LABYRINTH

[rg]

the attached publicity foto from S. HUROK PRESENTS THE BALLET RUSSE DE MONTE CARLO is stamped "LABYRINTH" & has the names Andre Eglevsky + Nathalie Krassovska handwritten on the back.

a San Francisco? newspaper caption also pasted on the back of the photo says:

<<"LABYRINTH," Salvador Dali's new modernist ballet will be presented at Music Hall, Saturday, Dec. 6, during the three-day engagement of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Andre Eglevsky and Nathalie Krassovska, above [i.e. in a reproduction of the photo itself in the paper], are featured dancers.>>

the rubber-stamp date says: Nov. 23, 1941

to my not necessarily tutored BRdMC eye the woman looks like Toumanova. the man 'could be' Eglevsky i suppose.

any thoughts out there?

[Mel Johnson]

Although they're both rather heavily made up, I'd say that the ID is good for both of them. Eglevsky's jawline and the rather large knot at the side of his elbow were both identifiable points. (Not to mention the "unpointable foot".) Krassovska DOES look kind of like Toumanova, but her browline seems to have been extensively redrawn for this part. I took classes from both of them, much later in their lives.

[rg]

thanks, as ever, Mel.

the NYPL has a number of photos catalogued (alas i can't access the actual images) of TT in various shots - and she was first cast Ariadne opposite either A.E. or Igor Youskevitch, but as you say it also looks like N.K. who could have taken over the part Ariadne, tho' it would have been very soon after the premiere and none of the ballet's literature that i have found mentions N.K.

the particulars for the ballet's premiere are as follows:

Labyrinth: Chor: Leonide Massine; mus: Franz Schubert (Symphony no. 7 in C Major); lib: Salvador Dalí (from the classic myth of Theseus and Ariadne); scen & cos: Salvador Dalí. First perf: New York, Metropolitan Opera House, Oct 8, 1941, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

[rg]

a colleague has just noted that Robert Lawrence's VICTOR BOOK OF BALLETS AND BALLET MUSIC reproduces the photo at the top of this thread and that the book captions the dancers as Eglevsky and Toumanova. so i'm going to 'accept' that, esp. as TT was the original Ariadne in the ballet and that none of the reading i've done about it mentions any participation by Krassovska.

thanks to everyone who looked and tried to look up some information.

[atm711]

...a bit late in replying---but, yes, definitely Eglevsky and Toumanova---only Toumanova has eyes like that---and Eglevsky had the largest hands in ballet---one wag of a critic at the time said that he ''appears disconsertedly to be looking for a towel to wipe his hands on"

[rg]

thanks for the confirmation(s).

a colleague has also noted that there is no 'music hall' in san francisco, so the news paper is undoubtedly from somewhere else. he suggested either Detroit or Cincinnati. additionally it was pointed out that that a S.F. season would likely be longer than 3 days.