Born in France, Marius Petipa was a dancer, ballet master and choreographer. He spent most of his career in the city in St Petersburg, arriving in 1847 as a Principal Dancer with the Russian Imperial Ballet before becoming ballet master at the company.
Marius Petipa is recognized as one of the most influential and prolific choreographers in the history of ballet. In addition to creating more than 50 ballets including La Bayadère and The Sleeping Beauty, Petipa also revived a number of works by other choreographers such as Swan Lake, Coppélia, Giselle and La Fille Mal Gardée.