born Feb. 18, 1834, Moscow, Russia
died Dec. 24, 1901, St. Petersburg
Russian dancer and choreographer.
He joined the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg in 1852 and became lead dancer in 1869. In 1885 he was appointed assistant ballet master under Marius Petipa . He is best known for his choreography of The Nutcracker (1892) and parts of Swan Lake (1895), which he based closely on the structure and emotional content of the music rather than emphasizing virtuoso technique.