Mikhail Fokine (1880-1942) Home / Andros / Biographies Mikhail Fokine (1880-1942) Mikhail Fokine is probably the best known choreographer of the 20th century. His ballets are still in the repertoire of most ballet companies. His staging of his Les Sylphides has been restored to American Ballet Theatre by Sallie Wilson. In my opinion it is a perfect ballet. Fokine originally choreographed Chopiniana (later renamed Les Sylphides) for a performance outside the Maryinsky in 1907, while still a dancer with the Maryinsky company. Mikhail was born in St. Petersburg April 25, 1880 and studied at the Imperial School, graduated at the age of 18 and entered the Maryinsky Theatre. He was promoted to soloist in 1904. He started teaching at the Imperial School in 1902, and choreographed his first ballet Acia and Galatea in 1905, for a student performance.

A year earlier he had submitted a scenario for Daphnis and Chloe to the authorities, expressing his ideas that more attention should be paid to the integration of story, music, scenic design and choreography. In 1907 he created The Dying Swan for Anna Pavlova , which became her most famous solo. The first ballet Fokine choreographed for the Maryinsky Theatre was Le Pavillon d'Armide, and this ballet was also in the repertoire of the first season of the Diaghlev's Ballets Russes, in Paris in 1909. He became Diaghlev's chief choreographer, although, he continued to dance in Russia until 1918. Fokine was a strong dancer, but he will be remembered most for his great contribution in changing ballet. His ideas and changes were comparable to those of Jean-Georges Noverre and Salvatore Viganò, and he paved the way for Antony Tudor. Fokine left the Ballets Russes in 1912 because he was jealous that Diaghilev was favoring Vaslav Nijinsky 's choreography.

He pursued a career as a freelance artist, working mostly in Scandinavia until he settled in the United States in 1923. He took many trips to revive the successes he had created for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. Mikhail restaged his Les Sylphides for Ballet Theatre's first performance in 1940 at New York's Center Theatre. Fokine married Vera Antonovna, and their son Vitale, became a teacher in New York City. Many members of his family are still involved with dance in America. Some of the most famous of his 60 ballets are: Le Pavillon d'Armide Not to make combinations of ready made steps Dancing serves as an expression of its dramatic action Dancers can and should be expressive from head to foot All the arts should have complete equality (First published January 1995) Ballet - Core Of Culture Core Of Culture BALLET Julie Kent as Odette in Swan Lake, American Ballet Theater "The ballets, too, in their stories, were about serious and personal matters.

Giselle and The Sleeping Beauty - these had to do with the great blessings and disasters that are the center of our lives, the things one is usually too embarrassed or too frightened to talk about." Mikhail Baryshnikov Ballet A form of classic academic dancing based on the accepted five positions of the feet and using a vocabulary of movement developed since the 17th century; originally descended from court dances and spectacles of the 15th and 16th century. The most popular and well-known ancient dance form in the Western world. 1400s - 1600s ~ The Age of Court Spectacles The Valois Tapestry, showing the wedding of Marguerite de Lorraine to the Duc de Joyeuse - The occasion for the Balet Comique de la Reine "In late Renaissance society, dance was not considered merely a source of light-hearted entertainment or physical recreation, but a profoundly intellectual experience for both participants and spectators. Sixteenth-century dance, like the arts of poetry, music and painting, was infused with new meaning and innovations as a direct result of the findings of humanist scholars as they poured over ancient Greek texts in an attempt to recreate the powerful and effects of ancient Greek drama.

The court ballets of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were intended to enlighten and edify audiences. As the art of choreography developed it became increasingly informed by humanist ideals and imbibed with layers of meaning that were moral, philosophical, and political in nature. It was the task and the delight of the educated viewers of these court spectacles to decipher the 'truths' underlying the dances." Elizabeth Cooper from The Underground Stream 1400s Spectaculi - Grandiose variety shows including equestrian formations, tournaments, mock combats, and even aquatic displays, were a prominant cultural activity, initially in northern Italy and then in France. These, and other arranged dances, were performed by members of the court. Dance Masters of this era gave members of court society precise instruction on proper dancing posture - carriage of torso, positions and moves of legs and feet, and bows and courtsies. They also invented patterning and figures for the dancers to follow. 1500s Ballet-comique - Danced spectacles with unifying dramatic themes, rather than variety spectacles where one dance followed another with no dramatic continuity. Comique comes from the French word comedie and refers to dramatic theater.

Ballet-mascarade - A form created by Louis the XIII, who had little interest in dramatically related themes, but instead preferred segment upon segment of artfull costumes and masks, pantomimes, and acrobatics. Ballet à entrée - Spectacles of individual yet interdependent parts - series of entrances of independent groups interconnected, if only slightly, by some theme or dramatic situation. By the late 1500s low-life, or common, characters were performed by non-nobles - hired "professionals," though occasionally aritsitcrats chose to dabble in such roles. At the conclusion of an entreé both performers and viewers would all dance together, ballroom style, in the grand ballet - though commoners were excluded. 1600s Ballet-melodramatique - Entreés performed to song instead of recitation, eventually becoming opera. By the 1630s dance spectacles were being offered to paying customers, wether noble or common.

Another scene from the wedding of Marguerite de Lorraine to the Duc de Joyeuse The Balet Comique de la Royne Important Dances of the Age 1489 - The first "ballet" Created to celebrate the marriage of the Duke of Milan, this spectaculi combined music, recitation, and self contained dances, called "entrees," interwoven with courses of food. 1573 - Le Ballet des Polonais by Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx Created to celebrate the arrival of Polish dignitaries coming to offer the Polish throne to the son of Catherine de Medici. It was viewed from three sides around a little stage. Following the prepared dancing, the audience joined in. 1581 - Balet Comique de la Reine by Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx Attended by 10,000 guests, this spectaculi is considered by many as "the work at the root of the ballet family tree" due to it's eye towards dramatic cohesion. Dance, music, and recitation told the mythological tale of the enchntress Circe.

An illustration from Il Ballarino by Fabrio Caroso Important People of the Age Domenico da Piancenza (or Ferrara) (c. 1400 - c. 1470) One of the first dancing masters. Gugliemo Ebreo and Antonio Cornazzano Students of Domenico da Piancenza who wrote down his teachings in De Arte Saltnadi et Choreas Ducendi Bergonzio di Botta Italian maestro of entertainments, credited with creating the "first ballet." Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx (Baldassarino de Belgioso) (c.1500 - 1587) An Italian violonist and dancer turned French dance master, credited with "establishing the unified dance spectacle we would today call a ballet." Catherine de Medici Florentine heiress who married the French royal Henri Duc d'Orléans, and controlled France, her children being heirs to the throne. A great supporter of court dance spectaculi, her era gave rise to the term ballet Catherine de Medici A Bibliography of Ancient Dance La Galliarde.

From the "Orchésographie" of Thoinot Arbeau De Arte Saltnadi et Choreas Ducendi (On the Art of Dancing and Conductting Dances) by Domenico da Piancenza A manual of technical information on dance steps, focused on the male courtier. Orchesographie Sets the foundations later used by Pierre Beauchamps to codify the five positions. The Reign of Louis XIV Louis XIV as Apollo in Ballet de la Nuit Louis XIV (1638-1715), known as Louis the Great, or the Sun King (le Roi-Soleil), began his reign at the age of four. It lasted seventy-two years - one of the longest documented reigns of any European monarch. Ballet as court entertainment and courtier spectacle flourished to it's height during his rule. Comédie-ballet - A spoken play (comédie) with interludes containing music and dance which relate dramatically to the play's scheme, rather than as decorative diversions to cover the time actors spent changing costumes.

The first occurred in 1661 when Louis' finance minister, Nicholas Fouquet, presented Molière's Les Facheaux, choreographed by Pierre Beauchamps, as a grand fête to honor the king. Opéra-ballet - Productions aiming for even more dramatic and thematic cohesion. The plots were not necessarily derived from Classical mythology and even allowed for comedic elements; consisted of a prologue followed by a number of self-contained acts (also known as entrées), often loosely grouped round a single theme. Académie Royal de Danse 1661 The first dance institution established in the Western world. The oldest and one of the foremost ballet companies in the world. Most European and international ballet companies trace their origins to it. Founded by Louis XIV in the Louvre, it was a gathering of 13 dance masters, whose task, according to Louis's decree, was "to restore the art of dancing to its original perfection and to improve it as much as possible." The group was intended to codify court and character dances and to certify dance teachers by examination. In 1680 Beauchamps became the school's director, a position he held until 1687.

Académie d'Opéra 1669 Established by Louis XIV. Directed by Pierre Perrin. Pierre Beauchamps was the first ballet-master. Later, after Perrin went bankrupt, the king reestablished the Opéra as the Académie Royale de Musique. Académie Royale de Musique 1669 Established by Louis XIV. Directed by Jean Baptiste Lully. Pierre Beauchamp was one of the principal choreographers. Important People of the Age Jean Baptiste Lully First leading professional male dancer. Danced leading roles in Lully and Beauchamp's ballets. Choreographed several ballets and dances for Louis X. Became dance master to the king when Beauchamps retired. Andre Campra Creator of the opera-ballet genre. Choreographer of L'Europe Galante - the first opera-ballet. Mademoiselle de Lafontaine Premiere danseuse of the Paris Opera Ballet. The first Prima Ballerina. The first professional female dancer.

Mademoiselle Marie-Therese de Subligny Succeeded Lafontaine as France's "Queen of Dance." Mademoiselle Marie-Therese de Subligny A Timeline of the Era 1634: The first full scale ballet de cour staged in Denmark. 1670: Louis XIV quits dancing, allowing better dancers to fully express themselves without fear of outdoing the king; performing artists begin to become highly trained professionals rather than incidentally presented courtiers; the way towards "professional" ballet is cleared. 1681: The first female professional dancers appear onstage in Paris; previously dance spectacles had been performed by all-male casts, the men doning masks and costumes to portray female characters. 1713: Dancing school attached to the Paris Opera. Important Dances of the Age Ballet de la Nuit 1653 by Jean Baptiste Lully Louis XIV performed a series of grand entrances. In the final entrance he appeared as Apollo, God of the sun, thus coming to be known as the sun king. Les Facheaux 1661 Music by Jean Baptiste Lully, story by Molière Considered the first comédie-ballet.

First to show an emphasis on turned out legs, light costumes, female dancers, and long dance sequences. With light, flexible footwear it was a turning point in ballet practice which led to the Pre-romantic ballet era. A bibliography of Ancient Dance cont. La Manière de composer et faire réussir les ballets (How to Compose a Successful Ballet) by M. De Saint-Hubert A guide for the bourgeoisie wishing to imitate the king and stage modest ballets in private homes. Choreographie, ou l'art de decrire la danse by Raoul Auger Feuillet 1700 An early attempt to create a universal dance notation, which spread throughout Europe. Pierre Beauchamps and Louis Pecour are both generally aknowledged as co-authors. The Dancing Master A social dance manual which formally documented the 5 positions codified by Beauchamps. Choreographic notation by Pierre Beauchamps Ballet d'action and the Age of Reform Marie-Anne de Cupis de Carmargo During the 1700s ballet reformed more and more to what we know it as today. The common man replaced the gods as the hero, although still in an idealized form.

Costumes changed and women became stars just as much as the men. Choreographers wanted the ballets they created to contain more plot and expressiveness through the dance. Ballet d' action evolved and Jean Gorges Noverre became the voice of reform. Ballet d' action Dances in which the movements of the dancers are designed to express character and assist in the narrative. Expresses character and emotion through dancers' bodies and faces, rather than through elaborate costumes and props. Dances that tell a story entirely through movement. Also known as haute - measured, stately, elegant dancing. Performed in 78 ballets and operas. First woman to execute the entrechat quatre. First dancer to wear slippers instead of heeled shoes, allowing leaps that would have been difficult, if not impossible, in the conventional shoes of the age. First to wear a calf-length skirt - the start of accommodating the costume to the dancer. First ballerina to wear ballet tights. Auguste Vestris Son of Gaetan Vestris and Marie Allard. Dubbed dieu de la danse a title held by his father. Became a soloist in 1776 and premiere dancer in 1778.

Trained many of the 19th century's great dancers, including August Bournonville, Marius Petipa, Lucien Petipa, Fanny Elssler, Jules Perrot, and Marie Taglioni. His career lasted over 35 years. Auguste Vestris Bibliography of Ancient Dance cont. Lettres sur la danse et les ballets by Jean Georges Noverre Focused on developing the ballet d'action. Printed in almost every European Language. One the most frequently quoted books in the literature of dance. Noverre complained that the dancers cared too much about showing their technical skills and too little about the true purpose of ballet. This purpose, he said, was to represent characters and express their feelings. Noverre urged that ballet dancers stop using masks, bulky costumes, and large wigs to illustrate or explain plot and character. He claimed that the dancers could express these things using only their bodies and faces. Noverre specifically dealt with seven major points in his treatise: Regarding the training of dancers, he emphasized that correctness in dance technique as laid down by Pierre Beauchamp and others must be held with sensitivity to the individual's anatomy.

Of Prime concern, the pedagogical consideration of the dancer's personality and style is prerequisite to artistic development. Noverre stressed that within a dramatic context, validity and sincerity of gestural expression are of the utmost importance in creating a ballet. Noverre called for the logical development of plots. According to Noverre, plots should be thematically integrated with movement. Additionally, all superfluous solos and irrelevant dance techniques should be omitted from the ballet. Noverre was adamant that music be appropriately suited to the dramatic development of the plot. He insisted that costumes, décor, and lighting be compatible with the introduction, plot, and climax of each act within the ballet. With the disappearance of masks in his own ballets, Noverre pronounced his advanced ideas on stage make-up for dancers that would allow for the dancer's expression to be seen rather than hidden behind a mask. The Romantic Era Lithograph by Collen Imerton of a performance of "Giselle" at the Salle Le Peletier, 1867.

The era is typically considered to have begun with the 1827 début in Paris of the ballerina Marie Taglioni in the ballet La Sylphide, and to have reached its zenith with the premiere of the divertissement Pas de Quatre staged by the Ballet Master Jules Perrot in London in 1845. The era marked the rise of the ballerina as a central part of ballet. The Romantic ballet had no immediate end, but rather a slow decline. Arthur Saint-Léon's 1870 ballet Coppélia is considered to be the last work of the Romantic Ballet. Salle Le Peletier (1821- 1873) Home of the Paris Opera. Also known as: Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique (1821–1848) and Théâtre Impérial de l'Opéra (1854–1870).

Hosted the heyday of the romantic ballet, staging the works of such Balletmasters as Jules Perrot, Arthur Saint-Léon, Filippo Taglioni, Joseph Mazilier, Jean Coralli, and Paul Taglioni. On the night of 29 of October 1873, the Salle Le Peletier met the same fate as many of its predecessors: it was destroyed by a fire, which raged for 27 hours, believed to have been started by the theatre's innovative gas lighting. Her Majesty's Theater (1705 - Present) From the early 1830s until the late 1840s, Her Majesty's Theatre played host to the heyday of the era of the romantic ballet, in which the ballet company, known as the Ballet of Her Majesty's Theatre, was the most renowned troupe in Europe, aside from the Ballet du Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique. Jules Perrot was Premier Maître de Ballet(chief choreographer) starting in 1842.

Other ballet masters who created works for the ballet of Her Majesty's Theatre throughout the period of the romantic ballet included Paul Taglioni and Arthur Saint-Léon. The Italian composer Cesare Pugni was appointed Composer of the Ballet Music to the theatre in 1843. From 1843 until 1850 he composed nearly every new ballet presented at the theatre. Pugni remains the most prolific composer of the genre, having composed more than 100 original ballets, as well as composing numerous divertissements and incidental dances that were often performed as diversions during the intermissions of opera performances at the theatre. Throughout the era of the romantic ballet, the theatre presented performances by notable ballerinas. A Timeline of the Era 1828 One of the greatest male dancers in the latter years of the Russian Imperial Ballet. 20th Century Ballet Swan Lake in St Petersburg, Ballets Russes Associated Ballet company. From the Associated Newspaper 1910.

Photo from the Victoria & Albert Museum, London "(Art) creates human types and situations, which we live on from century to century, and which are real to millions of people." Anatoli Lunacharsky, Soviet Russia's first People's Commissar for Enlightenment The Ballets Russes Sergei Diaghilev and Igor Stravinsky Ballet in France had grown stagnant and predictable, with many patrons attending simply out of habit. Ballets Russes injected the ballet world with renewed vitality, presenting the form, not as a relic of the past, but a vibrant art happening in the present. After France had led the ballet for several centuries, Ballets Russes now presented work that was very Russian: Russian music, Russian subjects and themes, Russian visual designs, and of course, Russian Dancing. Timeline of the Era 1900 - Vaslav Nijinsky joins the Imperial Ballet School at the age of 10 1903 - Petipa casts Anna Pavlova as Giselle 1906 - Anna Pavlova named Prima Ballerina of the Imperial Russian Ballet. 1907 - Fokine creates The Swan, later to be known as The Dying Swan, for Pavlova.

1909 - Ballets Russes opens in Paris 1919 - Nijinsky retires 1921 - Diaghilev brings Carlotta Brianza, the original Princess Aurora, out retirement to dance in The Sleeping Beauty. 1930 - Anna Pavlova's final performance, in England Important Dances of the Age Heather Ogden in The National Ballet of Canada's staging of Mikhail Fokine's Les Sylphides ~ Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann Chopiniana 1907 Founder choreographer of the Royal Ballet. Knighted for his contribution to ballet. Principal choreographer for Saddler's Wells Ballet Frederick Ashton Ballet in The United States School of American Ballet in NYC, 1936 ~ photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt As ballet took root in America, a struggle developed between classic European dance and a new, authentically American ballet. American choreographer's making ballets with American themes fought to gain prominence among the classics; American-born dancers fought for acceptance.

While one of the leading forces in developing American Ballet was a Russian, George Balanchine, his partner, Lincoln Kirstein, was an American, fundamental in developing American ballet companies for American choreographers to stage ballets with American themes - in short, in creating American Ballet. Timeline of the Era 1917 - The October revolution in Russia 1910 - Chicago Opera Ballet - America's first ballet company - established 1924 - Balanchine leaves the Soviet Union 1924 - Mikhail Mordkin stages America's first Swan Lake 1929 - The Dorothy Alexander Concert Group started, which later becomes the Atlanta Civic Ballet 1929 - Jacques Rouché, director of the Paris Opera, commissions George Balanchine who falls ill, opening the door for Serge Lifar 1933 - Adolf Bolm founds the San Francisco Opera Ballet the oldest professional company in America today 1933 - René Blum and Col.

de Basil found Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo 1933 - School of American Ballet opened by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein in Hartford CT 1934 - The American Ballet Company founded by George Balanchine, Lincoln Kirstein, Edward Warburg and Vladimir Dimitriev 1934 - School of American Ballet moves to New York City 1935 - The American Ballet Company becomes the resident ballet company of the Metropolitan Opera (Until 1938) 1936 - Lincoln Kirstein and Edward Warburg found Ballet Caravan 1937 - American Ballet Company and Ballet Caravan merge to form American Ballet Caravan 1937 - Mikhail Mordkin founds Mikhail Mordkin Ballet (the beginning of American Ballet Theater) with Lucia Chase as dancer 1939 - Ballet Theater founded in New York by Richard Pleasant and Lucia Chase 1946 - Ballet Society founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein (Until 1948) 1948 - Ballet Society joins the New York City Opera and becomes New York City Ballet 1953 - Robert Joffrey founds Joffrey Ballet in Chicago 195

5 - Ballet de Cuba formed by Alicia Alonso 1957 - Ballet Theater becomes American Ballet Theater Important Dances of the Age Apollo 1928 Adolph Bolm Rehearsing Dancers In The Studio [Longer Version] - YouTube Adolph Bolm Rehearsing Dancers In The Studio [Longer Version] Want to watch this again later?

Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Sep 30, 2013 Legendary Ballets Russes dancer Adolph Bolm entered the Imperial Ballet School in 1894 and joined the Mariinsky Theatre in 1903. Bolm began performing with Serge de Diaghilev's original Ballets Russes in 1909, being known and admired in such roles as the Chief Warrior in 'Polovtsian Dances', Pierrot in 'Le Carnaval', the Tsarevitch in 'Firebird', the Moor in 'Petrouchka', all Mikhail Fokine works. Sustaining an injury in 1917, the dancer left the Ballets Russes and settled in America where he established the company Ballet Intime, which featured guests such as Ruth Page, Roshanara, Michio Ito, Agnes de Mille and Martha Graham.

For much of the 1920s, Bolm worked as ballet master, premier danseur, and choreographer for the Chicago Civic Opera and the Chicago Allied Artists organization. Bolm's own company, Adolph Bolm Ballet, toured the United States, featuring at times Ruth Page and Vera Mirova. In the 1930s Bolm worked in California as ballet master for the San Francisco Opera, and was involved with establishing the San Francisco Ballet. He choreographed for Broadway revues and staged the Ballets Russes works 'Le Coq d'Or' and 'Petrouchka' for Metropolitan Opera House, works which he later staged in Buenos Aires and San Francisco. He worked in Hollywood and with Ballet Theatre as a choreographer and regisseur, and opened ballet studios in the city and Chicago. And he choreographed and staged Ballets Russes works throughout America. He died in 1952 having contributed to the world of ballet as a dancer, chorographer and teacher.

In this footage here, we see eight clips of different aspects of Bolm rehearsing the studio: [1] Bolm at his studio with students around a piano [2] Bolm wears a mask made by Helmut Schmidt [3] A member of the Bolm Ballet performs the 'Sunlight Dance' [4] Dancers of the Bolm Ballet perform 'Voices of Spring' (Inspired by Botticelli) [5] Bolm corrects the dancers - Vera Mirowa joins the group [6] Bolm prepares Vera Mirowa, who performs a Javanese court dance [7] Bolm and two dancers rehearse a modern dance to Sergei Prokofiev's music [8] Bolm relaxes after the rehearsal My great thanks to Numberone Filmfan for alerting me to this more extended footage of Bolm in the studio! Enjoy! April Special Features - Russian Ballet History Russian Ballet History The Collection's Beginings 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 on Daphnis Et Chloe. 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 legendary Tamara Karsavina , Bronislava Nijinska and Vaslav Nijinsky . 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 . Mikhail Fokine - Birthday April 25, 1880 Mikhail Mikhailovich Fokine was born on April 25, 1880 in St. Petersburg, Russia, the seventeenth of eighteen children, five of whom grew to adulthood. His father, Michael, was a merchant and his mother, Catherine, a native of Mannheim, Germany, loved the theater.

Older brother, Nicholas, a cavalry officer, frequently attended ballets which he would describe in detail to a much younger Fokine. Hundreds of applications were submitted each year for the ten or twelve spots in the Imperial School of Ballet at St. Petersburg. Fokine was granted a secret audition because his father frequently stated, “I do not want my Mimotchka to be a ‘hoofer’’.” However, once his father learned that Fokine had achieved the number one ranking, he relented. In 1889, Fokine entered the Imperial School of Ballet where dance instruction was intense and academic subjects secondary. Upon graduating, in 1898, he joined the Maryinski Imperial Ballet at St. Petersburg, the home of opera and ballet in Russia, as a soloist, and began dancing with the famous Anna Pavlova . When creating the ballets Firebird and Petrouchka , Fokine collaborated with Igor Stravinsky and with Maurice Ravel for Daphnis and Chloe . He also worked closely with Serge Rachmaninoff to present Paganini in 1939.

On January 23, 1942 Fokine’s last ballet, The Russian Soldier premiered at the Boston Opera House. That summer he went to Mexico City to stage Helen of Troy and injured his leg, causing him to return to New York. He was hospitalized with pleurisy, developed double pneumonia and died on August 22, 1942. His body was waked at the Campbell Funeral Home in Manhattan, a funeral service was held at the Russian Orthodox Church of Christ the Saviour and burial took place at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale. Vera joined him there in 1958 and Vitale in 1977. As a memorial to Michel Fokine, one of his eighty–one ballets, Les Sylphides , was performed simultaneously by seventeen ballet companies around the world. Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (April 23, 1891- March 5, 1953) Prokofiev was born in Ukraine. He composed his first opera by the age of nine. Later he applied, and was accepted into the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

He continued at the Conservatory, studying piano conducting under Nikolai Tcherepnin. He journeyed to London where he made contact with Diaghilev who commissioned Prokofiev's first ballet, Ala and Lolli. Diaghilev rejected the work when Prokofiev brought it to him in Italy in 1915. Diaghilev gave him another chance and commissioned Prokofiev to compose the ballet Chout . The ballet premiered in Paris on May 17, 1921 and was a huge success. In 1928-1929, Prokofiev composed what was to be the last ballet for Diaghilev, The Prodigal Son, which was staged on May 21, 1929 in Paris with Serge Lifar in the title role. Diaghilev died only months later. In 1930, Prokofiev began his first non-Diaghilev ballet On the Dnieper, Op. 51, a work commissioned by Serge Lifar who had been appointed maitre de ballet at th e Paris Opera.

Another ballet commission came from the Kirov Theatre, it was the ballet Romeo and Juliet. Today, Romeo and Juliet is one of Prokofiev's best-known works. However, the ballet's original happy ending caused the premiere to be postponed for several years. In 1943 Prokofiev composed the ballet Cinderella (Op. 87), one of his most melodious and celebrated composition. La Péri (Dukas version) Premiered on April 22, 1912 La Péri or The Flower of Immortality, is a 1912 ballet in one act by French composer Paul Dukas, originally choreographed by Ivan Clustine and first performed in Paris, about a man's search for immortality and encounter with a mythological Peri. Dukas was commissioned to write the music for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes with designs by artist Léon Bakst. Natalia Trouhanova was to dance Peri and Vaslav Nijinsky dance Iskender. Serge Diaghilev however, did not feel that Trouhanova was skilled enough of a dancer to be a partner to Nijinsky. So the production was cancelled.

Natalia Trouhanova eventually danced the role in Paris, on April 22, 1912. The ballet was performed again in 1931 by the Ballet Rambert in London with choreography by Frederick Ashton. Ashton himself danced the role of Iskender, with Dame Alicia Markova as the Peri. Later, the two roles were danced by Margot Fonteyn and Michael Somes. In 1843, Italian ballerina, Carlotta Grisi performed in La Péri but to music by composer Friedrich Burgmüller. Joan Miro - Birthday April 20, 1893 Joan Miró i Ferrà born April 20, 1893 to the families of a goldsmith and watchmaker , the young Miró was drawn towards the arts community that was gathering in Montparnasse and in 1920 moved to Paris. There, under the influence of the poets and writers, he developed his unique style: organic forms and flattened picture planes drawn with a sharp line. In 1926, he collaborated with Max Ernst on designs for Sergei Diaghilev .

With Miró's help, Ernst pioneered the technique of grattage , in which he troweled pigment onto his canvases. Miró married Pilar Juncosa in Palma de Mallorca on October 12, 1929; their daughter Dolores was born July 17, 1931. Shuzo Takiguchi published the first monograph on Miró in 1940. In 1948–49, although living in Barcelona, Miró made frequent visits to Paris to work on printing his techniques at the Mourlot Studios (lithographs) and at the Atelier Lacourière (engravings). A close relationship lasting forty years developed with the printer Fernand Mourlot and resulted in the production of over one thousand different lithographic editions. Le Spectre de La Rose Premiered April 19, 1911 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 became famous for Nijinsky's leap through one of the two large windows at the back of the stage. The height of the leap was an illusion though. Nijinsky took five running steps from the middle of the stage and leapt through the window on the sixth step. 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 disappearswith a spectacular leap through the window and she awakes. In 1911, Ballet Russes producer Sergei Diaghilev hoped to present Nijinsky's ballet Afternoon of a Faun but it was not ready for the stage, so he needed another ballet to take its place. Spectre was the idea of writer Jean-Louis Vaudoyer.

In 1910, he had sent an idea for a ballet to Ballets Russes set and costume designer Léon Bakst . His idea was based on Le Spectre de la rose, a verse by Théophile Gautier, and Afforderung zum Tanz, a work for piano by Carl Maria von Weber. Diaghilev liked Vaudoyer's idea and put Vaudoyer's idea into development. Diaghilev liked the idea of a ballet based on Gautier's Spectre because it could be tied to the 100th anniversary of Gautier's birth. Australian audiences first saw the Fokine version of Spectre de la Rose as part of the very first performance by the Monte Carlo Russian Ballet on its 1936-1937 tour to Australia. It opened on October 13 in Adelaide's Theatre Royal and featured Valentina Blinova and Igor Youskevitch. Spectre was subsequently performed by the Covent Garden Russian Ballet on its 1938-1939 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. 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. Adolph Bolm Died-April 16, 1951 in Hollywood, CA Adolph Bolm was a student at the Imperial School in St. Petersburg. Adolph joined Diaghilev's Ballets Russes for his 1909 Paris season as a leading dancers. Bolm was an outstanding character dancer and scored great successes as the chief warrior in Mikhail Fokine's Polovtsian Dances and Pierrot in his Le Carnaval. He did not join the 1910 tour, but in 1911 he left the Maryinsky to become a regular member of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes .

After the company's second half of the American tour, in 1916, he decided to stay in the United States. In 1918, he was the choreographer for the New York Metropolitan Opera , and the Chicago Civic Opera in 1920. Bolm toured South America in 1928 and took up residence in Hollywood where he choreographed many movies. He was the guest choreographer for the first season of the San Francisco Ballet in 1933. In 1940, he choreographed Peter and the Wolf for Ballet Theatre in New York City. Jeux Enfants Premiered April 14, 1932 at Theatre de Monte Carlo Jeux Enfants (Children's Games) was first performed in Monte Carlo. It is a modern ballet in one act. The libretto was by Boris Kochno, music by Georges Bizet, scenery and costumes by Joan Miro and choreography by Leonide Massine. The ballet is reminiscent of childhood dreams with Miro's fresh and simple colors of sctual toys. Irina Baronova and Tamara Toumanova alternated the part of the Top, both spinning with swift fouettes!

David Lichine danced the role of the Traveler and Leon Woizikovsky the role of the athlete. The part of the Child was performed by Tatiana Riabouchinska. Les Presages Premiered April 13, 1933 in Monte Carlo The ballet was first performed on April 13, 1933 in the Theatre de Monte Carlo in Monte Carlo. Les Presages (Destiny) is a ballet in three scenes with both the libretto and the choreography by Leonide Massine. Music by Tchaikovsky (Symphony No.5) and the scenery and costumes were by Andre Masson. This was the first of Massine's symphony ballets. The three principal ballerina roles were Passion, Action and Frivolity. Irina Baronova, Nina Verchinina and Tatiana Riabouchinska created these roles respectively. David Lichine was the Lover in the 2nd movement and the Hero in the 4th movement with Leon Woizikovsky appearing as Fate.

Le Beau Danube (The Beautiful Danube) Premiered April 13, 1933 Le Beau Danube (The Beautiful Danube) premiered April 13, 1933 in the Theatre de Monte Carlo, Monte Carlo. It is a one act romantic ballet with both the libretto and choreography done by Massine. Music is by Strauss and the orchestra arranged by Roger Desmormiere. Scene ry and costumes were by Vlladimir Polunin with the new costumes by Count Etienne de Beaumont. Originally conceived by Massine for Count Etienne de Beaumont's, Soiree de Paris in 1924, the ballet was revived and reconstructed into one scene instead of two with new décor and costumes. Massine assembled numerous works of Strauss and composed dances to them to tell his story. The role of the Street Dancer was danced by Danilova with Massine as Hussar. Tatianna Riabouchinska was the original Young Girl and Edward Borovansky the Strong Man with the cigarette behind his ear.

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: Blum’s 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. 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. Vaslav Fomich Nijinsky Died April 8, 1950 Vaslav Nijinsky was born in Kiev, Russia, while his parents, dancers Eleonora Bereda and Foma Nijinsky were on tour. He entered the Imperial School in St. Petersburg in 1898, and upon graduation in 1907 became a soloist with the Maryinsky Theatre.

He met Sergei Diaghilev , and Nijinsky went to Paris with him and danced the leading roles in Le Pavillion d'Armida and Les Sylphides with Anna Pavlova in 1909. The next year he danced the golden slave in Scheherazade. He continued to dance with the Diaghilev's Ballets Russes after 1909, although Anna Pavlova left because Diaghilev favored his male dancers. Igor Stravinsky Died April 6, 1971 Th e most notable of Diaghilev's composers was Igor Stravinsky , who is now recognised as the premier composer of the early twentieth century. Diaghilev had hired the young Stravinsky at a time when he was virtually unknown to compose the music for The Firebird , after the composer Anatoly Lyadov proved unreliable. Diaghilev was thus instrumental in launching Stravinsky's career in Europe and the United States of America. Stravinsky's early ballet scores were the subject of much discussion.

The Firebird (1910) was seen as an astonishingly accomplished work for such a young artist ( Debussy is said to have remarked drily: "Well, you've got to start somewhere!"). Many contemporary audiences found Petrushka (1911) to be almost unbearably dissonant and confused. The Rite of Spring caused a near-riot by the audience, stunned because of its willful rhythms and aggressive dynamics. The Rite of Spring had to be pulled after just a few performances. The audience's negative reaction to it is now regarded as a theatrical scandal as notorious as the failed runs of Richard Wagner 's Tannhäuser at Paris in 1861 and Jean-Georges Noverre 's and David Garrick 's Chinese Ballet at London on the eve of the Seven Years' War . However, Stravinsky's early ballet scores are now widely considered masterpieces of the genre. Even his later ballet scores (such as Apollo), while not as startling, were still superior to most ballet music of the previous century. Diaghilev commissioned many other original scores, as well as borrowing freely from the existing musical canon.

His ballets variously included music by Debussy , Milhaud , Poulenc , Prokofiev , Ravel , Satie , Respighi , and Richard Strauss . Pablo Picasso Died April 8, 1973 Parade was Picasso’s first collaboration with the Ballets Russes and in a letter sent to a friend, Jean Cocteau the librettist said “Picasso amazes me every day, to live near him is a lesson in nobility and hard work” (Rothschild 49). Picasso’s studio in Rome had a little crate that held the model of Parade with its trees and houses, and on a table were the painted characters: the Chinaman, Managers, American girl, and horse. Cocteau described his friend’s unusual artistic process: “A badly drawn figure of Picasso is the result of endless well-drawn figures he erases, corrects, covers over, and which serves him as a foundation. In opposition to all schools he seems to end his work with a sketch.” The audiences were amazed by the first ballet to have cubist costumes, sets, and choreography.

L’Epreuve D’Amour (The Proof of Love) or Chung-Yang and the Mandarin Premiered April 4, 1936 L’Epreuve D’Amour (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 André 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. Serge Lifar - Birthday April 2, 1903 Serge Lifar was born on April 2, 1903 in Kiev, Ukraine and trained there by Bronislava Nijinska. Lifar was dynamic and controversial in his personal life. He was accepted into the Ballets Russes in 1923.

Serge Lifar's career was delayed a year because he did not accept Serge Diaghilev's invitation to breakfast. Diaghilev insisted that Lifar's training continue with Enrico Cecchetti , Nicolai Legat and Pierre Vladimirov. Lifar was known for his notorious and unscrupulous displays of ego. While partnering Alicia Markova at London's Drury Lane Theatre, his extremely unprofessional jealousy of her triumph caused a scandal. In 1938, they danced again when Markova was making her debut in America. The ballet was almost ruined by Lifar's attempts to steal scenes, causing a critic to write that his performance in Giselle would justify changing the name of the ballet to Albrecht. Lifar eventually replaced Anton Dolin as Diaghilev's favorite, when Dolin left to dance in Cochran's Revues with Vera Nemtchinova . Diaghilev made sure Lifar continued his daily classes with Enrico Cecchetti . Wherever Lifar went, Cecchetti was there to give him lessons. Lifar was the last of the Ballets Russes' Premier Danseurs, although Dolin did return to the company as one of the stars.

Two of Lifar's greatest achievements as a dancer in the Ballets Russes were in Balanchine's Apollo and The Prodigal Son. After Serge Diaghilev's death in 1929, Lifar became Premier Danseur of the Paris Opera Ballet , whose reputation had declined since the Victorian era. By 1933, he had become its Director and Professor of Dance. In 1939, Lifar joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo where he again danced with Alicia Markova, this time at Londo n's Covent Garden. Lifar held the position of Director at the Paris Opera Ballet for 20 years, creating 90 percent of the choreography and dancing many leading roles. Although he himself was trained by Cecchetti , he replaced the Italian technique at the Paris Opera with the modern Russian Vaganova School, named for the great Kirov teacher Aggripina Vaganova . He remained as director of the Paris Opera Ballet until 1945, when charges of collaboration with the Germans caused him to leave and become director of the Nouveau Ballet de Monte Carlo.

Lifar, cleared of the charges and given a year's suspension, returned as director of the Paris Opera Ballet in 1947. In 1949, he danced again, and his last performance at the Opera was as Albrecht in ''Giselle'' in 1956. He resigned as director in 1958, although he was briefly re-engaged as choreographer in 1968. In the summer of 1994 on the stage of the National Ukraine Opera the First International Ballet Contest was held named after Serge Lifar. The new contest happened to be unique. For the first time in Europe young ballet artists and balletmasters contended simultaneously. The Sixth Lifar International Ballet Competition was held in April, 2006. Paquita Premiered in Paris April 1, 1846 Paquita Premiered in Paris April 1, 1846 presented at the Salle Le Peletier by the Paris Opera Ballet. In 1847, Paquita was staged for the first time in Russia for the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg by Marius Petipa and Pierre-Frédéric 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 trois for 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. ballet: The Modern Ballet Renaissance The Modern Ballet Renaissance Russian Ballet The renaissance in romantic ballet began in Russia after 1875. The Russian Imperial School of Ballet had been founded in 1738. During the early 19th cent. the Imperial Theatre housed more than 40 ballet productions staged by the celebrated Swedish master Charles Didelot. Marius Petipa , who created a powerful sense of unity by rigorously training his corps de ballet as had not been done before, indicated in his choreography the direction of intensified romantic drama that the newly revived art was to take.

Petipa contributed many of the classic ballets still considered to be the greatest expressions of the form, including Don Quixote, La Bayadère, The Sleeping Beauty, Raymonda, Harlequinade, and restagings of Giselle, Coppélia, La Sylphide, and, with Lev Ivanov , Swan Lake. In 1909 the celebrated impresario Sergei Diaghilev took his Russian company to Paris, and for 20 years it dominated the world of dance, displaying the creative talents of such choreographers and dancers as Michel Fokine , Léonide Massine , Vaslav Nijinsky , Bronislava Nijinska , Anna Pavlova , and George Balanchine . The brilliant performances by Nijinsky also helped to reemphasize the importance of the male dancer. After Diaghilev's death in 1929, offshoots were formed by René Blum and Col. W. de Basil, which kept the Diaghilev tradition alive during the 1930s.

The company merged with Blum and de Basil's Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, which nurtured the talents of Alexandra Danilova , André Eglevsky , and Igor Youskevitch . Russian dancing has been maintained at the highest level of excellence to the present day. Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet , which brought fame to Galina Ulanova , Maya Plisetskaya , and V. M. Gordeyev, and the Kirov Ballet (since 1991 the St. Petersburg Maryinsky Ballet), whose dancers have included Rudolf Nureyev , Natalia Makarova , and Mikhail Baryshnikov , are the two foremost Russian companies and are ranked among the finest in the world. British Ballet In England around 1918, Enrico Cecchetti, who had taught many great dancers including Pavlova, Nijinsky, Massine, and Danilova, set down his method of training (which is still in practice) in collaboration with Cyril Beaumont, proprietor of "Under the Sign of the Harlequin," a world-famous bookstore specializing in the dance.

The Cecchetti Society was founded in 1922 to preserve and protect that system. In 1930 Marie Rambert founded the Ballet Club, the first permanent ballet school and company in England. A year later Ninette de Valois established what became the Sadler's Wells Ballet (now the Royal Ballet ). This company has drawn international attention to the work of Alicia Markova , Anton Dolin , Frederick Ashton , Margot Fonteyn , Robert Helpmann , Rudolf Nureyev, Antoinette Sibley, Svetlana Beriosova, and Anthony Dowell. Nureyev, both a choreographer and a dancer, was instrumental in moving beyond the changes wrought by Nijinsky and altering the traditional supportive role of the male dancer to a far more significant, dynamic, and athletic place in the ballet; many other contemporary choreographers have similarly given their male dancers a more flamboyant showcase. American Ballet In the United States, Lincoln Kirstein and Edward Warburg founded the American Ballet company in 1934.

Under the direction of George Balanchine, its chief choreographer, the company established the first major school of ballet in the country, developed the talents of many notable American dancers (including Maria Tallchief , Todd Bolender, Suzanne Farrell , Patricia McBride, Jacques d'Amboise , Arthur Mitchell , and Edward Villella ), and influenced enormously the evolution of an American ballet style as parent company to the New York City Ballet (founded 1948), one of the world's outstanding companies. Other celebrated choreographers who created ballets for the New York City Ballet are Eugene Loring, Jerome Robbins , and Peter Martins . The other major American company, the American Ballet Theatre (formerly the Ballet Theatre), was founded in 1939 as an offshoot of the smaller Mordkin Ballet.

The company's principal dancers have included Lucia Chase, Anton Dolin, Nora Kaye , Alicia Alonso , Michael Kidd, Scott Douglas, Royes Fernandez, Sallie Wilson, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, performing in works designed for them by Michel Fokine, Léonide Massine, Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins, Michael Kidd, Agnes de Mille , Herbert Ross, Eugene Loring, Glen Tetley, Twyla Tharp , and many others. Through numerous tours both the New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre have earned international reputations of a high order. Other American companies of note include the Joffrey Ballet (founded 1956) and the Dance Theatre of Harlem (founded 1970). In addition to these, there are many active regional ballet companies throughout the United States. Using traditional formal training and movement, American choreographers have designed a new sort of pure, abstract ballet, far less dependent on literary plot, often using modern rock and electronic music, and have developed greatly simplified decor and costuming (e.g., Balanchine's Agon, Robert Joffrey's Astarte, and Glen Tetley's Chronochromie ).

Many modern choreographers have also designed dances for stage and film musicals (e.g., Jerome Robbins's West Side Story and Agnes de Mille's Oklahoma! ). In the late 20th cent. ballet was increasingly receptive to techniques and music from many dance forms. It grew in popularity, international touring expanded, and, particularly with the collapse of the Soviet Union, international exchange was encouraged. Sections in this article: Explore The Stories — Chapter — Fusing Dance, Music, and Design: Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes — THE LINE Fusing Dance, Music, and Design: Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes Russian composer Igor Stravinsky described his countryman Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929) as “generous, strong, and capricious…with intense will, a rich sense of contrasts, and deep ancestral roots.” He credited this blend of traits as the source of Diaghilev’s “amazing activity as the inspirer, promoter, and organizer of a long series of artistic events.” Chief among them was the Ballets Russes, the dance company that infused modernism with an explosion of creativity.

From the first performances in May 1909, audiences were dazzled by the dancing and designs of the Ballets Russes. “As far as dance was concerned, the early twentieth century was an ideal moment for change,” notes Jane Pritchard, curator of dance for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and co-curator of the 2010 exhibition Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929, pointing to the introduction of new elements of movement by the likes of Isadora Duncan and the simultaneous decline of ballet in Russia and Europe. “Growing audiences were looking for new material, and Diaghilev’s new company filled a real vacuum.” The Ballets Russes first brought Russian ballet to Paris in productions designed by Leon Bakst, who layered jewel tones and Art Nouveau elements to exotic ends. The artist was just one member of Diaghilev’s inner circle—an evolving cadre of advisors, friends, colleagues, and sponsors that generated ideas and served as sounding board.

This group included designer Alexandre Benois, choreographer Mikhail Fokine, fashion designer Coco Chanel, artists such as Robert and Sonia Delaunay and, from 1916, Pablo Picasso. “It was obvious to audiences that the quality of Diaghilev’s productions was superior to that of any rival,” explains Pritchard. “Others could attract the dancers but they did not have the original settings in which to show off their talents, and the his ballets won hands down when it came to music, sets, costumes, choreography, and overall production.” Diaghilev supervised the look of each production, integrating the story, music, choreography, and design with such skill that each Ballets Russes spectacle exceeded the sum of its parts. Valentin Serov’s 1904 portrait of Sergei Diaghilev, who ballerina Tamara Karsavina likened to Napoleon in his “wonderful gift for detail.” The Ballets Russes toured extensively during its twenty-year existence. Company dancers are pictured here during a 1916 engagement in New York City.

The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, a Ballets Russes offshoot founded in 1932 by Leonide Massine, performing the choreographer's Rouge et noir, with scenery and costumes by Henri Matisse, in 1939. As revealed in the sumptuously illustrated pages of Ballets Russes , published by Assouline , the innovative showpieces of the relatively short-lived company had a significant and enduring influence on art, theater, ballet, and fashion. Diaghilev’s ballets also made it respectable for artists to collaborate. Through the life of the company, he employed nearly forty artists to design the sets, costumes, props, and promotional materials. These painters, sculptors, and designers added rich layers of complexity to groundbreaking choreography and more traditional productions, interpreting movements such as Cubism, Primitivism, Futurism, and Surrealism for the stage. “Diaghilev was responsible for the creation of ballets in which the elements of dance, music, and design fused together, establishing the standards to which subsequent companies throughout the world would aspire,” notes Pritchard. More than a century later, in theaters around the world, audiences are still thrilled by the ballets that he created.

“Diaghilev had the cunning...to combine the excellent with the chic, and revolutionary art with the atmosphere of the old regime.” Ballerina Lydia Lopokova Souvenir programs including, at top left, one for a 1915 matinee at the Theatre National de l’Opera. The cover shows an illustration of Mikhail Larionov of Le soleil de nuit. An undated photograph of Alexandra Danilova in Apollo. Serge Lifar and Alexandra Danilova in Apollon musagete, 1928. A scene design by Alexandre Benois for Les Sylphides, a one-act ballet by Mikhail Folkine. First performed at the Maryinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in 1908, it was presented in Paris in 1909 as part of the first season of the Ballets Russes and danced by Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Vaslav Nijinsky, and Alexandra Baldina. “There was very little that he did not try, from productions without dancers to multimedia works.

Diaghilev could be distant or he could charm, but above all he could radiate extraordinary authority and power, which enabled him to bring together a group of such innovative individuals to create original works of art.” Jane Pritchard Pictured from left, Lubov Tchernicheva portrays Cleopatra in the Balanchine ballet Caesar and Cleopatra, ca. 1920; an undated photo of Adolph Bolm and Tamara Karsavina in Schéhérazade; and Vaslav Nijinsky in Le Spectre de la rose, 1911. The Palais Garnier, built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera. (Photo: Nathalie Darbellay/Sygma/Corbis)

Question: Mikhail Fokine was the chief choreographer to which ballet company from 1909 -1914?
Answer: BALLET RUSSES