All about Diaghilev!

Diaghilev fever is taking London by storm. The V&A's major exhibition 'Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes, 1909-1929' reveals Diaghilev's enduring influence on 20th-century art, design and fashion. The V&A is also holding a number of other Diaghilev themed events, including 'The Music of Diaghilev with the Philharmonia Orchestra' and 'Rephrasing the Ballets Russes', in collaboration with the English National Ballet. And the perfect accompaniment to this year's season of Diaghilev events is Sjeng Scheijen's new biography of the arguably the greatest (and most controversial) impresario of all time.

Inspired by Diaghilev - Hampstead and Highgate Festival

24 September - 3 October
Over 40 events covering dance, film, music, poetry, theatre and visual art will take place across Hampstead and Highgate. The programme includes Matthew Hurt’s 'Lightening Conductor' a dramatic profile of Diaghilev (played by Simon Callow) as well as classical music concerts focusing on the composers who worked with Diaghilev and an exhibition of photographs of Ballets Russes dancer Tamara Karsavina.
There will also a series of events entitled ‘Russian Voices’ which focus on Anton Chekhov (Jonathan Miller), Leo Tolstoy (Zinovy Zinik), the Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy and Anna Akhmatova’s cycle of poems, ‘Requiem’, read by Glenda Jackson.

Ballets Russes

16 – 20 June
Sadler's Wells
Highlights of the season include quintessential Ballets Russes ballets Les Sylphides, Le Spectre de la Rose, Schéhérazade and The Dying Swan. The performances also showcase Kenneth MacMillan’s magnificent reworking of the visceral The Rite of Spring, which provoked riots at its first performances by the Ballets Russes; and the World Premiere of Faun(e), a re-imagining of Nijinsky’s L’après-midi d’un Faune by acclaimed choreographer David Dawson. On Thursday 18 June at 2pm we will present a special performance for schools looking at the rehearsal process which goes into staging a performance like Ballets Russes.

Swan Lake

27 February to 4 April
£10 - £110 Royal Opera House
Swan Lake is one of the most loved of all classical ballets and one of the most popular in the Royal Ballet repertory. It has that magical combination of Tchaikovsky’s music, a compelling story of tragic romance and choreography that allows the very best dancers to show just how impressive they can be.

Rossica 3

Imperial Russian Ballet
Oranienbaum: Chinoiserie a la Russe
A la Russe: the Russian art of performance through the 18th and 19th centuries is celebrated in this issue, dedicated to Russia’s most famous ballets and to Catherine the Great’s personal Dacha – Oranienbaum.

Rossica 3

Imperial Russian Ballet
Oranienbaum: Chinoiserie a la Russe
A la Russe: the Russian art of performance through the 18th and 19th centuries is celebrated in this issue, dedicated to Russia’s most famous ballets and to Catherine the Great’s personal Dacha – Oranienbaum.