Watercolor, pencil, and gold paint on paper.
Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Howard D. Rothschild Collection.
Leon Bakst (18661924),Firebird and the Prince (Tsarevitch),poster design forFirebird, 1915.
Léon Bakst (1866–1924), Costume design for a nymph inThe Afternoon of a Faun(L’Après-midi d’un Faune), 1912. Watercolor, pencil, and gold paint on paper. Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Howard D. Rothschild Collection.
Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Howard D. Rothschild Collection.
Yves Saint Laurents 1976 OperasBallets Russes collection
But first a bit of background.
Alexandra Danilova and Anton Dolin in the Ballets Russes production ofLe Bal,1929.
Dancers performingThe Afternoon of a Faun in costumesby Léon Bakst, 1913
Music by Vittorio Rieti, choreography by George Balanchine, and sets and costumes by Giorgio de Chirico.
Coco Chanel created costumes for 1924sLe Train Bleuthat still look modern.
Igor Stravinsky created scores that have become part of the modernist canon, and Pablo Picasso painted sets.
Léon Bakst (1866–1924),Firebird and the Prince (Tsarevitch),”poster design forFirebird, 1915. Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Howard D. Rothschild Collection.
The company was cross-disciplinarywith a difference.
A performance of theLe Train Bleu, 1924.Coco Chanel designed the sporty costumes.
Vaslav Nijinsky in Jeux; costume by Leon Bakst.
Yves Saint Laurent’s 1976 Opéras—Ballets Russes collection
It could also favor the subject-matter expert (nerd) over the multihyphenate persona (overachiever).
It takes a village….
Bronislava Nijinska inPetrushka,1911
Program for Les Ballets Ida Rubenstein.
Academie Nationale de Misique et de Danse, May 1929.
Alexandra Danilova and Anton Dolin in the Ballets Russes production ofLe Bal,1929. Music by Vittorio Rieti, choreography by George Balanchine, and sets and costumes by Giorgio de Chirico.
Library of Congress, Bronislava Nijinska Collection.
However, the exhibition emphasizes that women in the troupe made important contributions despite being sidelined.
Vaslav Nijinsky,The Afternoon of a Faun(LApres-midi dun Faune) choreographic notation, ca.
Alexandra Danilova and Anton Dolin in the Ballets Russes production ofLe Bal,1929. Music by Vittorio Rieti, choreography by George Balanchine, and sets and costumes by Giorgio de Chirico.
Thats music to the ears of an archivist, indeed.
mentality of fashion often overlooks this important aspect of showmanship, preserving the performance for posterity.
Music by Debussy, choreography by Nijinsky, scenery and costumes by Leon Bakst.
A performance of theLe Train Bleu, 1924.Coco Chanel designed the sporty costumes.
Greatly simplifying, you might say the Symbolists were about the vibes.
This demanded something of the viewer.
To stretch the mind: Thats what art, and fashion, has the power to do.
Vaslav Nijinsky in Jeux; costume by Léon Bakst.
Bolero in rehearsal, with Anatole Viltzak (center), Studio des Champs-Elysees, Paris, 1928.
Library of Congress, Bronislava Nijinska Collection.
Bronislava Nijinska inPetrushka,1911
Program for Les Ballets Ida Rubenstein. Academie Nationale de Misique et de Danse, May 1929. Library of Congress, Bronislava Nijinska Collection.
Vaslav Nijinsky,The Afternoon of a Faun(L’Après-midi d’un Faune) choreographic notation, ca. 1913–15. Library of Congress, Bronislava Nijinska Collection
Nijinsky, far right, inThe Afternoon of a Faun(L’Après-midi d’un Faune) at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. Music by Debussy, choreography by Nijinsky, scenery and costumes by Leon Bakst.
Walter Nouvel, Serge Diaghilev, and Serge Lifar in Venice
Nijinsky as the Faun
Vaslav Nijinsky inLe Spectre de la Rose,1911
Jordan Roth in Valentino at the 2024 Met Gala
Bolero in rehearsal, with Anatole Viltzak (center), Studio des Champs-Élysées, Paris, 1928. Library of Congress, Bronislava Nijinska Collection.
