The article examines the history of the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky Theater at the turn of 1917–1918 on the basis of archival material introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. After the October Revolution, the dancers led by T. P. Karsavina together with the other artists of the State theaters of Petrograd, declared their non-recognition of the Soviet government. However, already in December 1917, a split began to brew in the troupe, and individual supporters of the Bolsheviks appeared. The decisive days came at the beginning of January, when the representatives of the new government proceeded to the physical capture of the theater buildings and the lockout of those discontented. The ballet troupe for a number of reasons left without bright leaders at that time, adopted a resolution at a meeting on January 8 that placed moral responsibility on the authorities in case of violation of the “autonomous” rights of the ballet. However, the unwillingness of the artists to leave the theater (the dancers had nowhere to go) forced them to negotiate with People’s Commissar A. V. Lunacharsky. At the end of January during the negotiations, the ballet troupe was already discussing the issue of salary standards, which actually marked the end of “sabotage” and the recognition of the power of the Bolsheviks.

   The article analyzes the artistic practice of Loie Fuller from the point of view of the synthesis of science, technology and art. In the historical context of the study, the ideas of Z. Cilinski (media archeology) are applied, which contributes to the understanding of the technical environment in Fuller’s dances. The article puts forward the thesis about the combination of natural science and artistic approaches in Fuller’s personal practice, which contributed to the emergence of a new dance identity as an art form problematizing the ody in a phenomenological way. Fuller’s dance is seen in opposition to well-known modernist practices. In addition, the artistic practice of Fuller is seen as different from the well-known representatives of modern dance.

    The article is devoted to the music of the ballet Marco-Bomba, which in 1936 was staged by A. V. Shatin at the theater Island of Dances (this theater was created on the basis of the school of stage dance, which existed at that time at the Gorky Central Park). This ballet is an interesting example of a performance in which a somewhat expanded (compared to the ballet of the 19th century) libretto and music specially written for the Island of Dance were combined. The score of Marco-Bomba belonged to S. A. Khalatov, who created the music by combining the traditions of the ballet of the 19th century and elements close to the viewer of the first half of the 20th century. The composer used the leitmotifs characterizing the characters, resorted to numerous quotations (both from the author’s and folk music), included choruses and solo vocal numbers in the score. Marko-Bomba by S. A. Khalatov is an example of an adaptation of a ballet of the 19th century in the 20th century.

   After the revolutionary events of 1917, a new audience came to the theaters that were recently called imperial theatres. In a changed country, the renewal of the repertoire has become inevitable. For many of Petipa’s ballets, the surrounding changes proved fatal. The complexity of setting up the scenery, the large number of participants in these performances became an obstacle to the further stage life of the big ballets in conditions of austerity in the country, the lack of food in Petrograd and the mass departure of artists abroad. The performances that stayed on the billboard were teetering on the brink of survival under the onslaught of new values and changed tastes of the audience.

   The present article attempts to analyze the libretto of The Sleeping Beauty ballet, 1890, which is being considered as an autonomous literary version of the famous story from among other plots on the matter, including the fairy tale by Charles Perrault, for it includes some essential subtleties which significantly shift conventional implications and symbolism of the narrative far beyond such traditional categories as the victory of good over evil or love over evil charms. The author’s reasoning is based on the analysis of the collective image of the fairy godmothers, and also on the examination of the rivalry between the Lilac fairy and the Caraboss fairy. The author comes to the conclusion that due to the text of the libretto, the nature of fairy godmothers is routed in the ancient archetypal image of fortune-teller goddesses, and also that it is the confrontation between the Lilac fairy and the Caraboss fairy, being implemented exclusively within professional opposition, which is the main driver of the drama development.

   The article is devoted to the Leningrad choreographic school’s classical dance curriculum for 1936 considering the factors that influenced its creation, such as the reorganization of the educational process. The materials analyzed by the year of study. The program is compared to the earlier program for 1928 year and the latest version of Vaganova Ballet Academy’s program for 2016 year. As a result, the relationship between the formation of the Agrippina Vaganova’s methodology and the improvement of the curriculum for 1936 year was revealed.

   Sonorous timbre in sonorous works of Russian composers of the last third of the twentieth century is the most important subject of research. To demonstrate a variety of approaches and methods of using sonoric timbre, the author analyzes the works of composers S. Gubaidulina, A. Schnittke, N. Kordorf, G. Ustvolskaya. The sonoric timbre is considered in general as a syncretic timbre and timbral texture. Private (loud, register and articulatory) properties of the sonority timbre are also analyzed. The author demonstrates how the sonoric timbre was deeply and thoroughly developed and developed in the works of composers of the last third of the 20th century, when the development of the dramaturgy of musical composition began to depend more and more on timbral, rather than harmonic and melodic factors. Even today, modern music shows similar trends.

   In the course of the study of Prokofiev’s treatments of folk songs, one of the most important tasks is to find their reliable sources. In the existing scientific literature on the subject of research, there is practically no information about тthe sources underlying the treatments. The found correspondences between Prokofiev’s treatments and the published ethnographic materials, as well as archival phonographic recordings, will allow us to draw some conclusions about the composer’s creative method.

   In this article, the contacts between Diaghilev’s “sons” Prokofiev and Stravinsky are investigated and reconstructed. The newest documents are used for arguments. Diaghilev with Stravinsky wanted to change Prokofiev’s stylistic orientation from modernism to Russian nationalism. Two “brothers” became friends for many years.

   The article examines the nature of the conflict in the tragedy of M. Tsvetaeva Phaedra. The genealogy of the dramatic conflict of Tsvetaev’s dilogy Theseus is here declared to go back to the early Attic tragedy of the classical period of antiquity. In the article, the evolution of the conflict of a tragedy based on an ancient plot is traced on the example of the development of the myth of Phaedra and Ippolit in the works of Euripides, Seneca, Racine, Tsvetaeva. The play by the Russian playwright is seen as embodying the form of Attic tragedy — with its conflict of substantial worlds, not characters.

   The article is devoted to the characteristics of the management system of Chinese university symphony orchestras and the functions of their conductors. The most typical functional model of managing a symphony orchestra for Chinese universities is presented on the example of the management structure of the symphony orchestra of the Communication University of China. The functions of the conductor of a university symphony orchestra are considered, which is presented in several guises at once: as an orchestra manager, director-administrator, teacher-mentor, artistic director. The author indicates a block of independent problems that the conductor, as the artistic director of the ensemble, must constantly solve. As a result, the author makes a conclusion about the significance and prospects for the further development of Chinese university symphony orchestras.

   The article deals with dynamical development of the scope and content of the concept of kinetics in Soviet and modern Russian ethnochoreology. The paper presents comparative analysis of the ethnochoreological concept of kinetics with other similar concepts in related humanitarian sciences. It was found out that the scope of the concept of kinetics in ethnochoreology is broader than in related sciences, since the former includes all positions and movements performed by a human in everyday life and in rituals. The article identifies special characteristics of an ethnochoreological approach to study of kinetics, namely study of similarities and differences between ethnic cultures through choreological evidence. Comparison of concepts and approaches to study of human movements provides more detailed understanding of the role and goals of ethnochoreology in the humanities.

   The interpretations of the French pianist of Chinese origin Zhu Xiaomei, shaped under the influence of an unusually wide range of stylistic influences, is a distinctive artistic phenomenon, worthy of study. However, the particular qualities of Zhu Xiaomei’s art have not been studied by Russian musicologists so far. The main attention in the article is paid to Zhu Xiaomei’s embodiment of Bach’s heritage which occupies the main place in her concert programmes and audio recordings. The author investigates the peculiarities of implementation in the performing style of the pianist the traditions of piano schools under the influence of which Zhu Xiaomei developed; the influence of Zen Buddhist philosophical practices on her creative method of composition reflecting the ways of penetration of East Asian spiritual practices in the European music culture and performance. In exploring these questions, the author relies on the autobiographical publication of the Chinese pianist in France and the USA.