Representatives of the animal world are often lead characters in ballets and dance scenes in operas. Today, as in the past, in the century before last, the faun excites the imagination of choreographers and theatre designers. Sometimes readily identifiable and sometimes extremely conditional images of animals appear in productions from different years. We would like to offer you a brief excursion through the pages of the ballet animal world and see characters in photographs, selecting one of the proposed titles for each image.

Ivanushka and the Little Humpbacked Horse from the ballet The Little Humpbacked Horse, first staged in St Petersburg in 1864 by the choreographer Arthur Saint-Léon. Revised by Marius Petipa and later by Alexander Gorsky, this production remained in the Mariinsky Theatre’s repertoire for a long time. Vladimir Tompson as Ivanushka and Viktor Ushakov as the Little Humpbacked Horse. 1939.

1. Don Quixote and Rosinante from the ballet Don Quixote

2. Sancho Panza and the Donkey from the ballet Don Quixote

3. Ivanushka and the Little Humpbacked Horse from the ballet The Little Humpbacked Horse

The She-Goat from the ballet Sylvia, choreography by Frederick Ashton, premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in 2014. Oxana Marchuk as the She-Goat. 2014.

The White Cat from the ballet The Sleeping Beauty

The She-Goat from the ballet Sylvia

The She-Goat from the ballet La Esmeralda

Puss in Boots from the ballet The Sleeping Beauty, choreography by Marius Petipa. Revised version by Konstantin Sergeyev, performed at the Mariinsky Theatre since 1952. Valery Yemets as Puss in Boots. 1978.

The Ape from the ballet La Fille du pharaon

Puss in Boots from the ballet The Sleeping Beauty

The Grey Wolf from the ballet The Sleeping Beauty

The scene from the ballet The Nutcracker, choreography by Kirill Simonov, production by Mihail Chemiakin, premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in 2001. Eastern Dance performed by Alexandra Iosifidi. 2012.

The Snake from the ballet In the Jungle

The Snake from the ballet The Nutcracker

The Snake from the ballet La Bayadère

The Butterfly from the ballet Le Carnaval, choreography by Michel Fokine, revived at the Mariinsky Theatre in 2008. Yana Selina as the Butterfly. 2008.

The Butterfly from the ballet Bambi

The Butterfly from the ballet Le Carnaval

The Butterfly from the ballet A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Birds from the ballet Shurale, choreography by Leonid Yakobson, premiered at the Kirov Theatre in 1950; the production was revived at the Mariinsky Theatre in 2009. Photo from 1986.

Birds from the ballet Shurale

Cygnets from the ballet Swan Lake

Seagulls from the ballet Shore of Hope

The Spider from the ballet Sacre, choreography by Donvena Pandoursky, premiered in 2006. Designed by Mihail Chemiakin. Mikhail Lobukhin as the Spider. 2006.

The Spider from the ballet Sacre

The Praying Mantis from the ballet Sacre

The Spider from the ballet Sacre

Mice from the ballet The Nutcracker, choreography by Kirill Simonov, production by Mihail Chemiakin. 2011.

Mice from the ballet The Magic Nut

Mice from the ballet The Nutcracker

Mice from the ballet Princess Pirlipat, or Worthiness Punished

The Little Humpbacked Horse from the ballet The Little Humpbacked Horse, choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in 2009. Ilya Zhivoi as the Little Humpbacked Horse. 2011.

The Little Humpbacked Horse from the eponymous ballet

The Ass from the ballet A Midsummer Night’s Dream

The deer Bambi from the eponymous ballet

Birds from the ballet In the Jungle, choreography by Anton Pimonov, premiered in March 2015. Production designs by Anna Matison.

Court Birds from the ballet The Magic Nut

Birds from the ballet In the Jungle

Jellyfish from the Underwater Kingdom from the ballet The Magic Nut

The Frog from the ballet The Magic Nut, choreography by Donvena Pandoursky, production by Mihail Chemiakin, premiered in 2005. Margarita Frolova as the Frog. 2011.

The Frog from the ballet The Magic Nut

The Frog from the ballet Sacre

The Frog from the ballet Napoli, or The Fisherman and His Bride

Bees from the ballet The Nutcracker, choreography by Kirill Simonov, production by Mihail Chemiakin. Elena Firsova and Elena Bobobnikova as Bees. 2007.

Bees from the ballet Winnie-the-Pooh

Bumblebees from the opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan

Bees from the ballet The Nutcracker

Horses from the ballet The Little Humpbacked Horse, choreography by Alexei Ratmansky. Alexander Romanchikov and Kamil Yangurazov as Horses. 2009.

Horses from the ballet The Little Humpbacked Horse

Deer from the ballet Bambi

Goat-Kids from the ballet Sylvia

The Dragonfly from the ballet Sacre, choreography by Donvena Pandoursky, designs by Mihail Chemiakin. Anna Lavrinenko as the Dragonfly. 2008.

The Grasshopper from the ballet Bambi

The Frog from the ballet Sacre

The Dragonfly from the ballet Sacre

Fire-Flies from the ballet In the Jungle, choreography by Anton Pimonov, designs by Anna Matison. 2015.

Fire-Flies from the ballet In the Jungle

Seahorses from the ballet The Magic Nut

Fish with Golden Feathers from the opera Sadko

The world of ballet animals is highly diverse. Recognising our smaller fellow creatures in stage characters is fun for both children and adults. Of the productions currently in the Mariinsky Theatre’s repertoire the leaders in terms of the numbers of dancing animals are the recent ballet premieres Bambi and In the Jungle. For the last time this season they are being performed at the historic Mariinsky Theatre on 31 July. Come along and, using your imagination and sense of humour, ask yourselves “And who might that be?”