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The Death of Diaghilev
When Sergei Diaghilev died in 1929, the Ballet Russes died as well. He left his dancers without direction and work. -
Balanchine's Impact on BRDMC
Balanchine was made the lead choreographer and Dance Master at the company. He had the idea to make young dancers, aged between 12 & 13 years old, the stars of the ballet company. Each dancer would have opposing styles. These young dancers became known as "baby ballerinas." They were Tamara Toumanova, Tania Riabouchinska, and Irina Boranova. -
Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo's 1st show
Rene Blum and Colonel Wassily de Basil founded the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo in attempt to continue Diaghilev's traditions. The first show took place in 1932 . Critics said that the new company was authentic to Diaghilev's. Blum and Wassily had fulfilled their duty of carrying on his traditions. -
The Massine Era
After the first season of the BRDMC, Blum and Basil decided to replace Balanchine with Leonide Massine. He introduced something that had never been done before; including the symphonic orchestra in ballet. Some said he was crazy for doing so, but the people loved it! -
New Opportunities
Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo headed to America to perform. Sol Hurok is the one to thank for booking the company's first American Tour. Americans, however, did not know much about ballet. By 1935, the company had performed for well over 3 million people. In time, they started to hire American dancers. Newly hired American dancers' names were changed to sound Russian. -
The Split
Blum decided to leave the company after he and Basil did not see eye to eye. Basil's ego began to grow until it got to the point where Massine could not handle it any longer. Massine left the company to form his own. However, when Massine left, he and Basil had conflict over the company name. Massine gained victory for the name Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo. Basil decided to rename his company The Original Ballet Russe. Both men also fought over which dancers went to which company. -
Rivalries
The companies were finally ready to make their debut, but unfortunately, Massine lost all of is choreography rights. Basil had a hard time replacing Massine as he was the lead choreographer, so he decided to hire David Lichine. Lichine and Massine became rivals. Each company was in London at the same time and they performed just blocks away from each other. Sol Hurok chose Massine's company to travel to Australia for 7 months. By the year 1939, both companies arrived back in London -
Panic!
During WWII, France and Britain declared war on Germany. Most Russians did not have proper paperwork that allowed them to leave the country. However, they had the opportunity to get on a boat that was America bound. Both ballet companies were on board. For months, there were no rehearsals or classes, yet Massine had his company perform the same night they arrived in America. Sol Hurok decided to help provide work for both companies, spending 9 months touring small towns that never saw ballet. -
On and Off Relationship
For two years, both companies toured continuously. Hurok decided to cut ties with Basil. Because Hurok had such amazing connections in America, dancers were once again out of work. Basil could not yet afford to take his company back to London, so they went on a tour in Latin America. Later on, Hurok and Basil reconnected. Hurok wanted the company to return to America, but they were not ready. Once again, he abandoned them. This time, dancers also left in search for better opportunities. -
Ballet Crossover
At this time, ballet had crossed over into Broadway. George Balanchine choreographed this, despite his 12 year Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo absence. -
Final Bow
When Burok left for the second time, he attempted to hire more dancers but they were not as well-trained. This left the company in even worse shape. In November of 1948, the company performed for the very last time thus ending the ballet wars.
