Diaghilevs Ballet Russes (1909-1929)

Paquita Premiered in Paris April 1, 1846

Paquita is a ballet in two acts and three scenes, with libretto by Joseph Mazilier and Paul
Foucher. Originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to the music of Edouard Deldevez. First
presented by at the Salle Le Peletier by the
Paris Opera Ballet on April 1, 1846.
In 1847, Paquita was staged for the first time
in Russia for the Imperial Ballet of St.
Petersburg by Marius Petipa and PierreFrdric Malevergne. Paquita was the first
work ever staged by Petipa in Russia. In 1881,
Petipa produced a revival of the ballet for
which he added new pieces specially
composed by Ludwig Minkus. This included
the Pas de troisfor the first act, and
the Paquita Grand pas classique and
the Mazurka des enfants for the last act.
Petipa's version of Paquita was retained in the
repertory of
the
Mariinsky
Theatre
until 1926.
In 2001, the Ballet Master Pierre Lacotte produced

a revival of

full-length, two act Paquita for the Paris Opera

Ballet.

Copplia Premiered May

1870

25,

The ballet Copplia premiered on May 25, 1870 at the Thtre Imprial de lOpra, with
the 16-year-old Giuseppina Bozzacchi in the principal role of Swanhilde. Copplia is a
sentimental comic ballet with original choreography by Arthur Saint-Lon to a
balletlibretto by Saint-Lon and Charles Nuitter and music by Lo Delibes. It was based

upon two macabre stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, Der Sandmann (The Sandman), and Die
Puppe (The Doll). Its first flush of success was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian
War and the siege of Paris - which also led to the early death of Giuseppina Bozzacchi, on
her 17th birthday - but eventually it became the most-performed ballet at the Opera
Garnier. The team of Saint-Lon and Nuittier had a previous success with the ballet La
Source (1860), for which Dlibes had composed the music jointly with Ludwig Minkus.
The story of Copplia concerns a mysterious and faintly diabolical inventor, Doctor
Copplius who has made a life-size dancing doll. It is so lifelike that Frantz, a village
swain, is infatuated with it, and sets aside his true heart's desire, Swanhilde, who in Act
II shows him his folly by dressing as the doll and pretending to come to life. The festive
wedding-day divertissements in the village square that occupy Act III are often deleted in
modern danced versions, though one of the entres was the first czardaspresented on a
ballet stage.
Giuseppina Bozzacchi was
anItalian ballerina, noted for creating the
role of Swanhilda in Lo Delibes'
ballet Copplia at the age of 16. She
came to Paris to study with Mme
Dominique. The choreographer, Arthur
Saint-Lon, and the director of
the Acadmie Royale de Musique, mile
Perrin, had been searching for a suitable
Swanhilda, after deciding that none of the
ballerinas previously considered
Lontine Beaugrand,Angelina
Fioretti and Adle Grantzou were
suitable. They even asked the
composer Lo Delibes to seek out a suitable Swanilda on his trip to Italy. He returned
empty-handed, but in the meantime Saint-Lon and Perrin had discovered Bozzacchi.
Giuseppina created Swanhilda on May 25, 1870 in the presence of Emperor Napoleon
III. In July, an international dispute broke out between France and Prussia over the
succession to the Spanish throne, and on July 19, France declared war. Giuseppina
Bozzacchi danced Swanhilda for the 18th and last time on August 31st, when the Paris
Opra closed for the duration of the Franco-Prussian War. The Opra had stopped paying
salaries, and Giuseppina, weakened by lack of food, became ill. She contracted smallpox
and fever, and died that same year on the morning of her 17th birthday ,November 23,
1870.

Sleeping Beauty Premiered Janaury 15, 1890

Sleeping Beauty premiered January 15th in St. Petersburg, Russia. Choreography by Petipa,
music by Tchaikovsky and starring Carlotta Brianza in the role of Aurora. The ballet's premiere
received more favorable accolades than Swan Lakefrom the press but Tchaikovsky never had the
luxury of being able to witness his work become an instant success in theatres outside of Russia.
He died in 1893. By 1903, The Sleeping Beauty was the second most popular ballet in the
repertory of the Imperial Ballet (the Petipa/Pugni The Pharaoh's Daughter was first), having been
performed 200 times in only 10 years.
The Sleeping Beauty is Tchaikovsky's longest
ballet, lasting nearly four hours at full length counting the intermissions. Without
intermissions, it lasts nearly three hours. It is
nearly always cut.
At the premier Tsar Alexander III summoned Tchaikovsky to the imperial box. The Tsar made the
simple remark 'Very nice,' which seemed to have irritated Tchaikovsky, who had likely expected a
more favorable response.

Raymonda Premiered January 19, 1898

The three act balletRaymonda, premiered in January 19, 1898 at the Maryinsky Theatre in St.
Petersburg. with choreography by Marius Petipa. Prima Ballerina, Pierina Legnani danced the
title role, with Sergei Legat as her suitor, the chivalrous knight Jean de Brienne. Glazunov's score
for the ballet Raymonda, Op. 57, supports a fanciful narrative by novelist-journalist Lydia
Pashkova. The libretto was by Petipa and Lydia Pashkova, music by Glazunov, sets by O. Allegri,
K.
Raymonda is regarded as Petipa's last
true masterpiece and has been
constantly revived in Russia. It was
kept unchanged in the Kirov repertoire
until 1938 when Vainonen staged a new version with a revised libretto by himself and Slominsky.
In 1948, Sergeyev staged a version which reverted to a close approximation of Petipa. The
Bolshoi danced their first production in 1900 and in 1908 showed a brand-new version by Gorsky.
Lavrovsky staged a later revival (1945) with much of Petipa's choreography restored.

In the West, Petipa's ballet has appeared in many different

forms. The Grand Pas hongrois (Act III) formed part of an evening
of divertissements danced by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in Paris
(1909) and Pavlova presented a two-act version of the ballet staged
by Ivan Clustine in New York (1914). The complete ballet was
danced in Nicholas Zvereff's staging for the National Opera Ballet of
Lithuania in London (1935) while the first US production was a
shortened re-creation of Petipa's work byDanilova and Balanchine
for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (New York, 1946).
Nureyev staged a complete version in 1964 for the Royal Ballet
Touring Company at the Spoleto Festival although only Act III remained in the permanent
repertoire. Nureyev subsequently re-staged the complete production for Australian Ballet (1965),
Zurich Opera Ballet (1972), and for American Ballet Theatre (1975). Berlin Opera Ballet also
staged the complete ballet in a production by T. Gsovsky (Acts I and II) and Beriozoff (Act III).
Balanchine choreographed his own ballet, Pas de dix, to the music from the Grand Pas hongrois
(1955), later developed into Cortge hongrois (1973), and also Raymonda Variations (to other
extracts from Glazunov's score) in 1961.

Les Millions d'Arlequin (a.k.a. Harlequinade) Premiered Feb. 10, 1900

Les Millions d'Arlequin (a.k.a. Harlequinade) is a ballet in two acts with libretto and choreography
by Marius Petipaand music by Riccardo Drigo. First presented at theImperial Theatre of the
Hermitage by the Imperial Ballet inSt. Petersburg, Russia on February 10, 1900. The ballet was
given a second premiere on the stage of the stage of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre with the
same cast on February 26th.
The Ballet Master Fyodor Lopukhov later restaged the ballet
as Harlequinade in a one act version for the Ballet of the Maly
Theatre of Leningrad. The production premiered on 13 June
1933. Audiences outside of Russia are perhaps most familiar
with George Balanchine's revival, which the Ballet Master staged
as Harlequinadefor the New York City Ballet. This production that
premiered at the New York State Theaterin New York City on
February 4, 1965.
The original cast for both performances was Mathilde
Kschessinskaya as Columbine, Georgi Kiaksht as Harlequin, Olga Preobrajenska as
Pierrette, Sergei Lukianov as Pierrot, Enrico Cecchetti as Casandr, and Anna Urakhova as the

Good Fairy. Included at the first performance were Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra
Feodorvna.

Les Saisons Premiered February 20, 1900

Les Saisons ballet premiered on February 20, 1900. It was choreographed by Marius Petipa and
composed by Alexander Glazunov. Les Saisonswas performed by the Imperial Ballet in the
Theatre of the Hermitage. Les Saisons is
an allegoricalballet in one act, with four scenes.
In 1907, Nikolai Legat staged a revival of Les Saisons at the
Imperial Mariinsky Theatre. This production was performed
on occasion by the Imperial Ballet after the Russian
Revolution, being performed for the last time in 1927.
Les Saisons lived on in an abriged edition in the repertory
of Anna Pavlova's touring company.

The Dying Swan Premiered Dec. 22, 1905

The Dying Swan (originally The Swan) is a ballet choreographed by Mikhail Fokine in 1905 to
Camille Saint-Sans's cello soloLe Cygne from Le Carnaval des Animauxas a pice
d'occasion for the ballerinaAnna Pavlova.

The short ballet follows the last moments in the life

of a swan, and was first presented in St.
Petersburg, Russia in 1905.
Inspired by swans that Pavlova had seen in public
parks and Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "The
Dying Swan",Anna Pavlova asked Michel Fokine,
who had also read the poem, to create a solo ballet
for her for a 1905 concert being given by artists
from the chorus of the Imperial Mariinsky Opera.

Le Pavillion
D'Armide Premiered November
25, 1907
Le Pavillion d'Armide premiered on November 25, 1907 in St. Petersburg at the Maryinsky
Theatre staringPavlova, Gerdt, and Nijinsky. It is a ballet in one-act, choreographed by Mikhail
Fokine, designs byAlexandre Benois and composed by Nikolai Tcherepnin. Benois wrote the
libretto of the ballet in 1903 and Tcherepin composed the music to suit the plot. The ballet was
brought and presented to the Maryinsky but left unstaged until
Fokine.
The ballet is based upon a story by Gautier. The ballet tells of
the Vicomte de Beaugency who seeks refuge in a mysterious
castle during a storm. Inside the pavillion where he spends the
night, he is transfixed by a tapestry of Armide and dreams that
he falls in love with her. In the morning he returns to his senses,
only to discover that he
is left holding Armide's
scarf in his hand.
Fokine originally created LePavillion d'Armide for the
Imperial Ballet Academy's graduation performance in
1907. Fokine then expanded it for the Mayinsky
company. Diaghilev presented Le Pavillion d'Armide on
its first night at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on May
19, 1909. The lead roles were danced by Vera Karalli,Vaslav Nijinsky and Mikhail Mordkin.

Chopinianna - Les Sylphides (June 2, 1909)

Chopiniana premiered in 1907 at the Maryinsky Theatrein St. Petersburg as Rverie
Romantique: Ballet sur la musique de Chopin. However, this also formed the basis of a
ballet, Chopiniana, which took different forms, even in Fokine's hands. The second version was
performed March 21,1908 at the Maryinsky Theatre, danced by Pavlova, Karsavina, Nijinsky and
Preobrajenska.
Chopiniana premiered as Les Sylphides, with Sergei
Diaghilev's Ballets Russes on June 2, 1909 at Thtre du
Chtelet, Paris. The Diaghilev premiere is the most famous, as its
soloists were Tamara Karsavina, Vaslav Nijinsky (as the poet,
dreamer, or young man), Anna Pavlova, and Alexandra Baldina.
The London premier, in the first season of the Diaghilev Ballets
Russes, was at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. With
more sylph-like elusiveness, the North American premiere might
be dated by an unauthorized version in the Winter Garden, New
York, on 14 June 1911, featuring Baldina alone from the Diaghilev
cast. However, its authorized premiere on that continent,
by Diaghilev Ballets Russes, was at the Century Theater, New
York City, 20 January 1916, with Lopokova . Nijinsky danced it
with Ballets Russes at the Metropolitan Opera, April 14, 1916.
Les Sylphides has no plot, but instead consists of many white-clad sylphs dancing in the
moonlight with the poet or young man dressed in white tights and a black top. New York City
Ballet produced its own staging of the standard version, omitting the Polonaise in A major and
leaving the Prelude in A major in its original position, under the original title,Chopiniana. The
NYCB premiere was staged by Alexandra Danilova and took place 20 January 1972, at the New
York State Theater, Lincoln Center. The original cast includedKarin von Aroldingen, Susan
Hendl, Kay Mazzo, and Peter Martins.

Le Coq d'or

(The Golden Cockerel)

Premiered Oct. 7, 1909

The ballet Le Coq d'or (The Golden Cockerel) was originally staged in 1914 in London and Paris,
by Michel Fokine forDiaghilev's Ballets Russes. This work was an opera-ballet, a danced
interpretation of theRimsky-Korsakov's epic opera of the same name, with the dancers
accompanied by a chorus and solo singers.

In 1937, Fokine revised the work for the

Ballets Russes company of Colonel W
de Basil, creating a single-act ballet in
three scenes which premiered at Covent
Garden on September 23, 1937. For
this straight-dance version, the RimskyKorsakov score was adapted and
arranged by Nicolas Tcherepnin, and
Fokine condensed the original opera
libretto, which Vladimir Bielsky had
adapted from a Pushkin poem.
Artist Natalia Gontcharova based her neo-primitive set and costume designs on those she had
made for the 1914 version, recreating the original curtain and modifying other elements to
produce a brilliantly colourful tableau. Her costume for the Cockerel, using real gold thread, was
introduced in the 1937 production, the 1914 version having used a prop to represent this
character.
The United States premiere took place in the Metropolitan Opera on March 6, 1918 withMarie
Sundelius in the title role, Adamo Didur and Maria Barrientos in the actual leads, andPierre
Monteux conducting.
The story of Le Coq d'or concerns the fate of the lazy King Dodon when he renegs on his promise
to reward an astrologer with anything he desires in exchange for the gift of a magical golden
cockerel. Dodon is seduced by the beautiful Queen of Shemakhan, against whom he has been
waging war, and brings her home as his bride. When the astrologer claims the Queen as his
reward, the King kills him in a fit of rage and is, in turn, killed by the cockerel. Despite the surface
naivety and humour, the story has strong
undercurrents of both sensuality and satire.
There is an emphasis in the 1937 version on the
contrast between fantasy and reality, with the
Astrologer reminding the audience at the end that,
apart from himself and the Queen, all was
illusion. The Golden Cockerel and the Queen are
the only roles danced on pointe. Both are
technically demanding, and provide strong balletic
highlights amid the mime and burlesque elements.

Prince Igor-Ballets Russes

Premiere, May 19, 1909

Prince Igor was first performed inSt.Petersburg, Russia, in 1890. It is an opera by Alexander
Borodin, written in four acts with a prologue. The composer adapted the libretto from the East
Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian Prince Igor
Svyatoslavich against the invadingPolovtsian tribes in 1185. The opera was left unfinished upon
the composer's death in 1887 and was edited and completed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and
Alexander Glazunov.
The world premiere of the ballet was given in St.
Petersburg on November 4, 1890 at the Mariinsky
Theatre. Set designers were Yanov, Andreyev, and
Bocharov, while Lev Ivanovwas
balletmaster.
Moscow premieres followed later.
The first was given in 1892 by the
Russian Opera Society,
conducted by Iosif Pribik.
The Bolshoi Theatrepremiere was
given in 1898 and was conducted
byUlrikh Avranek
Other notable premieres were given in Prague in 1899, and in Paris on May
19, 1909, with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and Fokines
choreography. London saw the same production in 1914 conducted by Thomas Beecham.
In 1915, the United States premiere took place at the Metropolitan Opera, but staged in Italian
and conducted by Giorgio Polacco.

Cleopatre (originally Nuit d'Egypte) Premiered on June 2, 1909

The first version of Cleopatre was performed on March 8, 1908 at the Maryinsky Theatre in St.
Petersburg, as a part of a benefit performance. Fokine did the choreography and a this time it

included only the score of Arensky. Cleopatra premiered June 2, 1909 in Paris at the Theatre du
Chatelet.
For the Paris premiere, Diaghilev ordered a new miseen-scene from Leon Bakst, and, on the advice
of Benois, added to the Arensky score symphonic
excerpts by several other Russian composers. In
addition, Diaghilev replaced the "happy ending" of Nuit
d'Egyptewith a dramatic pantomime.

Ida Rubenstein, a young nonprofessional

who was studying with Fokine, made her
first stage appreance
in Cleopatre asCleopatre, performing in the Dance of the Seven Veils.
In 1917, during a Latin tour, the set designed by Leon Bakst for Cleopatre was destroyed in a fire;
in 1918, Diaghilev ordered a new decor from Robert Delaunay, and his wife Sonia, sketched new
costumes for Lubov Tchernicheva andLeonide Massine, who would be dancing the roles created
by Ida Rubinstein and Fokine.

Le Carnaval- Premiered May 20, 1910

Le Carnaval is a ballet based on the music of Robert Schumann's, Carnaval, for piano. It was
orchestrated by Aleksandr Glazunov, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Anatole Liadov, Alexander
Tcherepnin. Carnaval was choreographed byBallets Russes Mikhail Fokine, with the costumes
designed by Lon Bakst. Fokine created Carnavalfor a benefit given in St. Petersburg, Russia
and it premiered on February 20, 1910 in Pavlova Hall.

Some of the leading dancers of the Imperial Ballet were

cast in Carnaval: Tamara Karsavina (Columbine), Leonid
Leontiev (Harlequin), Vera Fokina (Charina), Ludmila
Schollar (Estrella), Bronislava Nijinska (Papillon), Vsevolod
Meyerhold (Pierrot), Vasily Kiselev (Florestan), Aleksandr
Shiryaev (Eusebius).

Carnaval did not become world-famous until after it was

performed by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes at the Teater des
Westens, in Berlin on May 20, 1910. Lydia Lopokova
performed as Columbine and Vaslav Nijinsky as Harlequin.
The image above (top of page)is the cover
of TheImpressions of the Russian Ballet, Carnaval, written
in 1918 by C.W.Beaumont, with illustrations by A.P. Allinson. The remainder of the images in this
Blog are also from the booklet.
Diaghilev told a story that occurred during a performance of Carnaval. Enrico
Cecchettiwas miming the role of Pantalon, an elderly dandy of the Romantic
period, when he mixed up the order of the program one evening and entered
the stage in Carnavaldressed in his costume for the Chief Eunuch
in Scheherazade!
On 14 September 1933, the
ballet was revived in London by
the Ballet Russe de Monte
Carlo, staged by Leon
Woizikowski, with Alexandra
Danilova performing as
Columbine. The first performance was held at the
Pavlova Hall in St Petersburg on 5 March 1910. The
cast was led by Tamara Karsarvina as Columbine
and Leonid Leontiev as Harlequin.

Video of Le Carnaval
Scheherazade - Premiered June
4, 1910
Scheherazade premiered on June 4, 1910 in Paris with Ida Rubenstein, Cecchetti andNijinsky.
Rimsky-Korsakov was the composer of Scheherazade. The ballet is one act,

and was choreographed by Fokine with decor

and costumes by Leon Bakst. It premiered in
the Theatre National de l'Opera,
Paris.Scheherazade was the first true creation
of the Ballets Russes because except for the
dances from the opera Prince Igor, the Fokine
choreographed for the company in 1909, all
other ballets by Diaghilev's first Paris season were fresh works of already
existing ballets.
In the autumn of 1910, Diaghilev ordered a proscenium curtain for the ballet
from Valentin Serov, who had designed the Ballets Russes poster. It ws
inspired by Persian miniatures and was completed by Serov in Paris in
1911. it graces the stage for Scheherazade until 1914, when sadly, a
warehouse fire destroyed it and other
Ballets Russes props.
The mime, or acting of Ida
and Nijinsky were so strong and
unusual for a dance performance, that word of it got to
famed actress Sarah Bernhardt. She came to see the ballet
and became so overwrought she exclaimed, "Let's get out of
here! Quickly! I'm afraid, they are all mutes!" She did not
know that there was no talking in ballet.

Video of Scheherazade
The Firebird - Premiered June 25,
1910
The Firebird is a 1910, neoclassical ballet with music
by Igor Stravinsky and choreography byMichel Fokine.
The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical
glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing
and a curse to its captor.
The music premiered as a ballet by Diaghilev's Ballets
Russes in Paris on June 25, 1910 conducted by
Gabriel Piern. It was the first of their productions
with music specially composed for them.

Originally the music was to have been written by Russian

composer Anatol Liadov but when he was slow in starting
to compose the work, Diaghilevtransferred the commission
to the 28-year old Igor Stravinsky. The ballet has historic
significance not only as Stravinsky's 'breakthrough piece,
but also as the beginning of the collaboration between
Diaghilev and Stravinsky. They would later
produce Petrushka and The Rite of Spring.
Firebird was to originally be danced by Anna Pavlova, but
when she heard Stravinskys music she declared it noise
and refused to dance to it. Tamara Karsavina was given the
iconic role.

Video of Firebird

Les Orientales Premiered June 25, 1910

The ballet Les Orientales premiered June 25, 1910 at the Theatre National de l'Opera in Paris.
During the second season of the Ballets Russes, Diaghilev replaced Le Festin with a new suite of
dances, Les Orientales.
Nijinsky appeared in two of the danced he
choreographed by himself - - La Danse
Siamoise to music by Sinding and Variation to
music by Grieg that Stravinsky orchestrated.
Other Soloists in Les Orientales wereTamara
Karsavina, Vasily Geltzer, Vera Fokina,
Alexander Volinine and Alexander Orlov.

Video of Les Orientales

Petrouchka - Premiered
June 13, 1911

Petrouchka premiered in Paris at the Chatelet Theatre on 13 June 1911. The work was created
for Diaghilev's Ballet Russe and the opening night featured Vaslav Nijinsky as Petrouchka,
Tamara Karsarvina as the Ballerina, Alexandre Orlov as the Blackamoor and Enrico Cecchetti as
the Showman. It was danced to a score by Igor Stravinsky, its choreography was by Michel
Fokine and it was designed by Alexandre Benois. Stravinsky and Benois were responsible for the
libretto.
The first performance of Petrouchkain
Australia was produced by Louise Lightfoot
for the First Australian Ballet. Lightfoot
choreographed her version
(called Petrouschka on the program) without
ever having seen the Fokine original or any
other version. It featured Trafford Whitelock
as Petrouchka, Moya Beaver as the Ballerina
and Mischa Burlakov as the Blackamoor. It
was presented on 18 and 20 July 1936 at the
Conservatorium of Music, Sydney.
A few months afterwards, on November 14,
936, the Monte Carlo Russian Ballet, on tour
in Australia, opened its production
of Petrouchka in Melbourne. Helene Kirsova
starred as the Ballerina, Leon Woizikowsky as Petrouchka and Thadee Slavinsky as the
Blackamoor. Between 1936 and 1940 the work was performed over 70 times in Australia by three
touring Russian Ballet companies, the Monte Carlo Russian Ballet, the Covent Garden Russian
Ballet and the Original Ballet Russe.

Narcisse by Fokine Premiered April 26, 1911

Narcissse is a classical ballet performed in one act. Narcisse premiered on April 26, 1911 at
Casino, Monte Carlo. Narcisse was a replacement ballet for Daphnis Et Chloe. Diaghilev had
invited Ravel to St. Petersburg, to work with Bakst and Fokine onDaphnis Et Chloe.

However, Ravel was late in producing the score, and Fokine could not begin the choreography,
so Narcisse was done in its place.

Narcisse was originally

danced by the
legendaryTamara
Karsavina, Bronislava Nijinska andVaslav Nijinsky. In the photo on the right, is Bronislava
Nijinska dancing in Narcissewith Fokine's wife Vera Fokina.
The costumes were designed by Leon Bakst, as was the decor. Fokine was the choreographer,
and the music was by Nicolas Tcherepnin who also composed Le Pavillon d'Armide.

Le Spectre de La Rose Premiered April 19, 1911

Le Spectre de La Rose was choreographed by Michel Fokine, music by Carl Maria von Weber
and designs by Leon Bakst. Le Spectre de la rose premiered on April 19, 1911 in Monte Carlo
by Diaghilev's Ballet Russe. Dancers at the premiere were Vaslav Nijinsky as the Spirit of the
Rose and Tamara Karsarvina as the Young Girl.
The ballet tells the story of a young woman who returns from a ball and brings home a rose. She
falls asleep in a chair and dreams of dancing with the spirit of the rose until the spirit disappears
with a spectacular leap through the window and she awakes.

Australian audiences first saw the Fokine version as

part of the very first performance by the Monte Carlo
Russian Ballet on its 1936-1937 tour to Australia. It
opened on 13 October in Adelaide's Theatre Royal
and featured Valentina Blinova and Igor
Youskevitch. Spectre was subsequently performed
by the Covent Garden Russian Ballet on its 19381939 tour to Australia and by the Original Ballet
Russe on the tour of 1939-1940. It was given over
120 performances during the three Ballets Russes
tours.
The Ballets Russes performances ofFokine's Le
Spectre de la rose were followed in the 1940s by
those of the Borovansky company, initially during their first Australian tour in 1944. In 1947,
Kathleen Gorham performed as the Young Girl after her promotion to the rank of junior ballerina
with this company. The work entered the repertoire of the Ballet Guild in 1953, featuring Laurel
Martyn and Raymond Trickett. Australian audiences also saw Ballet Rambert performing
Fokine's Spectre during their 1947-9 tour, and, in 1962, Margot Fonteyn performing as the Young
Girl while touring with an ensemble of 8 dancers from the Royal Ballet. Fonteyn was personally
coached in this role by Karsavina.

Thamar - Premiered May 20, 1912

The ballet Thamar, premiered on May 20, 1912 at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. It starredTamara
Karsavina and Adolph Bolm as the Principal dancers. The ballet is a drama, in one scene based
upon a poem by Mikhail Lermontov. The music was by Mily Balakirevwith Fokine as
choreographer. Leon Bakst did both the dcor and the costumes.

The ballet itself was set in the castle of the Queen of

Georgia, Thamar enticed passing suitors by fluttering her
scarf out of the window. The action centers around one
particular Prince, who enters the castle and dances
ecstatically for Queen Thamar.
The queen enjoys his savage movements. She joins in
the dance and their lips meet in a passionate kiss. Then
she twists from his grasp and runs through the green
door. He follows in pursuit. The ballet ends violently with
Queen Thamar murdering her guest and disposing of his
body through a trap door. She then returns to her
window luring new
victims with the waving of her scarf.
As Thamar was set in Georgia, Leon Bakst drew on authentic
Georgian architecture for inspiration in designing the set for
Thamars castle. Mikhail Fokine, too, used elements of traditional
Georgian dance in the choreography.

Le Dieu Bleu - Premiered May 13, 1912

Le Dieu Bleu is a one act ballet by Jean Cocteau and Federigo de
Madrazo. Fokine was the choreographer and music was by Reynaldo Hahn with
dcor and costume by Leon Bakst. Le Dieu Bleu premiered May 13, 1912 at Theatre
du Chatelet in Paris.
Cocteau wrote the scenario for Ballets Russess Le Dieu
Bleu after working with Diaghilev since 1911, and
designing posters for Spectre de la Rose using portraits
of Nijinsky and Karsavina, in 1912. Cocteau and Hahn
were inspired by Hindu legends, and Fokine the basreliefs of Brahman temples and Siamese dancers.
Sadly, Le Dieu Bleu was not successful and removed
from the repertoire the following year.

L'Apres-Midi d'un Faune - Premiered May 29, 1912

L'Apres-midi d'un faune was choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky for the Diaghilev Ballets Russes
and was first performed in Paris on May 29, 1912, withNijinsky dancing the role of the Faun. Both
the ballet and score to which it was set, Claude Debussy's 'Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune',
were inspired by the poem of the same title by Stephane Malarme. Design was by Leon Bakst.
Choreographic features of the work include a frieze-like archaic design, profiled stance, and
alternation of movement and pose. The spare libretto centres on the faun's meeting and flirtation
with nymphs, and the piece concludes with a scene of simulated masturbation that scandalized
early audiences.
Thede Basil
Ballets
Russes revival
of L'Apres-midi
d'un
faune premiered
in London on
October 2,
1933, and
Australian
audiences first
saw the work
during the 1936-1937 tour by the Monte Carlo
Russian Ballet. Its first performance was in
Adelaide on October 20,1936. The review in The Advertiser the following day noted that the work
'struck a new note in ballet', and hailed Leon Woizikowsy as 'magnetis[ing] the audience with his
amazing delineation of the part of The Faun'. The ballet was subsequently seen in Sydney and
Melbourne. During the second Ballets Russes tour by the Covent Garden Russian Ballet a
truncated solo version was performed by David Lichine in a 'principles only' farewell gala in
Sydney on 27 April 1939.

Daphnis et Chloe Premiered June 8, 1912

Daphnis et Chloe is a choreographic symphony in one act and three scenes, by Michel
Fokine and Maurice Ravel. The dcor and costumes were done by Leon Bakst. Daphnis et
Chloe premiered at Theatre de Chatelet in
Paris on June 8, 1912.
Maurice Ravel accepted a commission
from Diaghilev to writeDaphnis et Chloe, in
1909. He was slow to deliver, so Diaghilev
sent him to St. Petersburg to work
withFokine and Bakst. The three men got
along so well that it just extended the
creative process and Ravel did not
finish Daphnis et Chloe until 1912.
The idea itself for adapting the Longus
pastoral tale for the stage was Fokines. His
friend Isadora Duncan had influenced his
interest in ancient Greece. The ballet was
originally scheduled for the 1911 repertoire,
but Narcisse was substituted when Daphnis
et Chloewas not yet finished. When rehearsals for Daphnis et Chloefinally began in 1911,
Diaghilev was completely distracted by Nijinskys LApres-Midi and Diaghilevs lack of interest
in Daphnis et Chloe was said to be the main reason for Fokine leaving the Ballets
Russes Company in June of 1912, right after its premiere.
A few years later, in 1919, Ravel was commissioned again by Diaghilev to do La Valse, but they
disagreed on the scenic concept, that topped with Massinesdeparture led Diaghilev to abandon
the ballets production. Ravel was so stunned by Diaghilevs behavior that years later they ran
into one another in the lobby of the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, and Ravel would not shake
hands with Diaghilev.

Jeux (Games) Premiered

May 29, 1913
Jeux (Games) is the last work
for orchestrawritten by Claude Debussy. It
was written for the Diaghilev's Ballets
Russes and choreographed by Vaslav
Nijinsky. Set and costume design were
done by Leon Bakst.
Jeux premiered under conductor Pierre Monteuxon May 15, 1913
in Paris at Theatre des Champs-Elysees. Jeux was not well received,
and soon eclipsed by Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, which was
premiered on May 29, 1913.
Jeux seems to be a preliminary study for Nijinsky in developing Le
Sacre. The high point of the ballet, according to Diaghilev, was its
opening, when Nijinsky, with a grand jete, appeared onstage in pursuit of
a tennis ball.

Le Sacre du Printemps Premiered May 29, 1913

Le Sacre du Printemps or The Rite of Spring follows the story of a pagan Russian sacrifice
ritual. The music was composed by Igor Stravinsky; choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky; and
concept, set design and costumes by Nicholas Roerich. It was produced by Sergei Diaghilevfor
his Ballets Russes ballet company and had its premiere in Paris on May 29, 1913 at the Thtre
des Champs-lyses.
The premiere involved one of the most famous classical music riots in history. The intensely
rhythmic score and primitive scenario and choreography shocked the audience that was
accustomed to the elegant conventions of classical ballet.

The complex music and violent dance steps

depicting fertility rites first drew catcalls and
whistles from the crowd. At the start, some
members of the audience began to boo
loudly. There were loud arguments in the
audience between supporters and
opponents of the work. These were soon
followed by shouts and fistfights in the
aisles. The unrest in the audience
eventually degenerated into a riot. The
Paris police arrived by intermission, but
they restored only limited order. After the premiere, Diaghilev is reported to have commented to
Nijinsky andStravinsky at dinner that the scandal was "exactly what I wanted."
After nine performances by the Ballets Russes, Nijinsky's ballet was not produced again. His
choreography was documented only in contemporary written eye-witness accounts, in
photographs, and in detailed notes preserved by the English ballet director Marie Rambert.
Although Nijinsky's choreography was poorly preserved, his choreography
and Roerich'scostuming and set design were reconstructed in 1987 by dance historian Millicent
Hodson, art historian Kenneth Archer, and choreographer Robert Joffrey, for performance by the
Joffrey Ballet.
Since Nijinsky's original version, some 180 choreographies have been created to the score of The
Rite of Spring. The second version was created in 1920 by Leonide Massine, again for the Ballets
Russes. It was based on the original scenario by Roehrich and used the sets and costumes of
the 1913 premier production.

Parade - Premiered May 18, 1917

Parade is a realistic ballet in one scene, based on a theme by Jean Cocteau. The music was
done by Erik Satie, choreography by Massine, curtain, dcor and costumes designed byPablo
Picasso. The first performance of Parade was at
Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on May 18, 1917.
Cocteau says that the first draft of
the Parade ballet was a brief ballet project
called David, something he had sketched out in
1914. The ballet was to take place in front of the
entrance booth of a traveling fair. David was never
written, but Cocteaus first contact with Satie was
in 1915, with his collaboration
with Picasso beginning the following year.

Diaghilev met Picasso in

the spring of 1916 when
a mutual friend, Mme. Eugenia Errazurizbrought him to Picassos
studio. It was then that Diaghilev commissioned Picasso to do the
mise-en-scene for Parade. Both Picasso and Cocteau left for Rome in
February of 1917, where Diaghilevs Ballets Russes was dancing.
There they met and worked with Massine.
Among the costumes Picasso designed was a horse, initially with a mannequin-rider. During the
dress rehearsal, the rider fell off of the horse causing the audience to laugh, so it was removed
for the remaining performances. The costume for the American Girl, which Picassohad not
sketched, was actually bought the day before at a sporting goods store. The costume for the
Female Acrobat that Massine had added at the last minute was made of hand-painted spiral
designed Picasso painted directly onto Lydia Lopoukhovaslegs.

After a three year absence,Diaghilevs

Ballets Russesreturned to Pariss Theatre
du Chatelet with Parade, a pioneer Cubist
theatrical spectacular. Satie and Cocteau
often disagreed regarding the noises that
Cocteau wanted added to Saties scores.
But, Cocteau was over ruled
by Diaghilev and they were left out.
When the curtain went down on Parade,
the audience was violent and
contradictory. It was acclaimed by many
intellectuals, but the public didnt like it. It
was well ahead of its time and was never
added to the regular repertoire of
the Ballets Russes.
In 1923, when Diaghilev wanted to restage
the ballet, he asked Picasso to touch up the curtain which had been taken over by
mildew. Picasso refused saying that it resembled the deteriorated frescoes of Pompeii and
should remain that way!
(photo, left, of Massine)

Read "DIAGHILEV And the Ballets Russes" by Boris

Kochno, 1970.

Les Femmes De Bonne

Humeur (The Good-Humored Ladies)Premiered on April 12, 1917
Les Femmes De Bonne Humeur (The Good-Humored Ladies) was first performed on April
12, 1917 at Teatro Constanza, Rome. It is a comic one act ballet. The libretto adapted
from a comedy La Donne di Buon Umore, by Carlo Goldoni. The music is by Domenico
Scarlatti, and was orchestrated by Vincenzo Tommasini.

The choreography was by

Leonide Massine, the first of
Massine's series of ballets in the
Italian Commedia del'Arte
tradition. The scenery designed
by Leon Bakst. It was
composed in Italy during the
war. Lydia Lopokova danced the
role of Mariuccia. Massine and Stanislas Idizikowsky, Lubov
Tchernicheva, Leon Woizikovsky made up the rest of the
original cast.

Chout (Le Bouffon) - Premiered May 17, 1921

Chout (Le Bouffon) is a Russian legend in six scenes. Music by Serge Prokofiev, choreography
by Michel Larionov and Tadeo Slavinsky with dcor and costumes also by Larionov. First
performance was May 17, 1921 at Theatre de la GaiteLyrique, Paris.
Chout was considered more of a pantomime than a
ballet. It put Paris audiences off because there was no
harmony betweenProkofievs cool music
and Larionovsaggressive use of folk motifs in his sets
and Constructivist costumes.
Diaghilev had to threaten the dancers before Dress
Rehearsal with fines to persuade them to appear on
stage in the costumes that were so heavy and
cumbersome they interfered with the dances
movements.
Chout was included in the companys repertoire for the
last time in Paris, in June 1922 at the Theatre
Mogador. The Principal role of Buffoon, created for
Slavinsky, was danced by Bronislava Nijinska.

Le Train Bleu Premiered June 20, 1924Le Train Bleu is a ballet in one act
with choreography by Bronislava Nijinska, libretto by Jean Cocteau, music by Darius Milhaud,
curtain by Picasso, set by Henri Laurens, and costumes by Coco Chanel. Le

Train Bleu premiered on June 20, 1924 at the Theatre de Champs-Elysees in Paris. The lead
roles were danced by BronislavaNijnska, Lydia Sokolova, AntonDolin and Leon Woizikowski. The
ballet was a sporting theme, and features a group of fashionable and wealthy friends amusing
themselves on the Mediterranean coast. Cocteau's scenario as influenced by the Olympic
Games, silent films and jazz music. Nijinska'schoreography had a strong gymnastic element to
it. Nijinskadanced the role of the Champion Tennis Player, Woizikowski the part of a
golfer, Dolin the swimming champion. The Train Bleu itself, an express train between Paris and
the Cote d"Azur, does not appear in the ballet. The ballet's first complete revival was at the
Oakland Ballet in 1989; it
was restaged at the Paris Opera in 1992.

Cotillon Premiered April

12, 1932
Cotillon was first performed on April 12,
1932 at the Theatre de Monte Carlo in
Monte Carlo. It is a romantic ballet in one
act. Libretto by Boris Kochno, music
Emmanuel Chabrier, choreography George Balanchine and scenery and costumes by C...hristian
Berard. Tamara Toumanova created
the role of the daughter of the house.

Photo: Blums creative team of

Cotillon (1932) (seated) librettist
Boris Kochno, Rene Blum, fellow
impresario Colonel de Basil,
choreographer George
Balanchine(standing) set designer
Christian Berard, rehearsal director
Serge Grigoriev

LEpreuve DAmour (The Proof of Love) or Chung-Yang and

the Mandarin
LEpreuve DAmour (The Proof of Love) or Chung-Yang and the Mandarin, a comedic ballet
in one act was first performed on April 4, 1936 in Theatre de Monte Carlo in Monte Carlo.
Libretto by Andr Derain and Michel Fokine, music by Mozart, choreography by
Michel Fokine and scenery and costumes by Andre Derain. The discovery of Graz of an
unknown score by Mozart in his Chinese style suggested the idea to this ballet.

Vera Nemchinova
originated the role of
Chung-Yang with Andre
Eglevsky as her lover,
Jean Javinsky as the
Mandarin and Anatole
Obukhov as the
ambassador from the
Western world.

Le Jeune Homme et La Mort Premiered June 25, 1946

Le Jeune Homme et La Mort is a ballet byRoland Petit, choreographed in 1946
toBach's Passacaglia in C Minor, BWV 582, with a one-act libretto by Jean Cocteau. It tells the
story of a Young Man driven to suicide by his faithless lover. Sets were byGeorges
Wakhvitch and costumes by Jean Cocteau. Roland Petit is purported to have created Le Jeune
Homme et La Mort for his wife Zizi Jeanmaire, but it is also reported to have been danced
by Jean Babile and Nathalie Philippart at its June 25th premiere at theBallets des ChampsElyses.
Petit staged it at American Ballet Theatre in 1951,
where it was revived by Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1975,
and in the 1985 movie "White Nights" Petit
arranged Le Jeune Homme et la Mort for
Baryshnikov. It has been in the repertoire of the Paris
Opera Ballet since 1990 and was danced at its
premiere there by Kader Belarbi. It has also been danced by theBallet National de
Marseilles (1984), the Berlin Opera Ballet (1985) and the Boston Ballet(1998).