The book represents a number of sketches devoted to the life and creative work of the Emperor Theatre ballet dancers : Varvara Volkova, Marfa Muravyova, Virginia Zucchi, Maria Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Feliks Krzesiński, Amalia Ferraris, Fanny Cerrito – who all played a significant role in the evolution of choreography. To date, this subject has not been fully researched. Ten biographic sketches form the core of the book and include the original illustration of Saint-Petersburg ballet development in the 19th century. The sketches are based on numerous sources, such as archival documents, playbills, periodicals, theatre chronicles and memoirs that, taken as a whole, truly and vividly depict the individuality of ballet dancers as well as the general atmosphere of the Emperor Theatre ballet in the 19th century.

Irina A. Boglachyova. The ballet dancers of Saint-Petersburg Emperor Theatre in the 19 th century. Saint-Petersburg : « Chistyi list », 2015.