Victor Aleksandrovich Semyonov

[rg]

i have attached a scan of an undated photocard of V.A. Semyonov as Blue Bird in THE SLEEPING BEAUTY - he would appear to be wearing the costume that Nijinska claims was revised for Nijinsky.

it's a recent acquisition but also timely because there is about to be - or has it happened already? - a celebration held by the Bolshoi Ballet in honor of the 100th birthday of Marina Timofeyevna Semyonova - who was once married to V.A.S.

(i have scanned this photo at slightly larger than usual resolution to show the detailing of the costume.)

[artist]

This might be silly, but were wigs commonly used in ballets during this time? Doesn't the Mariinsky still use wigs in their ballets so that everyone is the same?

[rg]

wigs remain variously in use at the Maryinsky, but also in other European companies, the Royal Ballet is another case in point.

UK members can address this tradition with more authority.

[rg]

below is a scan of another photocard of Semyonov's Blue Bird, perhaps from the same year as the one at the top of this thread.

1914, the date on this card, was the year that Korovin re-designed SLEEPING BEAUTY for the Maryinsky in Gorsky's staging of the choreography (much to Volinsky's displeasure, as we now know).

the 'wing' question remains.

Bronislava Nijinska states that her brother Vaslav was the one to see to it that the stiff, wire-frame wings that were part of Vsevolozhsky's original, 1890-and-after design scheme, got replaced by something more 'free' and wing-like on the dancer's arms themsleves. (the wire-frame ones seemed to come from the shoulders.)

it's a puzzle, then, to wonder if this '14 costume of Semyonov's was simply a version of what V. Nijinsky wore as Blue

Bird, or if the latter's costume was different in some ways and that Korovin simply worked from it for his own version, or if this '14 photo was taken before Korovin's new costumes were presented, which appears to have been on Feb 16th of that year.