The festivities of the 80th birthday of Yury Grigorovich, who was the Bolshoi’s main choreographer for thirty years, culminated with the performance of “Sparatcus” – one of the company's most successful ballets.

The music score for the ballet was written in 1954. The first choreographer was Leonid Jacobson. However, his version was not a real success as the choreography did not contain enough actual dancing.

So it wasn't until 1968 that “Spartacus” hit the big time when Yury Grigovorich staged his version of the ballet.

The choreographer divided the production into two main categories. There are the major crowd scenes and also the monologues during which one of the four principal dancers is the only one onstage performing against a dark background.

This staging instantly gained international recognition and even overshadowed the famous “Swan Lake” ballet.

Now only few dancers in the company are capable of performing the role of Spartacus.

“It's a very difficult role…You practically don't touch the floor during the whole ballet… It requires a lot of energy,” dancer Yury Klevtsov remarkes.

The Bolshoi Theatre is determined to revive the legendary ballet. It will soon be staged in the Russian city of Krasnodar and then in the Covent Garden theatre in London.