sergek26

You're partly right though White Lady was first banned in one of the Bolshoi revivals in the beginning of 1930s. But in 1890s such figures in ballets were a kind of cliche and later, in 1920-1930s the mystic was banned almost everywhere in Europe theatre performances without any government instructions so, Prince Hamlet spoke with his sick mind but not with the spirit of his father and Banco was showed as simple hallucination of Macbeth. On the other side Petipa's production was in Kirov's repertory in the same sets and costumes until almost 1938. In 1948, UK critics were completely satisfied with Lavrovsky's 1945 Moscow staging (see The Rose and the Star by Phyllis Winifred Manchester and Iris Morley) and it was stated that Raymonda is a kind of productions which are too close related to their born-place and it is senseless to stage it anywhere else. Given that it was not of the great importance to maintain the mystic than choreography most part of which survived due to Lopukhov, Lavrovsky and Sergeyev. You know that Petipa spoiled his 1869 Moscow Don Quichotte restaging it in 1871 for St.Petersburg but that was the only way to maintain this production in repertory which thirty years later got another life.

Thank you for good words. I understand that it's "work in progress" and hope to improve it. Did you study "Two essays..." as a dancer or a scholar? DanceForms, clone of LifeForms, by CredoInteractive. It is brilliant dance notator Rhonda Ryman who develops it (this information is also provided on youtube together with both animations). Oh, yes, it was Gorsky who revised Giselle in pure mime style and you gave me idea to translate the description of this staging made by Vera Karalli. As for Don Quichotte the Bolshoi dancer and teacher Anatoly Kuznetsov wrote in one of his article comparing Gorsky and Petipa that "Now (in 1960s), Don Quichotte is the staging of the whole Moscow company but it was developed on the principles of Gorsky". Some of the Gorsky's ideas on Swan Lake was actually used by choreographers in Soviet era, f.e. jester which is so hated by ballet critics in the West. Gorsky liked to do such things to animate abstract classical compositions by mime and make it more real and playful. Also, Gorsky was the first choreographer ever created symphonic ballet – to Glazounov’s Fifth Symphony in 1916. The site of Bolshoi was upgraded to the opening of historical stage and old links doesn't work now. Of course, it is pity that none of the works will be revived to 140th Anniversary because Don Quichotte is still in repertory, another titles as Swan Lake, Coppelia and La Fille Mal Gardee made by other choreographers are also in repertory and cannot be substituted and there is delusion shared even by fans of Moscow dance school that a little of his original works was survived. On the other side Bolshoi has restored the memorial table (plaque?) on the building of New Stage, devoted one of the Quichottes performances to Gorsky, re-opened museum exhibition on Gorsky and supported some researches, f.e. new book of Elizabeth Souritz which includes chapters on Gorsky's first stagings in Moscow and presentation on Gorsky on EADH conference in London.

But it's just a week before Jul 3, 1949 when full announcement on Saddlers Wells U.S. tour (with repertory) was published in NYT and other major U.S. newspapers. It seems that photo was provided by Saddlers Wells or tour impresario or photo agency so it is quite natural (though really funny) that "the newspaper preparing the photo for publication knew that Ashton created the choreography but not that he was captured in the photo". in 1949, a few people in U.S. newspapers saw Ashton's Cinderalla and knew that he is also a dancer. By the way photo editors all over the world do not always see the difference between various Swan Lakes as well as writings on the back side of the photos are not always correct and made at the same time.

It is good news that Gorsky's choreography is interesting not only to those who live in Moscow. I would like to show for comparison my variant of the same Swan Lake male variation composed by Gorsky which is being prepared for future Moscow presentation on Gorky because 2011 marks the 140th anniversary of his birth. I've also animated the exercises from his manual on Stepanov, f.e. sergek26