Costume Ball (1903)

A costume ball was held at the Winter Palace on 11 February 1903. Tsar Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna and the other guests were dressed in robes from the reign of Alexis Mikhailovich. The ball began with a concert in the Hermitage Theatre, followed by dancing in the Pavilion Room. The dances were choreographed by Jósef Krzesi?ski, a soloist of the Imperial Ballet and brother of Mathilde Kschessinska. The ladies formed reels, while the gentlemen performed a danse russe. There were a total of 390 guests, including sixty guardsmen. This was the last imperial ball in Russian history.