This week, I want to share a ballet Fairy Doll. As I was a student, I only knew the pas de trois of the fairy doll, which some of you might have seen. This is actually a full length ballet with a simple story.

Originally premiered at the Vienna Court on October 4, 1888 as Die Puppenfee, this ballet is based on E.T.A Hoffman’s 1815 story of “The Sandman.” He is the author of “The Nutcracker.” The music is by Josef Bayer, with choreography by Joseph Hassreiter and the pas de trois by Sergei Legat. 

The story is: In a toy shop a farmer and a noble come in with their families. The puppeteer shows the mechanical dancing dolls: Chinese, Japanese, Harlequin, Austrian, Baby Doll, Moor, Drumming Bunny Doll (which is given a nod in Balanchine’s The Nutcracker), Spanish, Hungarian, Poet and the lovely Fairy Doll. Obviously the rich family wants the fairy doll and pays. The farmer buys the Harlequin and Austrian. The shop then closes, but when the clock strikes midnight, like in all fairy tales, the toys come to life. Not only do all the dolls come to life, but so do the chess pieces– a cello, hammer, bowling pin and bunny doll. They all dance and then the fairy doll and her two harlequins dance the very technical pas de trois. Then as the night ends, all the dolls encircle the fairy doll just as the shopkeeper comes in and is mesmerized at the magic of the dolls.

Vaganova students often perform this ballet as their graduation performance. Since it has many variations, several students get a chance to dance solos, but the most outstanding students would dance the fairy doll pas de trois.

I hope you enjoy the video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo7cemNhZr8&t=6s