Serge Grigoriev/Ballets Russes Archive
Catalog Record: http://lccn.loc.gov/2010561019
General International Standard for Archival Description
Music Division Library of Congress Washington, D.C.
Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Music Division, 2010
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Serge Grigoriev/Ballets Russes Archive 1909-2009 (bulk 1909-1952)
Grigoriev, S. L. (Sergeĭ Leonidovich), 1883-1968
Biographical History for: Serge Grigoriev/Ballets Russes Archive 1909-2009 (bulk 1909-1952)
Biographical Note The Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev (also known as Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes) was a creation of the great Russian impresario, Serge Diaghilev. In 1907 Diaghilev presented a festival of Russian music at the Paris Opera and, in 1908, he returned to offer six performances of Mussorgsky’s opera Boris Godunov, which marked the first performance of the opera outside Russia. Upon his re-engagement in 1909, Diaghilev added four ballets to his operatic presentations. The enormous popularity of the ballets was such that in 1910 Diaghilev offered only “Ballets Russes.” Because many of the Russian dancers performing with Diaghilev were members of the Maryinsky Ballet in Saint Petersburg, they were allowed to travel only when their season was over and Diaghilev soon realized the importance of creating a permanent dance company in the West. From 1909 to 1912, the Russian choreographer Michel Fokine’s works dominated the repertory of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, but Fokine’s resignation allowed Diaghilev to re-conceptualize the company and to commission works that fulfilled his personal aesthetic. Vaslav Nijinsky was anointed as the choreographer who would open the door to Diaghilev’s principles of modernism in ballet. Thereafter, the succession of choreographers that continued Diaghilev’s ideals included Léonide Massine, Bronislava Nijinska, and George Balanchine. Between 1918 and 1922, Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes performed for long periods of time in London; however, by the mid-1920s, the company split its time between Paris and Monte Carlo. In Monte Carlo, Diaghilev enjoyed the support of the ruling Grimaldi family and was also providing dancers and choreographers for most of the Théâtre de Monte-Carlo’s operatic productions. One of Diaghilev’s most significant legacies was his collaboration with other artists. For example, he commissioned scores from Debussy, Ravel, Richard Strauss, Satie, Poulenc, and Prokofiev, and is credited with establishing Stravinsky’s international career. Diaghilev also worked closely with the numerous painters and sculptors who created designs for his company, including Bakst, Benois, Matisse, Picasso, Rouault, Gris, Braque, Utrillo, and Miró. However, perhaps his greatest contribution to the world of ballet was his support of the choreographers Nijinsky, Massine, Nijinska, and Balanchine. Likewise, he launched the careers of many dancers, including names such as Adolph Bolm, Léonide Massine, Lydia Lopokova, Olga Spessivtseva, Anton Dolin, Alexandra Danilova, Alicia Markova, and Serge Lifar. Throughout its existence, Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes set new standards for ballet technique and played an important role in creating a significant body of choreographic works—many of which continue to be performed in the repertories of ballet companies throughout the world. After Serge Diaghilev’s death in 1929, René Blum was appointed director of ballet at the Théâtre de Monte-Carlo. Blum was determined to establish a new Russian ballet company at the Théâtre and, in 1931 he met Colonel Wassily de Basil. De Basil had emigrated to Paris in 1919 and was the director of L’Opéra Russe à Paris. In late 1931, de Basil and Blum created Les Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo with George Balanchine as ballet master and Boris Kochno as artistic director. The company’s first season opened at the Théâtre de Monte-Carlo in 1932 and, at the end of the year, Balanchine left and was replaced by Léonide Massine. Massine remained with the company until 1937. After a disagreement with Blum in 1934, de Basil became the sole director and the company became known as the Ballets Russes de Colonel W. de Basil (later called the Original Ballet Russe). When de Basil died in 1951, his associate George Kirsta organized a new company that opened four months later at the Wimbledon Theatre, England. Despite some local touring, the company performed for the last time in January 1952. Known variously throughout the years as the Ballets Russes de Colonel W. de Basil (1932-1938), Colonel W. de Basil’s Ballet Russe (1937, in New York), Educational Ballets Limited (1938), Covent Garden Russian Ballet (1938-1940), and the Original Ballet Russe (1940-1952), the company crisscrossed the globe and was instrumental in the popularization of ballet worldwide. Serge Grigoriev studied ballet at the Imperial Theatre School in Saint Petersburg and, in 1909, Diaghilev appointed him as company régisseur (rehearsal director) for the first Paris season of his Ballets Russes. Grigoriev remained in this position until Diaghliev’s death in 1929. Upon the formation of the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, Grigoriev served once again as régisseur, remaining with the company until its dissolution in 1952. During the 1950s, along with his wife, dancer Lubov Tchernicheva, he staged revivals of Fokine ballets for Sadler’s Wells Ballet (later known as the Royal Ballet), the London Festival Ballet, and La Scala, and oversaw rehearsals for Massine ballets. Grigoriev died on 28 June 1968. Date Event 1883 Serge Grigoriev (Sergei Leonidovich Grigor’ev) is born 5 October in Tichvin, Russia. 1900 Grigoriev enters the Maryinsky corps de ballet, where he remains until 1912. 1909 Grigoriev is appointed Serge Diaghilev’s company régisseur (rehearsal director) for the first Paris season of the Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev (also known as Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes). Grigoriev marries dancer Lubov Tchernicheva. Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes premieres works by choreographer Michel Fokine, including Le Pavillon d’Armide (music by Tcherepnine) and Les Sylphides (music by Chopin). 1910 Grigoriev plays the character role of the Shah Shariar in Michel Fokine’s Schéhérazade (music by Rimsky-Korsakov) for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, Paris. Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes premieres Fokine’s L’Oiseau de Feu [The Firebird] (music by Stravinsky). This is the first score by Stravinsky to be commissioned especially for a ballet. 1911 Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes premieres Fokine’s Petrouchka. The company makes its first visit to London. 1912 After Diaghilev promotes Vaslav Nijinsky as a choreographer, Michel Fokine leaves the Ballets Russes. Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes premieres Nijinsky’s L’Après-midi d’un Faune (music by Faure) and Jeux (music by Debussy). 1913 Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes premieres Nijinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps [The Rite of Spring] (music by Stravinsky). After Vaslav Nijinsky marries Romola de Pulszky, Diaghilev fires Vaslav Nijinsky from the Ballets Russes. 1914 Grigoriev plays the character role of Guidone in Fokine’s Le coq d’or (music by Rimsky-Korsakov) for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Léonide Massine makes his debut with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in the title role of Fokine’s Die Josephslegende. In support of her brother Nijinsky, dancer Bronislava Nijinska leaves the Ballets Russes. The company makes its first tour of South America. 1915 Le Soleil de Nuit (music by Rimsky-Korsakov) is premiered with Massine acting as both choreographer and principal dancer. 1916 Ballets Russes makes their first tour of the United States, returning again for a second tour, 1916-1917. 1917 Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes premieres Massine’s Parade (music by Satie). 1919 Grigoriev plays the character role of the Russian Merchant in Léonide Massine’s La Boutique fantasque (music by Rossini, orchestrated by Respighi) for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, London. 1921 Diaghilev dismisses Massine from the company. Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes produces a version of Marius Petipa’s 1890's The Sleeping Beauty. Retitled The Sleeping Princess, it is the first full production of a complete Petipa ballet to be performed outside Russia. Bronislava Nijinska returns to Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes for four years. 1922 Diaghilev presents a divertissement created from Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty (music by Tchaikovsky). The resulting work is called Aurora’s Wedding with staging and some new choreography by Bronislava Nijinska. Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes premieres Bronislava Nijinska’s Le Renard (music by Stravinsky). 1923 Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes premieres Nijinska’s Les Noces (music by Stravinsky). 1924 Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes premieres Nijinska’s Les Biches (music by Poulenc); Les Fâcheux (music by Auric); Night on Bald Mountain (ballet from the opera Sorochintsy Fair, music by Mussorgsky); and Le Train Bleu (music by Milhaud). Diaghilev engages George Balanchine as ballet master. During his tenure with the company (1924-1929), he creates ten ballets. 1928 Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes premieres George Balanchine’s Apollon musagète (music by Stravinsky). 1929 Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes premieres George Balanchine’s Le Fils prodigue [Prodigal Son] (music by Prokofiev). Serge Diaghilev dies on 19 August. 1932 Grigoriev joins Colonel Wassily de Basil’s Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo as company régisseur. 1933 The company makes its London debut at the Alhambra Theatre on 4 July. Sol Hurok presents the company in New York at the St. James Theatre on 22 December. 1934 The company begins a North American Tour in October in Mexico City. The company also performs in Canada and California. 1935 The company performs at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. 1936 Invited to Austrialia, de Basil forms a second company for a tour that lasts until July 1937. 1937 Massine’s contract is extended to cover part of the fall and winter American tour. 1938 Massine gives his last performance at the San Francisco Opera House on 30 January. Massine becomes artistic director of a new company, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, with Sergei J. Denham as general director. Colonel W. de Basil’s Ballets Russes performs at Covent Garden, London, under the name Educational Ballets Limited. 1939 Under the name Covent Garden Russian Ballet, the company tours Australia and New Zealand from September to April 1939. Touring under the name Original Ballet Russe, the company returns to the United States in October. 1941 The Original Ballet Russe arrives in Cuba. The dancers receive a cut in salary and seventeen of them stage a strike. The company eventually makes its way back to the United States. 1942 The company tours Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. By 1943 the company is in residence at the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires. In addition, the company tours other South American countries. The Original Ballet Russe remains in South America until 1946. 1947 The Original Ballet Russe returns to New York for a season at the Metropolitan Opera House, tours coast-to-coast and, presents a second New York Season. The company returns to Europe and prepares for a season at Covent Garden, which takes place July-September. David Lichine’s Graduation Ball is seen in London for the first time. 1948 After seasons in Paris and Brussels, de Basil takes the company on a tour of Spain and North Africa that lasts seven months. The company is disbanded on 6 November. 1951 Colonel Wassily de Basil dies on 27 July. 1952 De Basil’s associate, George Kirsta, resurrects a new Original Ballet Russe, which offers its last performance at London’s Adelphi Theatre on 26 January. Serge Grigoriev retires. 1953 Grigoriev publishes The Diaghilev Ballet 1909-1929. 1954-1955 Grigoriev and his wife stage Fokine’s The Firebird and Les Sylphides for Britain’s Royal Ballet. 1956 Grigoriev serves one year as régisseur for London’s Royal Ballet. 1957 Grigoriev and his wife, Lubov Tcherinova, stage Petrouchka for the Royal Ballet. 1968 Serge Grigoriev dies in London on 28 June.
Scope and Content Note The Serge Grigoriev/Ballets Russes Archive is comprised of materials that document Serge Grigoriev’s career as a dancer and as régisseur (rehearsal director) for the Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev (1909-1929). Grigoriev served in the same capacity for the Ballets Russes de Colonel W. de Basil (1932-1952). The manuscripts, photographs, and other documents that are included in this Archive provide one of the richest collections of information on these two dance companies available anywhere. Although the majority of the materials in the Serge Grigoriev/Ballets Russes Archive relate to the companies of Diaghilev and de Basil, the Archive contains several items from another Russian ballet company, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. By 1937 differences between Massine and de Basil led to the formation of a company for Massine with backers that included Sergei J. Denham, who eventually became the general director. The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo existed from 1938 to 1962.
series
Writings by Serge Grigoriev
The core of the Serge Grigoriev/Ballets Russes Archive is the collection of manuscript drafts for his work The Diaghilev Ballet 1909-1929 (translated into English by Vera Bowen and published in 1953) and an unpublished manuscript titled Original’nyi Russkii Balet 1932-1952 (also called Original’nyi Russkii Balet pod upravleniem Colonel W. De Basil 1932-1952 [The Original Ballet Russe under the management of Colonel W. De Basil 1932-1952]). Other notebooks contain descriptions and cast lists for choreographic works performed by the Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev (also known as Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes) and Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo (also known as the Original Ballet Russe).
file
Manuscript draft of S.P. Diaghilev i ego ‘Russkii Balet’ 1909-1929 [The Diaghilev Ballet 1909-1929]
Five notebooks, in Russian, occasional corrections in pencil; dated London, 24 April 1952
Two notebooks, containing details of the choreographies for many ballets for both the Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes de Col. W. De Basil, c.1926-1936
Manuscript draft of Original’nyi Russkii Balet pod upravleniem Colonel W. De Basil 1932-1952 [The Original Ballet Russe under the management of Colonel W. De Basil 1932-1952]
Manuscript copy of Original’nyi Russkii Balet 1932-1952, in Russian, with a 35-page typed appendix in English of ballets performed by the company during those dates
Collection of loose working notes relating to Grigoriev’s manuscripts, comprising:
• An early manuscript draft from Russkovo Baleta S.P. Diaghileva, in Russian, covering 1948; dated 15 November 1949
• Manuscript in Russian, titled Kratkaia Biographia S.P. Diaghilev i ego deyatelnosti 1872-1929 [A Short biography of Diaghilev and his Works]
• Manuscript and typed lists of dancers, artists, composers, and others involved in the company’s productions; manuscript lists of Diaghilev’s productions; a manuscript account of Diaghilev’s relations with his artistic collaborators, including Derain, Larionov, Picasso, and Matisse
• Various other working notes, including choreographic diagrams, manuscript and typed notes relating to the Ballets Russes
Manuscript draft of Original’nyi Russkii Balet [The Original Ballet Russe 1932-1952], five notebooks in Russian; dated 2 September 1952 and 18 August 1960
Photographs
This series contains photographs of most of the principal artists associated with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo.
Personal Names
Algeranoff, Harcourt
Alonso, Alberto
Alonso, Alberto and Denisova, Alexandra
Amsermet, Ernest; Tchernicheva, Lubov; Lifar, Serge; Nikitina, Alice; and Doubrovska, Felia
Balanchine, George; Tchernicheva, Lubov; and Doubrovska, Felia
Balanchine, George; Tchernicheva, Lubov; Doubrovska, Felia; and Lifar, Serge
Baronova, Irina
Baronova, Irina and Petroff, Paul
Baronova, Irina and Lichine, David
Borovansky, Edouard; Rostov, Dmitri; and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Bousloff, Serge and Grigorieva, Tamara
Conus, Natalie
Danilova, Alexandra
Danilova, Alexandra and Petroff, Paul
Danilova, Alexandra; Tchernicheva, Lubov; Grigoriev, Serge; and Doubrovska, Felia
de Basil, Col. W.
de Basil, Col. W. (with others)
Denisova, Alexandra (Patricia Denise Meyers; also known as Patricia Meyers and as Patricia Denise)
Denisova, Alexandra and Osato, Sono
Diaghilev, Serge and Kochno, Boris
Diaghilev, Serge; Kochno, Boris; and Picasso’s children
Dokoudovsky, Vladimir
Doroudovsky, M.
Doubrovska, Felia; George Balanchine; and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Doubrovska, Felia; Tchernicheva, Lubov; Grigoriev, Serge; and Danilova, Alexandra
Doubrovska, Felia; Tcherkas, Constantin; and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Federov, Michel and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Geltser, Ekaterina
Gilpin, John (?) and Riabouchinska, Tatiana
Grigoriev, Serge
Grigoriev, Serge and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Grigoriev, Serge (with others)
Grigoriev, Serge with de Basil, Col W.
Grigoriev, Serge; Tchernicheva, Lubov; Danilova, Alexandra; and Doubrovska, Felia
Grigorieva, Tamara
Grigorieva, Tamara and Bousloff, Serge
Grigorieva, Tamara and Lichine, David
Grigorieva, Tamara; Lichine, David; Toumanova, Tamar; and Riabouchinska, Tatiana
Grigorieva, Tamara and Massine, Léonide
Grigorieva, Tamara and Morosova, Olga
Grigorieva, Tamara; Nelidova, Vera; and Tchinarova, Tamara
Grigorieva, Tamara and Petroff, Paul
Grigorieva, Tamara and Stogonova, Nina
Greigorieva, Tamara and other(s)
Hyman, Prudence (also known as Strogova, Pauline)
Jasinski, Roman
Jasinski, Roman and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Jasinski, Roman; Tchernicheva, Lubov; and Mackenzie, Kenneth
Karsavina, Tamara
Karlewska, Jadwiga
Kochno, Boris and Diaghilev, Serge
Kochno, Boris; Diaghilev, Serge; and Picasso’s children
Kshessinska, Matilda
Kyasht, Lydia
Lazowski, Yurek
Lazowski, Yurek with others
Leskova, Tatiana
Lichine, David
Lichine, David and Baronova, Irina
Lichine, David and Grigorieva, Tamara
Lichine, David; Grigorieva, Tamara; Toumanova, Tamar; and Riabouchinska, Tatiana
Lichine, David and Riabouchinska, Tatiana
Lichine, David and others
Lifar, Serge
Lifar, Serge; Tchernicheva, Lubov; Nikitina, Alice; and Doubrovska, Felia
Lifar, Serge; Ansermet, Ernest; Nikitina, Alice; Doubrovska, Felia; and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Lloyd, Barbara
Mackenzie, Kenneth
Mackenzie, Kenneth and other
Mackenzie, Kenneth and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Mackenzie, Kenneth; Jasinski, Roman; and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Marra, Eleanora
Massine, Léonide
Massine, Léonide and Grigorieva, Tamara
Massine, Léonide and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Massine, Léonide; Nemchinova, Vera; and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Mordkin, Mikhail
Morosova, Olga
Morosova, Olga and Grigorieva, Tamara
Morosova, Olga; Zorina, Vera; and Strogova, Pauline
Morosova, Olga and others
Nelidova, Vera [Cuff, Betty]
Nelidova, Vera; Grigorieva, Tamara; Tchinarova, Tamara
Nemchinova, Vera
Nemchinova, Vera and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Nemchinova, Vera; Massine, Léonide; and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Nijinska, Bronislava
Nijinsky, Vaslav
Nijinsky, Vaslav (with his family)
Nikitina, Alice
Nikitina, Alice; Tchernicheva, Lubov; Doubrovska, Felia; and Lifar, Serge
Osato, Sono
Panaiev, Michel
Petroff, Paul
Petroff, Paul and Baronova, Irina
Petroff, Paul and Danilova, Alexandra
Petroff, Paul and Grigorieva, Tamara
Petroff, Paul and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Petroff, Paul; Tchernicheva, Lubov; and Rostov, Dmitri
Riabouchinska, Tatiana
Riabouchinska, Tatiana and Gilpin, John (?)
Riabouchinska, Tatiana and Lichine, David
Riabouchinska, Tatiana and Toumanova, Tamara
Riabouchinska, Tatiana; Toumanova, Tamara; and Verchinina, Nina
Riabouchinska, Tatiana; Toumanova, Tamara; Lichine, David; and Grigorieva, Tamara
Rostov, Dmitri
Rostov, Dmitri and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Rostov, Dmitri; Tchernicheva, Lubov; and Petroff, Paul
Rostov, Dmitri; Tchernicheva, Lubov; and Borovansky, Edouard
Rostova, Lubov and others
Sand, Inge
Schwezoff, Igor
Siniavine, Alec
Skibine, George
Skibine, George and others
Slavenska, Mia; Grigoriev, Serge and Vladimir; and Tchernicheva; Lubov
Stepanova,Tatiana
Stogonova, Nina and Grigorieva, Tamara
Tcherkas, Constantin; Doubrovska, Felia; and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Tchernicheva, Lubov
Tchernicheva, Lubov (head shots)
Tchernicheva, Lubov (with others)
Tchernicheva, Lubov; Ansermet, Ernest; Doubrovska, Felia; Lifar, Serge; and Nikitina, Alice
Tchernicheva, Lubov; Balanchine, George; and Doubrovska, Felia
Tchernicheva, Lubov; Danilova, Alexandra; Grigoriev; and Doubrovska, Felia
Tchernicheva, Lubov and Nemchinova, Vera
Tchernicheva, Lubov; Nemchinova, Vera; and Massine, Léonide
Tchernicheva, Lubov and Grigoriev, Serge
Tchernicheva, Lubov and Massine, Léonide
Tchernicheva, Lubov and Petroff, Paul
Tchernicheva, Lubov and Jasinski, Roman
Tchernicheva, Lubov; Jasinski, Roman; and Mackenzie, Kenneth
Tchernicheva, Lubov; Nikitina, Alice; Doubrovska, Felia; and Lifar, Serge
Tchernicheva, Lubov and Mackenzie, Kennneth
Tchernicheva, Lubov and Rostov, Dmitri
Tchernicheva, Lubov (in various works)
Tchinarova, Tamara; Grigorieva; and Nelidova, Vera
Tchinarova, Tamara and others
Toumanova, Tamara
Toumanova, Tamara and Riabouchinska, Tatiana
Toumanova, Tamara; Riabouchinska, Tatiana; Lichine, David; and Grigorieva, Tamara
Toumanova, Tamara; Verchina, Nina; and Riabouchinska, Tatiana
Tupine, Oleg
Verchinina, Nina (Nina Verchinina de Beausacq)
Verchinina,Nina and Tchernicheva, Lubov
Verchinina, Nina; Toumanova, Tamara; and Riabouchinska, Tatiana
Volkova, Anna and others
Woizikowski, Leon [Leon Wójcikowski]
Zorina, Vera; Morosova, Olga; and Hyman, Prudence
Zorina, Vera and others
Zvereff, Nicholas
Unidentifed (non-dance)
Unidentified groups
Choreographic Works
L’ Après-midi d’un Faune
Aurora’s Wedding
Blue Danube
Les Biches
Cain and Abel
Carousal
Cendrillon
Les Cent Baisers
Le Chant du Rossigno
Choreartium
Le Coq d’Or
Danses Slaves et Tziganes
La Fille du Pharaon
The Firebird
Francesca da Rimini
The Good-Humored Ladies
Graduation Ball
Icare
Les Noces
Paganini
Les Papillons
Pavana
Petruchka
Les Présages
Pulcinella
Romeo and Juliet
Shéhérazade
Le Soleil de Nuit [later Midnight Sun]
Le Spectre de la Rose
Les Sylphides
Swan Lake
Symphonie Fantastique
Thamar
Le Tricorne
Unidentified Works
Photograph Albums
This series contains albums that span the dates 1916 to 1948 and include nearly 3,000 of Serge Grigoriev’s photographs of ballet dancers and colleagues in the Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo. Some are signed and many are unpublished. Included are photographs of George Balanchine, Irina Baronova, Alexandra Danilova, Colonel W. De Basil, Serge Diaghilev, Vladimir Dokoudovsky, Serge Gregoriev, Tamara Grigorieva, David Lichine, Serge Lifar, Léonide Massine, Vera Nemchinova, Bronislava Nijinska, Vaslav Nijinsky, Tatiana Riabouchinska, Tamara Toumanova, and Vera Zorina, just to name a few. The albums also contain photographs of the company in locations around the world, including Monte-Carlo, Montreux, Roquebrune, Berlin, Edinburgh, London, Barcelona, Montserrat, Paris, Guadalajara, Santiago (Chile), Rio de Janeiro, Havana, New York, Lima, La Paz, Buenos Aires, Quito, Bogota, Caracas, Bombay, Melbourne, and Sydney as well as cities throughout Samoa, Ceylon, Central America, Aden, the United States, and New Zealand. Of particular interest is the scrapbook of passport or identification photographs that identify the dancers by their original names. The albums are rich in performance photographs of works that include Francesca da Reminit, Schéhérazade, Thamar, The Firebird, Paganini, Cendrillon, Cain and Abel, Les Cent Baisers, Aurora’s Wedding, L’Après-midi d’un Faune, Les Présages, Choréartium, Petrouchka, Good Humoured Ladies, Danses Slaves, Blue Danube, Swan Lake, Pulcinella, Le Chant du Rossignol, Les Noces, Petrouchka, and include photographs of the costume and/or set designs for Zéphire et Flore, Renard, Les Biches, Les Fâcheux, and Barabau.
Family photographs, locations (1916)
Uncaptioned, undated photographs of locations, Grigoriev family (1917)
Monte-Carlo, Montreux, Berlin, Edinburgh, Paris, London, Barcelona, Montserrat, 1935 and 1936 tours of U.S. (1918-1935)
Uncaptioned, undated photographs of locations and of the Ballets Russes in performance (1919-1920-1921)
1935 and 1936-1937 tours of US; Barcelona performance photographs of Schérérazade, Les Cent Baisers, Aurora’s Wedding, L’Apres-midi d’un Faune, Les Présages, Chorertium, Good Humored Ladies, Firebird, Danses Slaves et Tziganes, Blue Danube, and Swan Lake. (1935-1938)
London, Paris, Italy, 1938 American tour; Ceylon, Australia, India, New Zealand, Aden (1936-1940)
Australia, London, Schérérazade and Francesca da Rimini; portraits of numerous dancers, including Toumanova, Riabouchinska, Verchinina, Nemchinova, Denisova, Lifar, Lichine, de Basil, Gregoriev, as well as performance shots of Paganini, Pavana, Graduation Ball, and Petruchcka (1939-1940)
Lubov Tchernicheva (and others) in Francesca da Rimini (1940 Australia tour) (1939-1940)
Performance shots of Lubov Tchernicheva in Francesca da Rimini, Thamar, Schérérazade, Paganini, Cendrillon, Cain and Abel. Photographs of other dancers include Paul Petroff, Roman Jasinski, Kenneth MacKenzie, Dmitri Rostov, David Lichine, and Edouard Borovansky. This album contains full company and performance shots in Buenos Aires (1944) (1944-1946)
Samoa, Havana, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Columbia, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, Equador, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Spain (1940-1948)
Album of undated, uncaptioned photographs (n.d.)
Performance photographs and/or illustrations of set designs for Pulcinella, Le Chant du Rossignol, Les Noces, Zéphire et Flore, Mavra, Renard, Les Biches, Les Facheux, and Barabau (n.d.)
Headshots of members of Ballets Russes (possibly passport or identification photos; 2 albums) (n.d.)
Programs
This series contains programs and souvenir programs for Colonel W. de Basil’s Ballets Russes (also known as the Original Ballet Russe) and for Sergei J. Denham’s company, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (1938-1962). For original souvenir programs for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes’s premiere performance of The Firebird (1910) and a 1924 performance at La Scala, see Box 226 in the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Collection.
Théatre de la Danse – La Nijinska, Ballets Russes 1934; Souvenir Program
Col. W. de Basil’s Ballets Russes, 1936-1937; Souvenir Program
Col. W. de Basil’s Ballets Russes, 1937
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, 1941
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, 1941; Program Supplement
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, 1943-1944; Souvenir Program
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, 1944; Souvenir Program for Song of Norway
Original Ballet Russe, 1946
Original Ballet Russe, 1946; Souvenir Program
Original Ballet Russe, 1946-1947; Souvenir Program
Loose pages and covers from various souvenir programs
Writings about the Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
This series contains publications about two of the famous Russian dance companies: the Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev (known also as Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes) and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, a company that was created for Léonide Massine upon his departure from Ballets Russes de Colonel W. De Basil. This company was led by Sergei J. Denham and existed from 1938 to 1962.
Advertising flyer, The Diaghilev Ballet, 1909-1929, by S.L. Grigoriev
Maynard, Olga. Petrouchka: Diaghilev’s 1911, Joffrey’s 1970, n.d.
Blanche, Jacques-Emile. Leon Bakst dans le Ballet Russe, n.d. (incomplete)
Anderson, Jack, Janet Light, and Malcolm McCormick. The Golden Age of Costume and Set Design for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, 1938-1944. Cincinnati Art Museum, 2002
Art et Danse, no. 4, Juin-Juillet 1959
Schaikevitch, Andre. "Le Destin du Ballet de L’Opera," in La Revue Musicale, pp. 278-279, 1971
Lifar, Serge. Undated, holograph document (two pages in ink); fragmentary discussion on Prokofiev and Le Fils Prodigue (1929) and an assessment of choreographer Léonide Massine. [Photocopy of original, which can be found in ML95.L54 no. 1]
Schouvaloff, Alexander. Serge Diaghilev: The Centenary Exhibition of Les Ballets Russes. The Daniel Katz Gallery, London, 2009
Jeschke, Claudia, ed. Schwane und Feuervögel: Die Ballets Russes 1909-1929, Munich, 2009
Exhibition brochures: Library of Congress (2009); New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (2009)
Bloom, Julie. “Admiring the Man Who Made Ballet Modern,” in The New York Times, 23 August, 2009
Ballets Russes: Company members; Clippings; Tour Information; Drawings
This series contains miscellaneous materials relating to Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes (1909-1929) and the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo (also known as various other names including the Original Ballet Russe, 1932-1952).
Receipt acknowledging payment from Serge Diaghilev to Vaslav Nijinsky, 1917
Clippings
Tour Information
Notebook of drawings of members of the Ballets Russes by Grant MacDonald
Salary list, undated
Personal papers (Grigoriev)
Drawings and other images
Choreographic notes for Graduation Ball, choreographed by David Lichine in 1940