anticipation that began when we bought our tickets.
The word “perfect” often accompanies any mention of the Bolshoi Ballet —and for good reason. Discipline, aesthetics, knowledge, and experience merge seamlessly within this extraordinary ensemble. Founded in 1776 in Moscow to train orphaned children in dance, the company has since evolved into one of the most influential schools of ballet in the world. In the following lines, you’ll see why everyone should experience at least one Bolshoi production in their lifetime.
1 / Vera Karelli as Odette in Swan Lake. Photo: Karl Fischer Photo Atelier, 1906. 2 / Alyona Kovalyova as Odette. She was promoted to principal dancer in 2021 – 2022 season.
A BALLET SCHOOL THAT INSPIRED THE WORLD
The history of ballet in Russia dates back to the 1600s, and it’s well known that the spread of this art form worldwide often came through Russian teachers. Interestingly, many of today’s leading companies —the Paris Opera Ballet, New York City Ballet, La Scala Ballet in Milan, and The Royal Ballet in London— were all founded or shaped under the guidance of Russian masters before developing their own unique styles.
The Bolshoi’s golden age lasted until the 1990s, when the fall of the Soviet Union brought financial and artistic challenges. Many experienced dancers left for Western companies, leaving a gap that lasted nearly a decade. Yet new generations carried on Russia’s deep-rooted ballet tradition. With a revitalized administration and improved resources from 2004 onward, the Bolshoi reclaimed its glory —thanks to new dancers, international productions, and restored creative energy.
To dance with the Bolshoi remains every dancer’s dream. Today, its feeder schools train students from around the world. Children begin as early as age three or four, with professional programs starting around five or six —a lifelong journey shared by dedicated parents, often mothers. Once students reach fifteen and pass physical and technical exams, they may begin performing on stage under supervision. In recent years, however, the company rarely accepts dancers under seventeen.
So what makes the Bolshoi different? Athletic prowess, dynamic elevation, broad stage use, and expressive performance —all elements that give the Bolshoi its unmistakable power and grandeur.
THE ETERNAL RIVAL: MARIINSKY THEATRE
Though there are many outstanding ballet companies today, the Bolshoi still considers the Mariinsky Theatre its greatest rival. No other country boasts two companies of such caliber —and this competition has pushed both to artistic excellence. While Mariinsky’s repertoire emphasizes female dancers and romantic narratives, the Bolshoi showcases strength and drama through male roles like Spartacus and Ivan the Terrible.
Under the leadership of Vladimir Gergiev —who in 2023 took charge of both institutions— their rivalry evolved into a creative dialogue, resulting in two distinct yet equally exceptional ensembles.
Let’s hope the Bolshoi Ballet returns to Istanbul soon —to once again captivate audiences, even those who’ve never experienced ballet before.
The Performance in Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre on the Occasion of the Coronation of Alexander II. Watercolor by Mihály Zichy. 1856.
From top: 1 / Swan Lake. Maya Plisetskaya as Odette. Nikolai Fadeyechev as Prince Siegfried. 1956. 2 / The Dying Swan by Maya Plisetskaya. Photo: Evgeny Umnov, 1964. 3 / The facade of Bolshoi Theater after the 1917 Revolution.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BOLSHOI BALLET
The Bolshoi Ballet was founded in 1776 by Prince Pyotr Urusov and flourished under the patronage of Empress Catherine the Great. In 1781, it gained its own venue under the name Petrovsky Theatre. However, when the theatre was destroyed by fire in 1805, the troupe continued performing for several years in a temporary wooden theatre.
In 1812, when Napoleon invaded Russia, the great Moscow fire that broke out as his army retreated once again reduced the theatre to ashes.
In 1825, it reopened under the name Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater. The word “Bolshoi” means “grand” or “great” in Russian —a fitting name for a theatre that was indeed vast and magnificent.
Another devastating fire in 1853 left only the outer walls standing, but after extensive restoration, the theatre took on the appearance it still retains today.
Until the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent move of the capital to Moscow, the Bolshoi Theatre remained in the shadow of St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre. Initially slated for closure, it was ultimately preserved —thanks to its proximity to the Kremlin and its monumental architecture. The Bolshoi went on to become the stage for major political events, from the proclamation of the Soviet Union to central committee congresses and even Lenin’s funeral.
From top: 1 / Swan Lake, Istanbul performance, 2025 (Photo by Oya Mumcuoğlu). 2 / Swan Lake, from the Bolshoi archives. 3 / A scene from the ballet Don Quixote.
A RICH REPERTOIRE THAT SHAPED WORLD BALLET
Here you have a shortlist of the classical productions that helped project the company on the international stage and that the Bolshoi has kept in active repertory for decades.
Don Quixote
Premiered on December 26, 1869, Don Quixote bears the signature of the celebrated French-Russian dancer, pedagogue, and choreographer Marius Petipa, and is regarded as one of the most important productions in the history of the Bolshoi Ballet. Expect a feast of flamenco-tinged movements and dazzling bravura moments —a ballet designed to make the audience shout “bravo!”
Swan Lake
Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1877. Initially met with criticism, it later became the company’s emblem and one of the most performed ballets in the world. After Tchaikovsky’s death, Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov reworked it for the Mariinsky Theatre, creating the now-classic version that introduced ballet’s most demanding dual role —Odette, the gentle swan princess, and Odile, her dark and seductive twin. Later Bolshoi stagings (notably Grigorovich’s revisions) helped shape the company’s mythic image of corps-de-ballet precision. What began as a failure became ballet’s eternal icon!
The Nutcracker
Although The Nutcracker premiered in St. Petersburg in 1892, Yuri Grigorovich’s 1966 Bolshoi production transformed it into a large-scale, theatrical, and unmistakably Russian holiday spectacle —less a children’s tale, more a magical pageant from a winter fairy-tale world.
Spartacus
Aram Khachaturian’ın Spartacus was transformed into a Bolshoi signature by Yury Grigorovich (1968 production) and became a showcase for the company’s masculine power and cinematic group scenes —a piece closely identified with the company’s international tours. It’s sweaty, gladiatorial, and theatrical —the sort of ballet that makes western audiences sit up and say, “That’s Russian ballet!”
Romeo and Juliet
Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet remains one of the indispensable ballet classics of the 20th century and continues to captivate international audiences as a masterpiece that highlights the Bolshoi’s dramatic power. This Bolshoi production — where ballet meets Shakespearean tragedy — particularly the 1979 version staged by Grigorovich, stands out for its theatrical interpretation, offering the company’s principal dancers a dazzling showcase for their artistry.
The Sleeping Beauty
Although the original premiere was at the Mariinsky (1890), the Bolshoi established its own grand stagings after its 1899 Moscow debut. Here is a lavish court spectacle the Bolshoi still loves to present on major tours. If you like tiaras, fairy divas, and perfect classical lines, Sleeping Beauty is a Bolshoi checklist of virtuosity and extravaganza.
Giselle
One of the most poignant works of romantic ballet, Giselle has been part of the Bolshoi repertoire for generations. Inspired by Eastern European folklore, it tells the ghostly tale of betrayed maidens who dance travelers to death. With Adolphe Adam’s emotive score and Petipa’s choreography, it portrays a tragic love between a village girl and a nobleman in disguise —immortalized by legendary Bolshoi ballerinas like Galina Ulanova and Ekaterina Maximova.
If you want to catch a Bolshoi Ballet performance, you can usually purchase tickets, which go on sale about three months before the show and sell out quickly, by following bolshoi.ru/en. However, it’s worth noting that The Nutcracker ballet is particularly popular among Muscovites before New Year’s, and tickets are sold at astronomical prices on the black market once they are sold out. You can also check the tour schedule of the company, which spends certain periods of the year outside Moscow.
