“The night in May, 1909, when Diaghilev, the impresario, brought his troupe of musicians, dancers, designers, and choreographers to Paris and opened in a theater was the turning point for all the arts. Those brilliant colours and bold rhythms put an end to the paleness and primness of the early part of the century. Nothing has ever been the same since,” Vreeland (as cited in Davis, 2010, pg.17)
Can you imagine designing or making costumes for Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes? What an exciting time to have been a part of the arts!
Diaghilev brought to being the inaugural collaboration of modern artists, designers, musicians, choreographers and of course dancers. Together they made history with the exotic, avant-garde Ballet Russes. Diaghilev, always wanting to push the boundaries was known for his declaration; “Astonish me!”
Some of the artistic collaborators are names I am sure we have all heard: Coco Chanel, Stravinsky, George Balanchine, Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse to name but a few.
Sergei Diaghilev was born in 1872 in Russia and initially studied law, but didn’t regularly attend classes as he was more interested in his ambition of becoming a singer or composer. But in the end his unique talents were what made the Ballet Russes a success: his acute sense of timing, extraordinary good taste and judgement. (N.G.A. 1998) He was also known for his ability to network with a variety of people, including wealthy women patrons, who helped the company financially and provided entry into high society. One of these women was Winaretta Singer, the American heiress to the Singer Sewing Machine fortunes.
His Ballet Russes, although heavily made up of Russian artists, never performed in Russia because of the social and political situation of the time. Paris was their home and there they flourished and quickly became the epitome of modernist experimentation and Parisian sophistication.
The Ballet Russes has had a lasting effect on ballet, the arts and fashion. It was recognised in its time as groundbreaking and revered thereafter as legendary. (Davis, 2010)
Next post, we will look more closely at some of the costumes of the Ballet Russes.
References
Davis,M.E. (2010). Ballets Russes Style. London, Reaktion Books Ltd
National Gallery of Australia. (1998). From Russia with Love. Canberra: Publications Department N.G.A.
Tutu Couture and Stagewear 
This is a great article!
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