Alexei Ratmansky's Flames of Paris, music by Boris Asafyev

Two revolutions find common cause in the celebrated Soviet ballet The Flames of Paris. Premiered in the late 1930s by the Bolshoi Ballet, choreographer Vasily Vainonen and composer Boris Asafyev created the work to honor the anniversary of Russia’s October Revolution. Drawing on major events from the French Revolution (including the storming of the Tuileries and the march on Paris), it tells the story of Jeanne and her brother Jérôme, two young idealists who march to the capital to join the Revolution in 1789. Performed by the same prestigious dance company that premiered the ballet nearly 100 years ago, this 2010 production features a new choreography by Alexei Ratmansky that underlines the incredible virtuosity and breathtaking power of the Russian ballet tradition.