L. KENT WOLGAMOTT / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, January 5, 2006 6:00 pm
If you love dance, you can’t miss “Ballets Russes,” a documentary filled with archival footage of the great Russian dancers of the early and mid 20th century.
But even if you don’t know a plie from a pas de deux, the film is engaging, telling a story of artists in love with their art that continues to ring true years after the dancers left the stage.
A bit of history here: The Ballet Russe was formed by impressario Sergei Diaghilev in 1909, providing an opportunity for exiled Russian dancers to display their artistry across Europe. Its chief dancer/choreographer was the legendary Vaslav Nijinsky, composer Igor Stravinsky wrote for the troupe, and artists, including Pablo Picasso, designed the sets and costumes.
But “Ballets Russes” isn’t about the Diaghilev years. Rather, it begins with his death in 1929 and, through the use of interviews with dancers, now in their 80s and 90s, archival footage and vintage photographs, tells a gossipy story that is full of artistry and business intrigue, triumphs and mistakes.
Some of the biggest names in the history of dance passed through the two versions of Ballet Russe, which operated until the early 1960s.
Choreographer George Balanchine, for example, took over the artistic direction of the company shortly after Diaghilev’s death, bringing in a period of child stars — specifically the three “baby ballerinas.” Tatiana Riabouchinska, Irina Baronova and Tamara Toumanova were barely into their teens when they joined the company, and their recollections of their life in dance are funny and touching.
So are the tales told by Frederic “Freddy” Franklin, who became the principal male dancer in one of the competing versions of Ballet Russe, which split into the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and the Original Ballet Russe.
More than a dozen former dancers are seen in the program, including Dame Alicia Markova, the last surviving member of the Diaghilev troupe. They share their stories with directors Danya Goldfine and Dan Geller, who tracked the far-flung group down and also attended a 2000 Ballet Russe reunion.
With the rise of World War II, the companies found themselves stranded in America. To survive, they began a series of barnstorming, monthslong tours of the U.S., bringing ballet to cities that had rarely experienced the art form and bringing American dancers into the troupe.
Those dancers included Maria Tallchief, who married and divorced Balanchine, as well as Marc Platt, who, like many of the dancers, made the move to movies, and Terry DeMari, who joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1954.
Born in Council Bluffs and now retired and teaching dance in Omaha, DeMari is not interviewed in the movie. But he had a hand in helping to create the film and will be in Lincoln Sunday at 4 p.m. to discuss his career and the Ballet Russe following the 2:15 p.m. screening.
Between the dancers’ recollections and the vintage footage, much of which surprisingly is in color, “Ballets Russes” manages to distinctly convey what life was like for the dancers, how the companies worked and what they meant to the dancers and the culture of ballet and the arts. While the businessmen who ran the companies were long dead before the filming began, a sense of how they worked and didn’t work and finally fell apart under economic pressure also comes through in the documentary.
Watching the film, it’s hard not to come away with the impression that ballet in specific and the arts in general were more important or at least more culturally embraced 60 or 70 years ago than they are today. That’s a sad conclusion. But those who love dance and the arts will be bouyed by “Ballets Russes.”
Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com
Ballets Russes
(3½ stars)
Directors: Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller
Rated: No MPAA rating (suitable for all ages)
Now Showing: Ross
The Reel Story: This documentary tells the story of a pair of 20th century ballet troupes featuring Russian emigre dancers and is full of striking vintage footage and interviews with the dancers who are now in their 80s and 90s.