{"id":65,"date":"2013-09-17T11:49:02","date_gmt":"2013-09-17T15:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/revolutionaryrussia\/?page_id=65"},"modified":"2013-12-13T11:00:50","modified_gmt":"2013-12-13T16:00:50","slug":"kaitlyn-mcdonald","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/revolutionaryrussia\/student-research\/kaitlyn-mcdonald\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaitlyn McDonald"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Ballets Russes- Fokine, Balanchine, and Stravinsky<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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<\/a>
Pacific Northwest Ballet in Balanchine’s Apollo, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Introduction<\/strong>–<\/p>\n

The Ballets Russes (1909- 1929), formed by Serge Diaghiliev, remains one of the most influential and innovative epochs of dance history. The Ballets Russes brought together dancers like Vaslav Nijiinsky, Anna Pavolova, Tamara Karsavina, and Serge Lifar with composers Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and Sergei Prokofiev as well as artists and designers such as L\u00e9on Bakst, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Alexandre Benois, and Coco Chanel. Thus, the impact and scope of the Ballets Russes is vast. However, the company\u2019s most influential works: L\u2019Oiseau de Feu, Petrouchka, Le Spectre de la Rose, Rite of Spring, <\/i>and Apollon musagete<\/i> were all composed by Stravinsky. The first work was choreographed by Fokine and the last by Balanchine.<\/p>\n

These works were the result of Russian \u00e9migr\u00e9 collaboration; they interact with the Russian tradition and the cultural movements of their home. Yet. they are not truly part of that cultural narrative anymore. They inhabit a liminal space, not part of the East, but not fully part of the West either. The collaborations of Fokine and Balanchine with Stravinsky acknowledge their Russian heritage while challenging the aesthetic movements of their home countries. Just after Gorsky restages Petipa’s works at the turn of the century, Fokine desires to create a Russian ballet for himself. It is not an extension of imperially sponsored traditional ballet, yet it is a product of it. Stravinsky’s \u00a0music for L’Oiseau de Feu <\/em>feels like an echo of Tchaikovsky, but there is an unsettled, jarring quality to it that never quite settles itself into the realm of the safely traditional. The libretto for the ballet is based on Russian folk tales, but it is heavily orientalized for Western audiences. Stranger than that, it is then accepted back by Russia when it is restaged by Fyodor Lupokhov. It is even judged to be an acceptable, ideologically sound ballet when the Soviets publish a document rating the repertoire. \u00a0Russian criticism on Stravinsky varies wildly, Asafiev finding him delightful while he is denounced by Alshvang as too bourgeois. Apollon musagete <\/em>is choreographed by former Mariinsky dancer Balanchine. As neoclassical movements in art and architecture sweep through Russia, stifling the avant-garde in favor of more classical literature and art, Balanchine and Stravinsky create a consciously neoclassical work. It strips ballet of the decadent stagings so loved by Diaghilev and presents a work that is spatially and temporally aware. The collaboration between Stravinsky and Balanchine was the first of many and it changed the way the world viewed ballet. Insular as the USSR became, even they were not ignorant of Balanchine’s innovations. The revolutionary conditions in Russia which urged so many of its artists and intellectuals to flee also urged them to continue to engage with the culture of their home.<\/p>\n

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\"Tamara<\/a>
Tamara Karsavina and Vaslav Nijinsky in Giselle, 1910<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

General Information on Ballet:<\/b><\/p>\n

Homans, Jennifer. Apollo\u2019s Angels: A History of Ballet<\/i>. New York: Random House, Inc., 2010.<\/p>\n

This provides a general background to ballet, tracing it to 16th<\/sup> Century France, bringing the Italian Renaissance to France through the marriage of Henri II and Catherine de Medici. While the first section discusses the importance of ballet\u2019s development in France and Italy, the second section introduces the lasting association of classical ballet with Russia. Chapters 7, 8, and 9 are of particular interest, as they deal with Marius Petipa\u2019s work in imperial Russia, Diaghilev\u2019s Ballets Russes in Paris, and Soviet ballet respectively. Homans was a dancer herself, giving her work an artistic, aesthetic sensitivity many other ballet histories fall short of.<\/p>\n

The Cambridge Companion to Ballet. Ed. Marion Kant. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.<\/p>\n

Another excellent resource for genera ballet background, this work has the advantage of multiple authors and scholars writing on their topics of interest. Chapter 13, \u201cRussian ballet in the age of Petipa\u201d by Lynn Garafola not only illustrates the lasting legacy of Petipa\u2019s works, but also elucidates the deep connections between the ballet and the tsarist regime. Tim Scholl\u2019s chapter, \u201cThe ballet avant-garde II: the \u2018new\u2019 Russian and Soviet dancers in the twentieth century\u201d, traces Russian ballet from c. 1900 to c. 1930. His chapter also provides a brief introduction to choreographers Michel Fokine, Alexander Gorsky, and Fyodor Lupukhov as well as the impact of the Ballets Russes. Finally, Juliet Bellow\u2019s \u201cBalanchine and the deconstruction of classicism\u201d examines Balanchine\u2019s neoclassical, deconstructionist approach to Apollon musagete <\/i>(1928) and its tension with the traditional ballet canon, as exemplified in Andr\u00e9 Levinson\u2019s scathing review.<\/p>\n

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\"Natalia<\/a>
Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev in Mikhailovsky Theatre’s Giselle, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reynolds, Nancy & Malcom McCormick. No Fixed Points: Dance in the Twentieth Century<\/i>. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003.<\/p>\n

A gargantuan book full of photos, No Fixed Points<\/i> examines modern dance, popular dance, Broadway, and film in addition to its study of ballet companies. Chapters 2 and 7 are of particular interest, as they examine the former examines the choreographers of the Ballets Russes and the latter the evolution of Russian ballet through revolution, Stalinism, and the Cold War. For a work of such scope, it is surprisingly detailed and aware of ballet’s cultural crossover with other artistic forms.<\/p>\n

Scoll, Tim. From Petipa to Balanchine: Classical Revival and the Modernization of Ballet<\/i>. London: Routledge, 1994.<\/p>\n

Scholl\u2019s work introduces the imperialist golden age of ballet under the guidance of Petipa, its revival under Gorsky, and experimentation under Diaghilev in the Ballets Russes. While the entire work is useful at establishing historical context for the work done by Fokine and Balanchine, the third and fifth chapters are the most useful. The third is dedicated to the Ballets Russes while the fifth examines the publication Apollon<\/i> and Balanchine\u2019s Apollon musagete<\/i>.<\/p>\n

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\"Design<\/a>
Design for Giselle Costume by Alexandre Benois, 1910<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Russian Cultural History: General Sources<\/b><\/p>\n

Bowlt, John E. Moscow & St. Petersburg:1900-1920, Art, Life, & Culture<\/i>. New York: Vendome Press, 2008.<\/p>\n

This resource shows just how interconnected the arts were, tying painting and literature to ballet and composing. It is an excellent visual resource, reproducing many sketches, paintings, and photographs from the period. It is worth noting that Bowlt is one of the foremost scholars on art and culture in this time period and one would be hard-pressed to find a book pertaining to the period which does not cite at least one of Bowlt\u2019s works.<\/p>\n

Clark, Katerina. Petersburg: Crucible of Cultural Revolution<\/i>. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995.<\/p>\n

Clark\u2019s work deftly navigates the cultural movements and changes taking place from the twilight of the imperial regime through to the Stalinist culture established by the 1930s. Though the entire work is useful, the chapters \u201cThe Establishment of Soviet Culture\u201d and \u201cThe Ultimate Cultural Revolution\u201d are the most pertinent for establishing the counter-point to the work being done by the Ballets Russes abroad. These chapters discuss the prevalence of Socialist Realism as well as a neoclassical revival, a trend of looking back to great Russian literature, art, and music.<\/p>\n

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\"Set<\/a>
Set Design for Le Tricorne by Pablo Picasso, 1919<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elliott, David. New Worlds: Russian Art and Society 1900-1937<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Another excellent visual resource, especially for advertisements and propaganda posters. Elliot\u2019s work focuses on revolutionary and post-revolutionary culture, spending less time with Mir iskusstva<\/i> and other pre-revolutionary movements. This serves as an excellent resource to compare Ballets Russes later work to the artistic movements occurring within revolutionary and Soviet Russia.<\/p>\n

Figes, Orlando. Natasha\u2019s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia<\/i>. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2002.<\/p>\n

Natasha\u2019s Dance <\/i>is, perhaps, one of the most comprehensive and readable cultural histories of Russia in print. The entire book comes highly recommended as Figes effortlessly weaves together works of artistic and cultural importance with their political and social contexts. From Diaghilev to Tolstoy to Kadinsky, Figes links Russian artists, writers, and intellectuals to historically and culturally important events and movements. “The Peasant Marriage” and “Descendants of Genghiz Khan” are excellent example chapters. However, picking only one or two chapters would be to abominably underuse this text.<\/p>\n

Gaborik, Patricia and Andrea Harris. \u201cFrom Italy and Russia to France and the U.S.: \u2018Fascist\u2019 Futuristm and Balanchine\u2019s \u2018American\u2019 Ballet\u201d. Avant-Garde Performance and Material Exchange: Vectors of the Radical. <\/i>Ed. Elaine Aston and Bryan Reynolds. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.<\/p>\n

This essay discusses Balanchine\u2019s Russian roots, Italian influences, and American audience with regard to the development of his style. Considering Stravinsky\/ Balanchine collaborations requires thinking not only of their reactions to Russian movements and deeply ingrained Russian backgrounds, but the Western influence on their works as they worked beyond the reaches of the USSR. This considers the aesthetics of Balanchine\u2019s choreography in nationalistic terms, setting it apart from typical dance scholarship.<\/p>\n

\"L\u00e9on<\/a>
L\u00e9on Bakst Cover Design for Mir Iskusstva, 1902<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ballets Russes and Mir Iskusstva<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Before the creation of the Ballets Russes in 1909, there was the Mir iskusstva<\/i> group, also lead by Diaghilev. Many members from this original group followed Diaghilev to Paris for the formation of the Ballets Russes. Both groups brought together musicians, artists, designers, writers, dancers, and aestheticists to create and preserve art. Consideration of Mir iskusstva<\/i> also provides a cultural and historical context to view the Ballets Russes against.<\/p>\n

Kennedy, Janet.\u00a0The \u201cMir Iskusstva\u201d Group and Russian Art 1898-1912. <\/i>Diss. Columbia University, 1976. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1977. Print.<\/p>\n

This dissertation attempts to provide a full account of the Mir iskusstva <\/i>group in a single volume. While the bulk is dedicated to Mir iskusstva<\/i> the journal, Kennedy discusses their reform movements, aesthetic aims, and their criticism. Later chapters include profiles on individual members, including Alexandre Benois and L\u00e9on Bakst, who both contributed to librettos, set designs, and costumes for the Ballets Russes. The final chapter is of particular interest, as it discusses the connection\u00a0Mir iskusstva <\/i>between\u00a0the Ballets Russes.<\/p>\n

Laboratory of Dreams: The Russian Avant-Garde and Cultural Experiment<\/i>. Ed. John E. Bowlt and Olga Matich. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1996.<\/p>\n

This book contains a collection of essays from various contributors split into sections that deal with cultural innovation, semiotics, and socialist realism. The essays by Bowlt, Clark, and Groys are of particular interest as they deal with avant-garde conceptions of the body, retrospectivism, and socialist realism respectively. Clark’s essay is especially interesting, as it engages with Groys and suggests that the avant-garde and retrospectivists both affected and were effected by Stalinism, refuting Groys inclination to see the 1920s and early 1930s as a sort of cultural agon <\/em>between the two groups.<\/p>\n

Raeff, Marc. Russia Abroad: A Cultural History of the Russian Emigration, 1919- 1939.<\/i> Oxford: Oxford University Press,1990.<\/p>\n

This book addresses the problems of considering Russian \u00e9migr\u00e9s within the greater Russian cultural history. Raeff suggests that Russia Abroad is a country unto itself, one without “physical or legal boundaries”. The chapter \u201cTo Keep and to Cherish: What Is Russian Culture\u201d is particularly interesting, as it mentions the importance of theatre, music, and dance with a section on the lasting importance of Stravinsky and Balanchine.<\/p>\n

\"Jean<\/a>
Jean Cocteau (left) and Serge Diaghilev, 1924<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Schouvaloff, Alexander. The Art of the Ballets Russes<\/i>. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997.<\/p>\n

This book is an excellent visual resource on the Ballets Russes. Most of the major productions of the Ballets Russes are included, with sketches and photographs of original set designs and costumes. Additionally, each section gives a synopsis of the ballet and the original cast, composer, conductor, etc.<\/p>\n

Spencer, Charles. The World of Serge Diaghilev<\/i>. London: Paul Elek Ltd., 1974.<\/p>\n

While this book does provide a brief run through of Diaghilev\u2019s Ballets Russes, it is not as thorough as Bowlt\u2019s works. It does, however, include a wealth of sketches, paintings, photographs, and playbills.<\/p>\n

Van Norman Baer, Nancy. The Art of Enchantment: Diaghilev\u2019s Ballets Russes, 1909-1929<\/i>. New York: Universe Books, 1988.<\/p>\n

This book contains contributions from big names within the field including: Bowlt, Garafola, and Taruskin. Taruskin’s chapter “The Antiliterary Man: Diaghilev and Music” is particularly interesting, as it alleges that Diaghilev was not a master of taste, but an undisciplined, unaccomplished musician who merely perpetuated aristocratic artistic sensibilities earlier formed with his Mir iskusstva<\/em> group. Aside from its essays, The Art of Enchantment<\/em> contains many sketches and photographs. It\u2019s only drawback is that it only includes footnotes and lacks an organized bibliography at the end.<\/p>\n

Bowlt, John E. The Silver Age: Russian Art of the Early Twentieth Century and the \u2018World of Art\u2019 Group. Newtonville: Oriental Research Partners, 1979.<\/p>\n

This work is similar to Kennedy\u2019s in its attempt to give a general overview of the World of Art (Mir iskusstva<\/i>) group, many of whose members formed the core of Diaghilev\u2019s Ballets Russes. Bowlts chapter \u201cThe World of Art: Its Esthetic\u201d is worth noting, especially his section on Retrospectivism.<\/p>\n

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\"George<\/a>
George Balanchine and Igor Stravinsky, 1965<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Key Players in the Ballets Russes<\/b><\/p>\n

To state it quite plainly, any examination of the collaborations between Stravinsky and Fokine or Balanchine requires the accounts of their lives. Beyond that, it requires a rounded view of works like L\u2019Oiseau de Feu<\/i> or Apollon musagete<\/i>. The autobiographies of Alexandre Benois and Tamara Karsavina provide a fuller account of the tumultuous Ballets Russes and the complex relationships between dancers, choreographers, composers, and ballet master Diaghilev. Diaghilev was known for his mercurial temperament and his shameless promotion of favorites like Vaslav Nijinsky and Serge Lifar. Stravinsky felt pressured to create L\u2019Oiseau de Feu <\/i>in a manner disingenuous to his own taste and style of composition. Later, Diaghilev felt scorned by Stravinsky\u2019s composition of Apollon musagette <\/i>for performance at the American Library of Congress. The tensions at the Ballets Russes<\/i> ultimately lead to a narrative which is multi-faceted and open to interpretation.<\/p>\n

Primary Sources:<\/p>\n

Benois, Alexandre. Reminsces of the Russian Ballet<\/i>. London: Wyman& Sons, Ltd., 1941.<\/p>\n

Benois was involved in both Mir iskusstva <\/i>and the Ballets Russes. The third section of his book is of the most interest, as it is the one that deals with the Ballets Russes, collaborations with Fokine and the productions of L\u2019Oiseau de Feu, Petrouchka<\/i>, and the seasons through 1914.<\/p>\n

Reading Dance<\/i>. Ed. Robert Gottlieb. <\/i>New York: Random House, Inc., 2008.<\/p>\n

An invaluable resource for anyone wishing to write about dance in the twentieth century. Though this does contain secondary commentaries, the bulk of the book is first-hand accounts, letters, diaries, and notes. Anyone researching the Ballets Russes should look into the sections on Diaghilev and Balanchine, especially Balanchine’s essay “Marginal Notes on the Dance”.<\/p>\n

Fokine, Michel. Fokine: Memoirs of a Ballet Master<\/i>. Trans. Vitale Fokine. Ed. Anatole Chujoy. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1961.<\/p>\n

Fokine\u2019s memoir gives his account of the creation of his major works. Most importantly, Fokine comments on the original stagings and the changes made to his work in later adaptations. As ballets are constantly rechoreographed and reinterpreted, his insight on the original costumes, choreography, and casting helps to explain differences between the original work and the way it is viewed and performed today.<\/p>\n

Karsavina, Tamara. Theatre Street: the Reminisces of Tamara Karsavina<\/i>. London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1930.<\/p>\n

Karsavina was a ballerina with the Ballet Russes and had the main roles in the ballets \u00a0L\u2019Oiseau de Feu, Petrouchka, <\/i>and Le Spectre de la Rose<\/i>. Her work gives an alternate insight to Fokine as a choreographer as well as the reign of Diaghilev.<\/p>\n

\"Michel<\/a>
Michel Fokine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stravinsky, Igor and Robert Craft. Memories and Commentaries<\/i>. New York: Faber and Faber Ltd., 2002.<\/p>\n

This work takes the format of an interview, one that is incredibly revealing. Stravinsky talks of his frustrations with Firebird (L\u2019Oiseau de Feu), his disappointment with Nijinsky\u2019s choreography for Rite of Spring<\/i>, and the evolution of Apollon musagete<\/i>. The early section of the book include insights on Stravinsky\u2019s early life in Russia and his artistic influences.<\/p>\n

Stravinsky, Igor. An Autobiography<\/i>. 1936. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1962.<\/p>\n

This autobiography, much like the work above, gives Stravinsky\u2019s memories on the creation of his music, his relationship with Diaghilev, and his collaborations with Balanchine. It is a short, engaging autobiography, but lacks the depth of analysis and reflection seen in Memories and Commentaries. <\/em>Nevertheless, this volume complements Memories and Commentaries<\/em>, giving a cohesive story rather than the thematic organization of Craft’s work.<\/p>\n

Lifar, Serge. Serge Diaghilev: His Life, His Work, His Legend- An Intimate Biography<\/i>. New York: G. P. Putnam\u2019s Sons, 1940.<\/p>\n

This \u201cintimate biography\u201d comes from ballet dancer and Diaghilev favorite Serge Lifar. Lifar discusses his time with the ballet master as well as his roles in various works including Balanchine\u2019s Apollon musagete<\/i>. Reader beware, though this gives insight into Diaghilev\u2019s favoritism and a bit of Lifar\u2019s career, their relationship certainly sways Lifar\u2019s view of Diaghilev. This work ought to be balanced by looking at other, less adoring accounts of Diaghilev.<\/p>\n

Secondary Sources.<\/p>\n

Buckle, Richard. George Balanchine: Ballet Master. New York: Random House, 1988.<\/p>\n

Buckle is an often cited author whose other works include studies of Diaghilev and Nijinsky. This work chronicles Balanchine\u2019s life from birth to death, with the first two chapters covering his early life and his time at the Ballets Russes.<\/p>\n

Scheijen, Sjeng. Diaghilev: A Life<\/i>. Trans. Jane Hedley-Pr\u00f4le and S. J. Leinbach. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<\/p>\n

This exhaustive work of Diaghilev draws on existing historiography to form an impressive bibliography. Scheijen is not a dance historian, as evident by its lack of interest in summarizing and interpreting choreography. It is less reverent than biography\u2019s like Lifar\u2019s and looks at Diaghilev as a man rather than a quasi-mythic innovator. This work helps to sketch out a more neutral image of Diaghilev than those presented by his contemporaries.<\/p>\n

\"English<\/a>
English National Ballet in Balanchine’s Apollo, 2012<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Works on Stravinsky\u2019s Ballets<\/b><\/p>\n

The major works of the Ballets Russes, L\u2019Oiseau de Feu, Petrouchka, Le Spectre de la Rose, Rite of Spring, Apollon musagete, <\/i>etc were all composed by Stravinsky. To examine the impact of any of these works requires inquiry into Stravinsky and his place within the musical world. These works also examine his relationship with his choreographers, especially Balanchine as their working relationship spanned decades.<\/p>\n

Carr, Maureen A. Multiple Masks<\/i>. Neoclassicism in Stravinsky\u2019s Works on Greek Subjects. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002.<\/p>\n

Carr examines some of Stravinsky\u2019s neoclassicism, a hallmark of ballets like Apollon Musagete <\/i>and Orpheus. <\/i>For the study of the Ballets Russes, the first and third chapters are the most useful as they are \u201cLiterary Musical and Artistic Sources for Stravinsky\u2019s Neoclassicism\u201d and \u201cApollo<\/i>: Stravinsky\u2019s Compositional Process\u201d. This text focuses on Stravinsky’s influences and inspirations as well as his creative process before moving to examine the music itself. It contains some of the original, hand-written sheet music, an added resource for anyone that can read music.<\/p>\n

Joseph, Charles M. Stravinsky\u2019s Ballets<\/i>. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011<\/p>\n

Joseph\u2019s book tackles issues of composition, libretto, and choreography for each major Stravinsky work. The evolution of the works from their conception through the composing process is traced with attention to Stravinsky\u2019s collaborations with Diaghilev and the choreographers of the Ballets Russes. The first five chapters cover Stravinsky\u2019s early life through Apollon musagete<\/i> in 1928, just before the dissolution of the Ballets Russes at Diaghilev\u2019s death a year later.<\/p>\n

Joseph, Charles M. Stravinsky & Balanchine<\/i>: A Journey of Invention. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002.<\/p>\n

This book focuses specifically on the working relationship between Stravinsky and Balanchine. For the purposes of studying their time at the Ballets Russes, chapters four and five are most pertinent as they detail the initial creation of Apollon musagete<\/i> for an event at the American Library of Congress to its revival in Paris with the choreography of Balanchine.<\/p>\n

Stravinsky in the Theatre<\/i>. Ed. Minna Lederman. New York: Pellegrini & Cudahy, 1949.<\/p>\n

This work includes primary sources such as Stravinsky\u2019s own comments on his work, \u201cThe Dance Element in the Music\u201d by George Balanchine, and excerpts from longer works by Andr\u00e9 Levinson, Nicolas Nabokov, and Jean Cocteau. The appendix also includes lists of stagings for Stravinsky\u2019s ballet\u2019s (through the books publication in 1949).<\/p>\n

\"Balanchine<\/a>
Balanchine Revival of Firebird by the New York City Ballet, 2012<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Criticism and Reception<\/b><\/p>\n

Primary Sources<\/p>\n

Alshvang, Arnold. Izbrannye sochineniia.<\/i> Moscow: Izdatelstva Muzyka, 1964.<\/p>\n

This source is entirely in Russian and has not been widely translated.\u00a0 It is a collection of essays on music, including Stravinsky\u2019s. Alshvang\u2019s criticism is heavily Soviet and accuses Stravinsky of being both bourgeois and Western.<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9 Levinson on Dance: Writings from Paris in the Twenties<\/i>. Ed. Joan Acocella and Lynn Garafola. Hanover: Wesleyan University Press, 1991.<\/p>\n

Though published in Paris, Levinson was a Russian-born critic. His essays show that not all Russian \u00e9migr\u00e9s in Paris were worshippers of Diaghilev. Levinson\u2019s essays \u201cA Crisis in the Ballets Russes\u201d and \u201cStravinsky and the Dance\u201d are the most pertinent as criticism and review of the Ballets Russes.<\/p>\n

Secondary Sources<\/p>\n

J\u00e4rvinen, Hannaa. \u201c\u2018The Russian Barnum\u2019: Russian Opinions on Diaghilev\u2019s Ballets Russes, 1909-1914\u201d. Dance Research: the Journal of the Society for Dance Research<\/i>. 26.1 (2008): 18-41.<\/p>\n

This article discusses some of the Russian criticism of the early seasons of the Ballets Russes. Works like L\u2019Oiseau de Feu <\/i> and Rite of Spring<\/i>, which exoticized and orientalized Russia for Western audiences, were equally criticized and embraced by the intellectuals of Russia. This provides insight on reviews and criticisms published in Russian journals which may be otherwise inaccessible.<\/p>\n

Rabinowitz, Stanley J. \u201cFrom the Other Shore: Russian Comment on Diaghilev\u2019s Ballets Russes\u201d. Dance Research: the Journal of the Society for Dance Research. <\/i>27.1 (2009): 1-27.<\/p>\n

This article offers the differing opinions of Russian musical critics Volynskii and Lunacharskii. Volynskii followed the Russian diaspora to Paris while Lunacharskii became the Commissar for Enlightenment in Russia. As Rabinowitz notes, these criticisms have been translated into English for the first time. To consider the relationship between Russians abroad and Russians in Russia, this article is an excellent resource.<\/p>\n

Schwarz, Boris. \u201cStravinsky in Soviet Russian Criticism\u201d. The Musical Quarterly<\/i>. 48.3 (1962): 340-361.<\/p>\n

Shwarz\u2019s compilation of important Soviet criticism is a wonderful resource both in itself and for its bibliographic information. Many of the journals and publications which contain such reviews are difficult to access or obtain, making Schwarz\u2019s article all the more useful.<\/p>\n

Souritz, Elizabeth. Soviet Choreographers in the 1920s<\/i>. Trans. Lynn Visson. Ed. Sally Vanes. Durham: Duke University Press, 1990.<\/p>\n

This work provides a set of Soviet Russian choreographers against which the Ballets Russes can be compared. The relevance of Ballets Russes works, such as Fokine\u2019s L\u2019Oiseau de Feu <\/i>and Petrouchka<\/i> are evident through Lopukhov\u2019s restagings. The book also touches on Balanchine\u2019s early life as a dancer and choreographer at the Mariinsky Ballet and his ensemble the Young Ballet.<\/p>\n

Swift, Mary Grace. The Art of the Dance in the USSR.<\/i> Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1968.<\/p>\n

This book begins with pre-revolutionary, tsarist ballet and stretches into the Cold War. The Ballets Russes and its various members are frequently mentioned as dancers fled from Russia and, less frequently, returned. An appendix at the end gives the Repertoire Index of 1929, which rated ballets on a scale from A \u201cthe best works ideologically\u201d to E \u201cforbidden\u201d. Stravinsky\u2019s ballets with the Ballets Russes have all been given an \u201cA\u201d rating.<\/p>\n

Multimedia Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n