Diaghilev Ballets Russes
The Ballets Russes was an itinerant ballet company based in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company actually never performed in Russia, where the Revolution had completely disrupted society.
Originally conceived by Sergei Dhiaghilev, the Ballets Russes is widely regarded as the most influential ballet company of the 20th century, in part because it promoted ground-breaking artistic collaborations among young choreographers, composers, set and costume designers and dancers. These were a selection of avant gardes visionaries, all at the forefront of their several fields.
Diaghilev commissioned works from composers such as Igor Stravinsky, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, artists such as Vasily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse, and costume designers Léon Bakst and Coco Chanel. Hard to imagine a more prestigious line-up of the arts!
The company's productions created a huge sensation, completely reinvigorating the art of performing dance, bringing many visual artists to public attention and significantly affecting the course of musical composition. It also introduced European and American audiences to Russian folklore through its epic fairy tales, musical, and design motifs.
The exotic, richly colourised set and costumes designs by Leon Bakst are among some of my favourite design inspirations…
