To Russia With Love

Last summer, the Ballets Russes Archive was a part of our first international exhibition, with materials from the Archive sent off for inclusion in a unique exhibit of costumes, photos, and programs relating to the life of Colonel Wasily de Basil, who was the founder of what would come to be known as the Original Ballet Russe. The experience of choosing materials for the exhibit was interesting, and the rewards of seeing our items on display was extraordinary.

In March, Director Holt received a request from the A.A. Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum, which displays theatre relics from Russia,  to send materials for an exhibit that would be held in August, titled Russian Ballets by Colonel de Basil.   The Archive has two significant collections documenting dancers who spent much of their careers with Original Ballet Russe. 

Nathalie Branitzka-Hower danced in both Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe and Colonel de Basil’s Original Russe. Her collection, the most diverse in the Archive, contains programs and photographs from the early years of the company, including programs from the combined Blum and de Basil’s company and the first Australian tour of the Original Ballet Russe in 1936 and 1937.  

The Tatiana Bechenova collection contains the most complete record of the Original Ballet Russe’s time in Central and South America. Bechenova danced with the company from 1939 to 1947, and the collection contains more than nine hundred photographs and three hundred programs.  When the initial request came in, the Bechenova collection was not fully processed, and the pictures were still mostly uncatalogued.  We had to keep processing quickly to make sure we did not miss something that might be relevant to the exhibition.  Every once in a while, Sierra Codalata, our Dance Fellow, would say look up from her cataloging and say, “Look at this – wouldn’t it be perfect?”  

The Bakhrushin requested we send digital copies to avoid the expense of sending materials overseas. To send the materials, we engaged in collaboration with the OU Libraries. They helped us set up better storage for our digitized materials as well as helping us to transmit the materials to Moscow in a painless and easily accessible way.

Getting the confirmation that our material had indeed made it to Moscow was exhilarating. We were unsure which, if any, of our materials were incorporated into the exhibit. Luckily, Director Holt, with support from the College of Fine Arts, was able to travel to Moscow for the opening. She met with the curator and staff of the museum as well as other members of the Ballet Russe community, and she returned with a number of photographs of the archive’s programs and images displayed in the exhibit.

Several of our pieces were used in large scale displays in the exhibit, such as this from near the entrance.

The majority of our materials were used in this spectacular map piece.  Many of the photos and programs we sent were included, particularly in and around South America, due to the extensive collection of materials we had from the Bechenova collection.

All in all, we were pleased by the way our first international collaboration went, and we look forward to doing it again in the future.  

If you are interested in reading more about our experience from an archival viewpoint, please check the November/December issue of Archival Outlook.