information or educated guesses sought

[rg]

if anyone knows (or strongly suspects) the identity of the ballet (or ballets) depicted in the attached photo, i'd be happy to learn such information.

this recently acquired photo with linen-backing and no notations other than the dancers' names, could document an impromptu photo shoot of TT and IY, w/ TT costumed for one ballet and, perhaps, IY for another, or at lease partly so-costumed, for another; he's posed w/o his ballet shoes.

IY's tunic looks like one sometimes associated w/ the Sugar Plum Fairy's cavalier, but i don't associate the crescent moon hair-ornament with the world of THE NUTCRACKER.

all clues, leads, hunches, and hard-facts gratefully accepted.

[carbro]

No info -- or even guesses -- to offer, but thanks, rg, for sharing this charming photo.

I wonder what happened to Igor's shoes!

[atm711]

Toumanova's headpiece looks very 'Dali-esque'. There were three Dali ballets floating around at this time--'Bacchanale';'Labryinth'; and 'Mad Tristan'...perhaps it is a leftover from one of these. :blush:

[Dale]

With atm711's comment in mind, maybe there are clues in that big ABT book (by Charles Payne?). There are a ton of pictures from the earliest eras and of almost all the ballets.

[rg]

indeed the big knopf ABT book by charles payne does have a slew of pix, i'll look there when i unearth the tome from my overstuffed shelves; the dali connection is also a good one. maybe the two are foudn togeth. in payne.

thanx.

[jllaney]

I Showed the picture to my teacher and she said she was pretty sure Igor's costume was Nutcraker and a little less confident but her guess about Toumanova's tutu was that it was from Ballet Imperial. She was working from memory but she danced with both of them.

[Paul Parish]

And there's main a l'epaule again in Toumanova's pose.

Wonderful picture. Youskevitch's jacket fits so beautifully; what marvellous shoulders! And their tights are so silky. The sight reminds me of how Gisella Christensen used to be so amusing talking about the difficulties of wearing real silk tights, which had no stretch to them and you were always having to pull them up some more because they bagged at the knees in no time. Maybe that's why in the picture all 4 knees are bent.

Of course, it also allows for a more compact picture; so does her hand a l'epaule also make it easier to get all of her into the picture.

No idea what the ballets are, but her head-dress is very interesting (Was there ever a version of Arabian danced in a tutu?).

There's a catalogue-number in the lower right hand of the picture. Could it go all the way back to the photographing? Could that help you?

[Mashinka]

Le Beau Danube?

[atm711]

That crescent on Toumanova's head has been bugging me for days---I know I saw it somewhere, but not in conjunction with the tutu--and I finally found it in (of all things) Alex Gard's 'More Ballet Laughs'. She is taking a curtain call after a performance of 'Balustrade' along with Balanchine, Stravinsky, Tatiana Leskova and Roman Jasinsky. Her costume is all black; long leotards topped with a feathery skirt.

[rg]

indeed TT was crowned by a crescent moon for BALUSTRADE but this lighter version of that 'look' - lighter in both costume hue and 'dramatic' tone, still leaves the question of which ballet might be shown in this odd photo.

i wonder if ever the divertissement number in GRADUATION BALL so often a Sylphide pas de deux might have been arranged for some occasion(s) in this fashion?

[Alymer]

In Olga Maynard's book, The American Ballet, there is a picture of Youskevitch and Alonso captioned Nutcracker. His jacket appears to be very similar to the one in rg's picture - there is some difference in the frogs - and although Alonso is shown in side view, the decoration on her tutu seems to be close to that on Toumanova's. The headdress is somewhat different in detail - but it seems not impossible that ballerinas were given some degree of choice.

[rg]

i've had a dedicated ballet russe follower note that 'grad ball' was not in these dancers' rep as a twosome, and many have noted that for his nutcracker princely role IY wore a costume closely resembling the military-styled, frog-closed tunic on him in this photo; maybe the photo represents a 'fantasy' mix of nutcracker costuming with other whims.

[Mel Johnson]

Noting the lack of shoes and the lack of no-seam background and floor, it could even be an "arranged candid".