We All Came Out to Montreux

A. Gardel postcard for Fête du Narcisse in Montreux, Switzerland (1928)

In what makes an interesting side note and a nice addendum to the article on the Diaghilev exhibition in the Winter issue of Performance!, history was made recently when the first known film of Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes company was identified by Victoria & Albert Museum Dance Curator, Jane Pritchard, after she was directed to it by Susan Eastwood of the London Ballet Circle.  The 1928 festival footage, which had been posted on the British Pathé historical archive Web site, includes a brief rehearsal (one hopes) clip, which is believed to show Serge Lifar and the company in a sequence from Les Sylphides. Diaghilev, of course, was adamant about not allowing his company to be filmed, which makes this discovery all the more exciting.

Can spring really be far off now?

In the meantime, you can view the clip for yourselves here.

Image credit:  Digital ID” Fel_018135_RE, ETH Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv

 

Two Reviews of NYPL Diaghilev Show

Portrait of Lydia Lopokova from color brochure advertising Ballets Russes 1916-1917 American tour

For those of us who can’t be there right now, the appearance of a couple of reviews of the current exhibition at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Diaghilev’s Theater of Marvels,  recently made us pick up our ears.  One is an overview, by Julie Bloom, in The Paper of Record, complete with the by-now-expected “multimedia” feature, which also includes information on some additional, upcoming Diaghilev tribute events in the New York area.  The other, which admittedly did more to thaw the frozen cockles of our heart, was a blog post by Oregon Ballet Theatre soloist, Adrian Fry, recounting a recent whirlwind weekend in New York, in which, along with taking class and checking out dancewear, he found the time to visit the Diaghilev show (and also tracked down a Manhattan venue that served Stumptown coffee).

We love to see stories about performers and practitioners actually using libraries and archives!  We also love coffee!  When in Portland (and even sometimes in Seattle) we enjoy the occasional visit to  Stumptown, but when in New York, we often can be found at Café Grumpy.  Counting the days now!

Image credit: NYPL Digital Gallery ID# BALRUSSE_BR01

 

Ballets Russes Festival in Utah

Although this announcement is coming late, there still is a little time left to catch the final performances of Ballet West’s Treasures of the Ballets Russes program, if you happen to be in the Salt Lake City area.  The company has received rave reviews from the Dance Critic of the New York Times, but Ballet West also has been sponsoring a very elaborate festival, which has brought together several local organizations, to celebrate the Ballets Russes centennial since 4 March.  Check out the extensive calendar of events and the Ballet West blog for more information.  Sorry we didn’t notice sooner!