Ballet Archives

Photo Credit: Vaslav Nijinsky in Raymonda in 1907, from Bronislava Nijinska Early Memoirs When Vaslav Nijinsky was a student, it was a well-known fact he had a hard time paying attention for regular classes. He would often get into trouble for bad conduct not because he was a bad kid but because he was misunderstood. He had so much energy he needed an outlet to get it out, and dancing provided that outlet. Although his mother understood this about her son, and so did his sister Bronislava Nijinska the school did not and a few times threatened expulsion. Still, because he excelled so much in the arts, it gave him some protection that his mother could use in his favor. It would be a great mistake if the school lost a talented dancer such as Nijinsky. This exceptional talent he had, and he marked a prodigy, also caused him to be a target of bullying because of jealousy, some from students, others from teachers who were jealous they would never be as talented as Nijinsky. If Nijinsky was e...

  Photo credit: Vaslav Nijinsky in the uniform of a resident student of the Imperial Theatrical School in St. Petersburg, 1900 from Bronislava Nijinska Early Memoirs Bronislava Nijinska's brother Vaslav Nijinsky had applied for admittance to the Imperial Theatrical School in St. Petersburg, Russia. Their mother was delighted that his application was accepted. An audition was scheduled, but because of the upcoming audition, their mother was filled with anxiety that she depended on others to put in a good word for Nijinsky, such as Enrico Cecchetti.  Cecchetti, both their mother and father, worked with, so she believed Cecchetti's positive words of Vaslav Nijinsky to the members of the Commission and with the Director of the Imperial Theatres. His words would guarantee Nijinsky's acceptance into the school.  Nijinsky's acceptance into the school would put her worries to rest about her son's future and the family's well-being.  Bronislava describes this in her own ...

  Photo Credit Bronislava Nijinska with her two brothers on left Stanislav and on right Vaslav Nijinsky from Bronislava Nijinska Early Memoirs Bronislava Nijinska, sister of Vaslav Nijinsky, went to the same school as her brother at The Imperial Theatrical School in St. Petersburg, Russia, and she was given her first part in the ballet  Coppelia. On stage for the first time where she  was mesmerized by the Italian ballerina Carlotta Zambelli dancing in Coppelia .  Nijinska talked about this experience in her own words when she was a child at eleven. "The Italian dancer, Carlotta Zambelli, ballerina of the Paris Opera, was making her debut in St. Petersburg in her famous role in Coppelia. As I stood onstage in the first act in a group with the other pupils, I admired the brilliance of her technique. I was fascinated by her spectacular manege  she kept circling the stage at  a fast speed, her body remaining low during the quick turn, deboule en plie,  an...

Photo Credit: Moira Shearer as Odile in Swan Lake Act III from Moira Shearer Portrait Of A Dancer by Pigeon Crowle    Moria Shearer, just like Margot Fonteyn and Anna Pavlova, struggled with perfectionism. Shearer put a lot of pressure on herself to be a great ballerina, and when others applauded her or complimented her for her dancing, she would not see that she would instead see that it could have been better, which shocked a lot of people.  She wanted an utterly flawless performance which caused her mental strain and stress from demanding much of herself. Still, she always was that way even at a young age, and since she was successful at a young age at her dancing, she was very critical of herself even more as an adult because the stakes were higher for the roles she wanted to play. One example was when Shearer was dancing the role of Odette and Odile critics raved about it calling her performance with Robert Helpmann "One of the most  beautiful artistic experienc...

Photo caption: Moria Shearer as Princess Aurora In The Sleeping Beauty Act II from Moira Shearer Portrait of a Dancer by Pigeon Crowle Moria Shearer, born Moria King in Dunfermline, Scotland, to a highly artistic family of musicians, found another love dance. A photo of the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova sat on Shearer's dressing table. Moria Shearer left Scotland for South Africa. It was here where she took her first dance class, and a passion for ballet was born.  Shearer's ballet teacher in South Africa was Ethel Lacey, the pupil of Anna Pavlova's teacher Enrico Cecchetti. Shearer was a serious student, and Lacey saw Shearer's talent that she persuaded her parents to enroll her in a school with a teacher known in the ballet world when they moved back to England.  When Shearer returned to England, she enrolled in Nicolas Legat's ballet school. Legat was a former dancer and teacher of the Imperial Ballet and the Maryinsky. Legat saw her talent, and she further deve...

  Photo Credit: Sadler's Wells teenage dancer Margot Fonteyn in Frederick Ashton's Apparitions, 1936 costume by Cecil Beaton from Ballerina Fashions Modern Muse by Patricia Mears Margot Fonteyn, born Peggy Hookham to an English Father and a Brazilian mother, grew up in her native London, England, and Shanghai, China, when her family moved there. In both countries, Fonteyn took ballet lessons. She continued to pursue ballet when she moved back to England with her mother. Fonteyn's mother, Hilda Hookham, enrolled her daughter in the Vic-Wells Ballet School, which Ninette De Valois founded. The press noted how involved Fonteyn's Mother was in her career growing up directing her. The British Press knew she was a critical figure for Fonteyn's career.  Margot Fonteyn was open to learning and influence in the industry. Ninette De Valois saw Fonteyn was excellent at taking direction and used this to make her into one of the leading British ballerinas. Valois saw this type o...

Photo Credit: Margot Fonteyn wears a silver-gray silk taffeta Christian Dior dress on her wedding day, February 1955 from Ballerina Fashion's Modern Muse Consultant Patricia Mears Margot Fonteyn had great technical control in her dancing while embodying elegance and grace. She embraced the traditions of ballet, but she was also one for modern fashion. When Sadler's Wells went on a tour of the United States and Canada in 1949, the ballet company featured not just what was British ballet but also high fashion in London. The ISLFD, which stood for the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers. The ISLFD used their tour as a marketing tool. The company created clothes for the dancers and special garments created for Margot Fonteyn, Pamela May, Beryl Grey, and Moira Shearer. These dancers performed performances on a hectic schedule and took part in photoshoots for American magazines and newspapers. Cecil Beaton even photographed Fonteyn for the magazine Vogue where she wore a...