''The Two Stars'' or ''The Stars'' or ''The Two Little Stars'' (aka ''Les Deux étoiles'') is an '' Anacreontic

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

'' in 1 act, with choreography by

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (russian: Мариус Иванович Петипа), born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa (11 March 1818), was a French ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. Petipa is one of the most influential ballet masters an ...

, and music by

Cesare Pugni Cesare Pugni (; russian: Цезарь Пуни, Cezar' Puni; 31 May 1802 in Genoa – ) was an Italian composer of ballet music, a pianist and a violinist. In his early career he composed operas, symphonies, and various other forms of orches ...

. Libretto by Marius Petipa, based on an ancient

Greek myth A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of d ...

.Studies in Dance History - Volume 3, Issue 1 - Page 83 1992 ... Moscow, with the title Two Little Stars. First presented by the

Imperial Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russ ...

on January 31/February 6 ( Julian/ Gregorian calendar dates), 1871 at the

Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre The Saint Petersburg Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre (The Big Stone Theatre of Saint Petersburg, russian: Большой Каменный Театр) was a theatre in Saint Petersburg. It was built in 1783 to Antonio Rinaldi's Neoclassical ...

St. Petersburg, Russia Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. ''Principal Dancers-''

Ekaterina Vazem Yekaterina Ottovna Vazem (born Matilda Vazem; russian: Екатери́на Отто́вна Ва́зем; 25 January 1848, Moscow – 14 December 1937, Leningrad) aka Ekaterina Vazemwas a Russian prima ballerina and instructor, whose most noted ...

(as the First Star), Alexandra Virginia (as The Second Star), and

Pavel Gerdt Pavel Andreyevich Gerdt (russian: Па́вел Андре́евич Ге́рдт), also known as Paul Gerdt (near Saint Petersburg, Russia, 22 November 1844 – Vamaloki, Finland, 12 August 1917), was the ''Premier Danseur Noble'' of the Imperial ...

(as Apollo)

Revivals/Restagings

* Restaging by Marius Petipa for the

Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, literally "Big Theater", p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈatər) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds ballet and ope ...

as ''The Two Little Stars''. First presented on February 25/March 3, 1878 in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

. * Revival by

Ivan Clustine Ivan Nikolayevich Khlyustin (russian: Иван Николаевич Хлюстин; 22 August 1862 – 21 November 1941), usually referred to outside Russia as Ivan Clustine, was a Russian dancer, ballet master, and choreographer. He was "offered ...

for the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre as ''The Stars''. First presented on January 14/26, 1897 in Moscow, Russia. ''Principal Dancers -'' Ekaterina Geltzer (as the First Star), Adelaide Giuri (as the Second Star), and

Vasily Tikhomirov Vasiliy Dmitriyevich Tikhomirov (1876–1956) was a dancer (from 1895) and a choreographer (from 1913) with the Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow, Russia. His most distinguished production was ''The Red Poppy'' (1927), with his wife Yekaterina Geltzer in ...

(as Mars). * Revival by

Enrico Cecchetti Enrico Cecchetti (; 21 June 1850 – 13 November 1928) was an Italian ballet dancer, mime, and founder of the Cecchetti method. The son of two dancers from Civitanova Marche, he was born in the costuming room of the ''Teatro Tordinona'' in ...

for the Imperial Ballet, with

Riccardo Drigo Riccardo Eugenio Drigo ( ru. Риккардо Эудженьо Дриго) (30 June 18461 October 1930) was an Italian composer of ballet music and Italian opera, a theatrical conductor, and a pianist. Drigo is most noted for his long career a ...

making additions and revising Cesare Pugni's original score. First presented at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre on November 1/14 1900 in St. Petersburg, Russia. ''Principal Dancers -''

Olga Preobrajenskaya Olga Iosifovna Preobrajenska (russian: О́льга Ио́сифовна Преображе́нская; born Preobrazhenskaya; – 27 December 1962) was a Russian ballerina of the Russian Imperial Ballet and a ballet instructor. Biograp ...

(as the First Star), Nadezhda Bakerkina (as the Second Star),

Nikolai Legat Nikolai Gustavovich Legat (russian: Никола́й Густа́вович Лега́т) (30 December 1869, Moscow – 24 January 1937, London) was a Premier danseur, premier dancer with the Russian Imperial Ballet from 1888 to 1914, and also ...

as Apollo, and Sergei Lukianov (as Mars)

References

* ''The Two Stars'' was the final work of the composer Cesare Pugni before he died on January 26, 1870. * The 1870 premiere of ''The Two Stars'' was given as a benefit performance for the Imperial Ballet's ''Premier danseur''

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Two Stars Ballets by Marius Petipa Ballets by Cesare Pugni 1871 ballet premieres Ballets premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Petersburg