Ballets Russes
The
Ballets Russes was a
ballet company established in
1909 by the Russian impresario
Serge Diaghilev and resident first in
Théâtre Mogador,
Paris; and then in
Monte Carlo. It sprang out of the Tsar's
Imperial Ballet of
St. Petersburg, from where all its dancers were associated and trained, and the influence of the great choreographer
Marius Petipa. It created a sensation in
Western Europe because of the great vitality of
Russian ballet compared to what was current in
France at the time. It became the most influential
ballet company in 20th century, and that influence, in one form or another, has lasted to this day.
The dancers and choreographers associated with it included
George Balanchine,
Mathilde Kschessinska,
Michel Fokine,
Tamara Karsavina,
Serge Lifar,
Alicia Markova,
Léonide Massine,
Vaslav Nijinsky,
Anna Pavlova,
Ida Rubinstein and
Lydia Lopokova.
Designers included
Bakst,
Benois,
Braque,
Picasso,
Bilibin,
Tchelitchev, and
Utrillo.
Composers included
Debussy,
Milhaud,
Poulenc,
Prokofiev,
Ravel,
Satie,
Respighi,
Richard Strauss, and, most notably,
Igor Stravinsky, whom Diaghilev spotted when he was virtually unknown and whose career he launched.
See also: Category of Ballets Russes productionsAfter Diaghilev's death in
1929 the company's property was claimed by creditors, and the dancers were scattered. In the subsequent years, the company (in name only) was revived as the
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (with which the names of
George Balanchine and
Tamara Toumanova are associated) and as the
Original Ballet Russe.
*
Serge Diaghilev*
Mir Iskusstva*
Igor Stravinsky*
Vaslav Nijinsky*
The Rite of Spring*
Théâtre Mogador*
Ballets Russes Australian tours (1936 - 1940) / AustraliaDancing
*
The Ballets Russes in Australasia, 1936-1940 / National Library of Australia performing arts collection
*
Ballets Russes project / National Library of Australia
*
The Ballets Russes in Australasia, 1936-1940 - a list of holdings from the National Library of Australia (including links to digitised collection items)
