Ballet in the U.S. news (1916 - 1981)

[rg]

scans of a recently acquired selection of vintage newsfile photos.

how odd that Balanchine is nowhere listed in the Playhouse 90 caption.

ditto the array of 'ballerinas' for the Diaghilev, aka Dogleaf, American tour in '16.

ditto the lack of mention of Farrell by name on the caption copy itself (only in the newspaper version does her name appear).

ditto the little tie on Clifford as "Blue-Green," as he was first indentified, in DANCES AT A GATHERING - wonder if this was a dress reh. and if the scarflet was discarded before the premiere or if it was eliminated a little later - also Kent's bodice for the role described as "Apricot" is busier than what i learned to identify as Eula's costuming.

ditto NO mention of any names whatsoever for the RB's CINDERELLA w/ Ashton, MacMillan and Fonteyn!

[Amy Reusch]

Farrell looks so beautiful, and the Royal Ballet photo is truly priceless!

[atm711]

The hats on the Diaghilev dancers would have looked right at home at the recent royal wedding.....

[Mel Johnson]

Gotta love the discreet WWI-era cheesecake! Show them ankles, girls! It's a precursor of a photo taken of a later generation of Ballet Russe ballerinas, was it on board Normandie, displaying some seven(?) ladies, including Danilova, displaying great legs!

[rg]

is this the photo to which you refer, Mel?

reproduced in Judith Chazin-Bennahum's recent book named in the watermark.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Krassovska looks so beautiful!

Re: The snowflakes photo. Was this the original design of the headpieces...? If so..when did they become crowns..?

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/merch/rh/Nutcracker-Snowflakes--Photo-by-Costas_420.jpg

Those headpieces really pay a great deal of tribute to Vsevolozhsky's designs...

[rg]

this photo dates from the first production of Balanchine's NUTCRACKER, w/ designs by Horace Armistead, w/ whom, one presumes, Karinska directly worked at the time; when Ter-Arutunian redesigned the ballet in '64, Karinska designed what the CHOREOGRAPHY BY BALANCHINE describes as "some new costumes" presumably including the Snowflakes.

[cubanmiamiboy]

[Mel Johnson]

is this the photo to which you refer, Mel?

reproduced in Judith Chazin-Bennahum's recent book named in the watermark.

The one I recall is similar, but the ladies are seated, somehow, with their left legs in profile. All lined up for their "money shot".

[Mel Johnson]

this photo dates from the first production of Balanchine's NUTCRACKER, w/ designs by Horace Armistead, w/ whom, one presumes, Karinska directly worked at the time; when Ter-Arutunian redesigned the ballet in '64, Karinska designed what the CHOREOGRAPHY BY BALANCHINE describes as "some new costumes" presumably including the Snowflakes.

By the last couple of City Center seasons, the Armistead headpieces had become a lot more subdued, and the new designs didn't come as much of shock when they debuted at State Theater.

[bart]

rg, do you have a date for the Kent/Clifford photo. Is it from the 1969 premiere or later on. Kent was in that first cast, dressed in blue and dancing the girl who hopes to charm several of the men, only to have them wander off leaving her alone. But my memories are of someone much younger and lither than this. Or is this just an unflattering shot?

[rg]

my guess is that this is from the premiere year: '69. maybe even a dress reh. pre-premiere, when JR was still 'adjusting' the costume etc. and yes, originally Kent did the 'flirtation' which eventually the Verdy-role 'acquired'. (all apparently Verdy had was the solo the woman in 'green' now dances.) Kent's (Apricot) role had more sections originally, which were then apportioned differently before what became the 'version' we know today.

Clifford was in Blue-Green, tho' that role is nowadays called "Brick."