Ballet in the 20th Century

Serge Diaghilev's
Ballets Russes
By: Brittany Pabon
Serge Diaghilev’s Life Overview
- Serge Diaghilev was born March 31st, 1872 in Russia and died August 19th,
1929 in Italy.

- He embraced the modern and exploited the avant-garde, but was in many
ways deeply conservative.

- A fun fact about his life is he mostly lived in hotel rooms and had very
limited personal possessions.

- Diaghilev organized an exhibition of Russian art and then, in 1907, a series of

historic concerts devoted to the work of the Russian nationalist composers.

- A big change in his life is when he moved to Paris from Russia in 1906.
Something big he did there was found the Franco- Russian artistic alliance.
 Serge Diaghilev's Legacy
- He helped in shaping the musical landscape of the 20th
century. By championing such experimental composers
as Stravinsky, Diaghilev aided the development of new
tonality and rhythm, freeing up traditional concepts of
ballet music.

- It is told that Mr. Diaghilev also changed the face of

modern dance b giving dancers the opportunity to
work and grow as choreographers.

- Diaghilev was also key in changing Russian cultural

attitudes.

- One of his biggest legacies of Mr. Diaghilev is the music

he commissioned.
 The Ballet Russes
- The ballet Russes were Serge Diaghilev’s greatest
accomplishments.

- Visually, the first Ballets Russes seasons were marked

by the exotic designs of the Russian-born artist Léon
Bakst.

- The repertoire of the Ballets Russes remains an

invaluable resource for choreographers today. Over
200 different versions of The Rite of Spring have
been choreographed since Diaghilev commissioned
it.
-
This slide shows costumes worn by
dancers performing in the Ballet Russes.
 Anna Pavlova (dancer)
- She was a Russian prima ballerina in the
late 19th and 20th centuries.

- She was a principal artist of the Imperial

Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes of
Sergei Diaghilev. Her biggest role was in
“The Dying Swan” with her own company.

- A fun fact about Anna Pavlova is she was

able to do 37 turns on a moving elephant
while on tour in China.
 Videos
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE-oItzoi2A

I enjoy this video because I got to see choreography and costuming.

My favorite parts about the video are when the four men in the
middle are jumping and the dancers in the back are changing
formations.

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkFSBkl9mmo&t=1s

This video shows Anna Pavlova who was one of Sergei Diaghilev's artistic
collaborators dancing to “The Dying Swan”. Her dancing is beautiful and
graceful I enjoyed watching it.
 Works Cited
- https://www.russianballethistory.com/sergediaghilevfounder.ht
m

- https://www.theartstory.org/influencer/diaghilev-sergei/life-an
d-legacy/

- https://annapavlovaballerina.weebly.com/fun-facts.html