Fokine's early ideas about ballet

At the time I had no idea that I would stage ballets someday myself.  But the idea that the ballets should be staged differently from the way they were presented at the time took a firm hold of my mind.  I mailed my libretto of "Daphnis and Chloe" to the Director of the Imperial Theater, Vladimir Arkadievich Teliakovsky, with an accompanying introduction.  My main thoughts, described in this introduction -- what I could consider as my suggestions for ballet reforms -- consisted of the following:

The ballet should be stage in conformity with the epoch represented.

The dance pantomime and gestures should not be of the conventional style established in the old ballet "once and for all," but should be of a kind that best fits the style of the period.  The costumes also should not be of the established ballet style (short tarlatan tutus) but be consistent with the plot.  In this particular ballet, "Daphnis and Chloe," the costumes for the girls should consist of light tunics -- draped clothes such as were worn in Rome and in ancient Greece.  The footwear should match the costume in its authenticity, and copies from ancient Greek life.  There should be no ballet shoes, but soft sandals, or the dancers should appear barefoot.

The ballet must be uninterrupted -- a complete artistic creation and not a series of separate numbers.

In the interests of retaining the scenic illusion, the action must not be interrupted with applause and its acknowledgment by the artists.

The music should not consist of waltzes, polkas, and final galops -- indispensable in the old ballet -- but must express the story of the ballet and, primarily, its emotional content.

After receiving my libretto and suggestions for reforms, the Directors manifested no reaction to them, and probably forgot about my ballet and my plans.

Fokine, memoirs of a ballet master by Michel Fokine. 1961. Pages 71-2.