Paquita: 3rd Variation (Lyobov Kunakova, Kirov Ballet)

The Kirov Ballet, 1991 Choreography by Marius Petipa Watch the 4th Variation, danced by Larissa Lezhnina: A. L. Minkus - Paquita Originally a two-act ballet when it was created in 1846, the Paquita we know today is essentially the ballet’s glittering core, the Grand Pas, which was choreographed by Petipa in 1881. Inspired by the flamboyance of Ludwig Minkus’s music, Petipa created a stylistic showpiece, flavoured with a delectable Spanish air. The ballet takes the form of a series of showy divertissements and is one of the most demanding in the classical repertoire – both the soloists and the corps de ballet have to be brilliant technicians. But with the excellence of their Kirov training to call on, the dancers execute the fiendishly difficult choreography with much élan. Leading the magnificent ensemble, Yulia Makhalina and Konstantin Zaklinsky, two of the company’s most illustrious stars, shine like diamonds in this masterpiece of exhilarating classical dancing.