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Nikolay (1869-1937) and Sergey (1875-1905) Legat were born into an artistic family; their father, Gustav, was a dancer and ballet master. They studied at the Imperial Ballet School under their father, Pavel Gerdt, Christian Johansson, and Lev Ivanov. While still a student, Sergey received his first major role in 1892 at the age of 17 when he created the role of the Nutcracker Prince in Ivanov and Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker. Nikolay graduated from the school in 1888 and Sergey graduated in 1894; both joined the Imperial Ballet and went onto become two of the greatest ballet dancers in the world. The Legat brothers became pioneers in the field of male technique, spreading the influence on male dancing by that of their teacher, Enrico Cecchetti. Sergey became Premier Danseur circa 1903 and created some of the most famous principal male roles in the Petipa/Ivanov repertoire. Also in 1903, the Legat brothers were given the opportunity to show their abilities as choreographers when they choreographed their own version of The Fairy Doll. Nikolay Legat danced with Imperial Ballet until 1914 and with Mariinsky Ballet, but had a flare for choreography and preferred to teach. Nikolay succeeded Marius Petipa as ballet master, later became the director of the Imperial school, and preserved Petipa’s works. His students included Agrippina Vaganova, Tamara Karsavina, Mikhail Fokine, Vaslav Nijinsky, and Adolph Bolm. In 1923, Nikolay replaced Cecchetti as ballet master for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in France. In 1926, Nikolay opened his own school in London where his student list included, Alexandra Danilova, Margot Fonteyn, Ninette de Valois, and Anton Dolin.
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