The Red Poppy () or sometimes The Red Flower () is a ballet in three acts and eight tableaux with an apotheosis, with a score written by Reinhold Glière and libretto by Mikhail Kurilko. This ballet was created in 1927 as the first Soviet ballet with a modern revolutionary theme. Possibly the most famous dance from this ballet is the Sailors Dance, sometimes referred to as the "Russian Sailors Dance" (although it is described as "Dance of the Sailors from the Soviet Ship" in the score and libretto). It is this musical selection for which Glière is perhaps best known. There have been four main versions of The Red Poppy. History Original version (1927) The original version of The Red Poppy was choreographed by Lev Lashchiline (1st and 3rd Acts) and Vasily Tikhomirov (2nd Act). The first performance was on 14 June 1927 in the Bolshoi Theatre (which at the time under Soviet rule had been renamed "First People's State Theatre for Opera and Ballet"). The orchestra was led by Yuri Fayer. The ballet's 100th performance in Moscow occurred on 23 December 1928. This production was staged in 1928 and 1930 in Sverdlovsk, and in 1928, 1949, and 1958 in Saratov. The Leningradsky Theatre of opera and ballet staged the ballet in 1929 in Leningrad, adding several dances to the production. The original version was performed in 1941 and 1950 in Gorky; in 1946 in Baku by the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre; and in 1949 and 1958 by the Kirov Ballet. In 1943, the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo staged a one-act version of the ballet in the Public Music Hall, Cleveland, Ohio. Premiering on October 9, 1943, the production was staged by Igor Schwezoff, with decor by Boris Aronson. Since World War II was being fought at the time, with the Soviets and Americans allied, the villain Li-Chan-Fou was changed to a Japanese bar owner. The group of Soviet sailors now included British and Americans as well. The Red Flower (1957) In 1957, Vasily Tikhomirov and Mikhail Kurilko staged an expanded version of the ballet. Renamed The Red Flower (to avoid the association with opium), the number of scenes ("tableaux") was increased from 8 to 13. It was first performed on 24 November 1957 in the Bolshoi Theatre. Lavrovsky version (1949) In 1949 a new version of The Red Poppy was choreographed by Leonid Lavrovsky. The scenario