Irina Baronova and the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo / Victoria Tennant.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Tennant, Victoria, 1950- author.

Baronova, Irina, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Baronova, Irina--Pictorial works.

Baronova, Irina.

Ballets russes de Monte Carlo--Pictorial works.

Ballets russes de Monte Carlo.

Ballerinas--Biography.

Ballerinas.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 p.)

Place of Publication:

Chicago, Illinois ; London, England : The University of Chicago Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In the 1930s and '40s, the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo toured the United States and the world, introducing many to ballet as an art form, while spreading the enduring image of the ballerina as an embodiment of feminine grace and sophistication. This sumptuous, illustrated history tells the story of the rise of modern ballet and its popularity through the life story of one of ballet's most glamorous stars, Irina Baronova (1919-2008), prima ballerina for the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo and later for Ballet Theatre in New York. Drawing on letters, correspondence, oral histories, and interviews, Baronova's daughter, the actress Victoria Tennant, warmly recounts Baronova's dramatic life, from her earliest aspirations to her grueling time on tour to her later years in Australia as a pioneer of the art. She begins with the Baronov family's flight from Russia during the Revolution, which led them to Romania and later Paris, where at the age of thirteen, Baronova became a star, chosen by the legendary George Balanchine to join the Ballets Russes, where she danced the lead in Swan Lake. Tennant provides an intimate account of Baronova's life as a dancer and rare behind-the-scenes stories of life on the road with the stars of the company. Spectacular photographs, a mix of archival images and family snapshots, offer many rare views of rehearsals, costumes, set designs, and the dancers themselves both at their most dazzling and in their most everyday. The story of Irina Baronova is also the story of the rise of ballet in America thanks to the Ballets Russes, who brought the magisterial beauty and star power of dance to big cities and small towns alike. Irina Baronova and the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo offers a unique perspective on this history, sure to be treasured by dance patrons and aspiring stars.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword

PROLOGUE. St. Petersburg, 1916-1919. Letter to My Children

CHAPTER ONE. Romania, 1920-1927. Seeing a Ballet for the First Time

CHAPTER TWO. Paris, 1928-1931. Ballet Class with Madame Preobrajenska

CHAPTER THREE. Monte Carlo, 1931-1932. Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo

CHAPTER FOUR. London, 1933. Becoming a Star

CHAPTER FIVE. America and Canada, 1933-1938. Baby Ballerina - Pioneer Tours

CHAPTER SIX. Covent Garden, 1934-1938. A New Home

CHAPTER SEVEN. Australia and New Zealand 1938-1939. The Ballets Russes in Australia

CHAPTER EIGHT. Goodbye Home, 1939. World War II

CHAPTER NINE. Hollywood and South America 1940-1941. MGM, Massine, and de Basil

CHAPTER TEN. Ballet Theatre, 1941-1943. The Birth of American Ballet Theatre

CHAPTER ELEVEN. Massine's Highlights of the Ballet Russe, 1945. Broadway and London, 1946-1949

CHAPTER TWELVE. Family, Teaching, Awards, Autobiography

EPILOGUE. Byron Bay, 2008

Irina Baronova Repertoire

Postscript

Credits and Sources

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-226-18630-X

OCLC:

903960225