The Reception of Aristocracy in Russian Ballet Art

The article analyzes the origin and original meaning of the term "aristocracy" in ancient discourse. For the first time, the concept of "aristocracy" is systematically linked to the concept of "dance", for which the basic concepts substantiating the aristocratic origin of ballet art are investigated. Its origins are connected with the court ballet theater. A distinction is made between the aristocracy of origin and the aristocracy of the spirit. The main signs of the aristocracy of the spirit are determined. The aristocracy of the spirit on the ballet stage is analyzed on the basis of extensive factual material. The interrelation of the concept of "aristocracy" and related concepts is revealed. It is shown how the aristocracy of the spirit becomes one of the aesthetic phenomena of the choreographic culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The semantic evolution of dueling as a part of the aristocratic lifestyle, closely related to the history of the Imperial Ballet Theater, is presented. The semantic opposition "aristocracy-democracy" of M. Petipa's ballets is analyzed. The author substantiates the ambivalent position of the official Soviet ideology in relation to aristocracy as an element of obsolete noble culture and the subjects of ballet classics. The images of aristocrats in some Soviet ballets are characterized. The typology of images of aristocrats in the history of Russian choreography is given.