Fundamental work in the repertoire of classical dance companies, composed by Ludwig Minkus with a libretto by Sergei Kuschelok and choreography by Marius Petipa, based on two dramas of the Indian poet Kalidasa
It is an exotic love story between a dancer and a handsome warrior. It premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in 1877, danced by Lev Ivanov, who later became one of the leading figures of classical dance. Projected from the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
