Conversations at The Lake Merritt

Creating Masterworks: Petipa and Tchaikovsky at the Mariinsky Ballet 

Three of the best-loved ballets of all time — The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty — were developed at the Mariinsky Theatre by choreographer Marius Petipa, to music by Peter Tchaikovsky. This lecture offers a window into the creative process of their groundbreaking collaboration, along with background regarding the set of influences that allowed for the distinctive relationship.

Daphne O’Neal, a former freelance dance and theatre critic for the Oakland Tribune and the Contra Costa Times, writes regularly about dance and music for print and online publications. She began ballet classes at age 9 and continued to study and perform for 20 years. Daphne holds a B.A. in Modern European History from Harvard University.