The Pharaoh's Daughter

The ballet Pharaoh's Daughter tells the story of an English archaeologist, Lord Wilson, who explores Egypt with his servant, John Bull. He is caught in a storm outside a pyramid, takes shelter in the pyramid together with some none-too-noble contemporary Egyptians, partakes of opium and dreams of falling in love with the pharoah's daughter who was laid to rest in the pyramid.

The ballet was first presented by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia, in 1862.

In the year 2000, Pierre Lacotte undertook the work of recreating it at the request of the Bolshoi Theater and included only three reconstructed dances from Petipa's original choreography for the Grand Pas d'action of Act II.