who took over the direction of the st. petersburg ballet in 1869
Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (Russian: Ма́риус Ива́нович Петипа́), born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa (11 March 1818 – 14 July [O.S. 1 July] 1910[1]) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. Petipa is considered[by whom?] to be the most influential ballet master and choreographer in ballet history.