Girls' Guide to Paris: What’s Hot in Paris: Ballets Russes

Russian Winter: The Centenary of the Ballets Russes

by Lamar C

Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 10:14 AM

It’s not only the weather in Paris that’s taken cues from Eastern Europe at the moment—dance circles are abuzz over the centenary of legendary Russian choreographer and dancer Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes (Russian Ballet). The company debuted in Paris in 1910 amid a frenzy of press. Later ballets such as 1917's Scheherazade made him and costar Vaslav Nijinsky celebrities. The performances were so inventive for their time, and so different from French ballet; they captured the public’s imagination with timeless and spicy tales of love, jealousy, betrayal and general skulduggery.

Several Parisian institutions are paying homage this season. Now, I’m mad about dance but generally not a ballet fan. Dying swans bore me and I find myself wishing they’d hurry up and get on with it. I make an exception for the Ballets Russes, however, since they’re so vibrant and engaging.

The Opéra Garnier is holding an exhibition devoted to the Ballets Russes, including models of sets and costumes, through May 23. I thought I'd focus on this one, since there's a certain cachet to seeing the objects under the roof of the house where many of the ballets were performed. The exhibition is heavy on illustrations, and with good reason—there are costume designs by Matisse and Picasso! It’s interesting to see the shift in style displayed in the collection, from the first performances in the early 1900s through the late 1920s, from Art Nouveau to the beginnings of Cubism, which the company helped promote.

Look out for a telegram discussing artistic changes to be made to a performance, as well as Stravinsky’s notebook, with rough drafts of various scores for the ballets. Also notable are the photos of Nijinsky, for the way he has been captured inhabiting the roles of the faun and Krishna.

And, of course, there are the original costumes for Scheherazade, designed by Leon Bakst, the ones that almost single-handedly sparked the craze for orientalism in fashion and interior design—a trend that continued through the 1920s and inspired the designer Paul Poiret and many others. To see these costumes is to encounter an important piece of fashion history.

As with many museum shows in Paris, there’s no English information, but the individual tags contain the important names and dates, which are very hard to lose in translation.

Bonus: the Centre National de la Danse is also hosting an exhibition and a program of events devoted to the Ballets Russes, through April 10.

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