Pirates in tights doing grand jetés off a sinking ship. High culture meets high seas chaos.
Inspired by Lord Byron’s epic poem, this jewel of the repertoire boasts a lavish production complete with a shipwreck, pirates, and some of ballet’s most renowned scenes.
Acting
Lunkina's Medora—technically flawless, emotionally transporting.
Production
That shipwreck set piece belongs in a museum of chaos.
Practical Effects
Live orchestra breathing beneath every leap and landing.
Director
Vincent Bataillon
Svetlana Lunkina
Medora
Ruslan Skvortsov
Conrad
Andrei Merkuriev
Birbanto
Nina Kaptsova
Gulnare
Anastasia Stashkevich
Pas d'esclaves
Vyacheslav Lopatin
Pas d'esclaves
Alexei Loparevich
Seyd, the Pacha
Gennadi Yanin
Isaac Lanquedem
Andrei Sitnikov
Keeper of Seyd, the Pacha's harem
Kristina Karasyova
Zulmea
Anastasia Vinokur
A Negress
Alexander Fadeyechev
A Mufti
Anna Okuneva
Pas de Trois des Odalisques (Second Odalisque)
Anna Tikhomirova
Pas de Trois des Odalisques (Third Odalisque)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Le Corsaire has no definitive version—choreographers keep 'restoring' it since 1856, making every production a Frankenstein of dance history.
Byron's poem was already ironic about pirate romance; the ballet ditched the cynicism for pure adrenaline. The 2012 Bolshoi production later became controversial when director Sergei Filin was acid-attacked in a company scandal.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
US
