Puzzle
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Ballet 101. The language of classical dance is French. Tendu, plié, dégagé, pas de bourrée, assemblé, arabesque... The rhythm of classical dance are the counts. 1234, 2234, 3234, and so on. The link between the language and the rhythm are the positions. The classical ballet repertoire utilizes over 100 dance positions, 101 to be exact. And some of these 101 classical dance positions will now be demonstrated to you:
Background story
This puzzle was inspired by Vladimir Shklyarov (1985–2024), a late Principal Dancer of the Mariinsky Ballet. Renowned for his breathtaking leaps and poetic interpretations, Shklyarov was a shining star of the Russian stage, whose brilliant career was tragically cut short in the winter of 2024, at the age of 39.
The creation of this cache traces back to the Mariinsky's 2023 China tour. In a rare engagement, the company performed for four days at the Zhuhai Grand Theatre. One of the highlights was a scheduled performance of Swan Lake featuring Vladimir Shklyarov and Renata Shakirova – two artists I have long admired. I bought my ticket specially for this cast and even prepared photos, hoping for a stage-door meeting. However, it was only after entering the theatre and receiving the program that I realized there had been a cast exchange. Despite the initial disappointment, I still had a wonderful evening enjoying the performance.
After the accident happened one year later, I realized that missed opportunity had become a permanent regret, as it was my final chance to witness Shklyarov's artistry in person. This puzzle stands as a tribute to the late Mariinsky prince.