What is Bolshoi Ballet?
[[File:Moscow Bolshoi Theatre 2011.JPG|thumb|300px|Bolshoi Theatre]] The '''Bolshoi Ballet''' is a ballet company. It is based at the [[Bolshoi Theatre]] in [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]. It was founded in 1776. It is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world. It achieved worldwide acclaim in the early 20th century when Moscow became the capital of [[Soviet Union|Soviet Russia]]. The Bolshoi and the [[Kirov Ballet]] are recognised as the foremost ballet companies in [[Russia]]. The origin of the Bolshoi is found in the creation of a dance school for a Moscow [[orphanage]] in 1773.<ref>[http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A0808195.html Info Please]</ref> In 1776, dancers from the school were employed by [[Prince Pyotr Urusov]] and the English theatrical [[entrepreneur]] [[Michael Maddox]] to form part of their new theatre company.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.imgartists.com/?id=833&page=artist |title=IMG Artists |access-date=2012-03-13 |archive-date=2011-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008030651/http://imgartists.com/?page=artist&id=833 |url-status=deviated |archivedate=2011-10-08 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008030651/http://imgartists.com/?page=artist&id=833 }}</ref> They performed in privately owned venues. Later they acquired the [[Petrovsky Theatre]]. The theatre would later be rebuilt as today's [[Bolshoi Theatre]]. The early history of the Bolshoi Ballet is very sketchy. The company staged many famous ballets. It struggled to compete with the [[Kirov Ballet|Imperial Russian Ballet]] of [[St Petersburg]]. It was not until [[Alexander Gorsky]] became Ballet Master in 1900 that the company began to develop its own unique identity. The company was acclaimed for productions of new or restaged ballets including, ''[[Don Quixote (ballet)|Don Quixote]]'' (1900), ''[[Coppélia]]'' (1901), ''[[Swan Lake]]'' (1901), ''[[La fille mal gardée]]'' (1903), ''[[Giselle]]'' (1911), ''[[Le Corsaire]]'' (1912) and ''[[La Bayadère]]'' (1917).<ref>[http://www.theballetbag.com/2010/08/12/the-b