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Seen here at the top, from left to right, are: Tamara Karsavina and her friend King Charles Loulou; Catherine Gheltzer; Vaslav Nijinsky in “Scheherazade;” Ida Rubinstein in “Scheherazade;” Lydia Lopokova in “Le Festin;” and Catherine Gheltzer. All these photos are by Bert (June 15, 1910)

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Ballet scene from "La Sonnambula" (The Sleepwalker) also known as "Night Shadow"

1946

Choreography by George Balanchine (1904-1983)

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“You’re sure about the spelling for Saturn?”

“Yeah it’s good.”

“You sure you don’t want to look it up?”

“Look, I’ve got this.”

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A rare photo from the historic 1921 Diaghilev production of The Sleeping Beauty at the Alhambra Theatre, London, showing Lubov Egorova as Princess Aurora and Carlotta Brianza as Carabosse rehearsing the spindle episode from Act I (the photo was clearly taken at a rehearsal as Egorova is wearing Aurora’s wedding dress.) Brianza had originated the role of Aurora at the ballet’s 1890 premiere in St. Petersburg, and was brought out of retirement by Diaghilev in an ingenious piece of continuity, not only to transform from Aurora to Carabosse but also to advise on important aspects of the ballet’s production.

London would not see such a lavish production of Sleeping Beauty again until many years later, when the ballet was chosen in 1946 to re-open the Royal Opera House following the war, and in which Margot Fonteyn danced the leading role. Though the production received mostly positive reviews, one critic, apparently seeped in the remembered glories of the Diaghilev days, used the occasion to wistfully compare past and present, and his comments on the the spindle scene are particularly insightful:

“The spindle episode was not well contrived. In the Diaghilev version a small crowd of bystanders collected at each side to watch the Princess dance. They were joined by Carabosse, disguised in a black cloak, who sidled nearer and nearer to the Princess, allowing her glimpses of the spindle beneath her cloak, until the Princess, overcome with curiosity, almost snatched it from her and joyfully danced with her prize. In the present version Carabosse walked forward and handed the Princess the spindle much as a postman might deliver a letter.” – Cyril Beaumont, Ballet, March 1946

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Mourka the ballet cat (with a guest appearance from Balanchine on the right).

Photos by Martha Swope. Somewhat wonky scans taken from the book Mourka by Tanaquil Le Clercq.

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The original Swanhilda: Giuseppina Bozzacchi in costume for Coppélia, presented at the Paris Opéra on May 25, 1870

The story of Giuseppina Bozzacchi is arguably more tragic and fantastic than any ballet plot. Plucked from obscurity at a time when the Paris Opéra was desperately lacking in star dancers, she was given the thrilling but intimidating task of dancing the lead role in what was the Opéra’s most important new ballet for several seasons. Though only sixteen, the young dancer interpreted the role with the sparkle and surety of an experienced virtuoso, and both ballet and ballerina were enthusiastically embraced by the public. While her fame and popularity grew with each performance, Giuseppina would ultimately dance Swanhilda on only eighteen occasions: the ballet’s run was brought to an abrupt end by the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, and, as the invading army stalked closer and closer to the capital, the Opéra was finally forced to close its doors just two weeks before the Siege of Paris.

Already frail and malnourished, Giuseppina’s body was unable to withstand the famine and fever that the siege imposed. She died on the morning of November 23, 1870–her seventeenth birthday. Léo Delibes played the organ at her burial service, incorporating various melodies from Coppélia into the funeral march, while the Opéra’s director, Émile Perrin, delivered an emotional oration. Addressing the white marguerites that lined the edge of Giuseppina’s grave, he concluded his speech with the following fitting epitaph:

“These pure emblems of candour, youth and innocence can be no purer, no more chaste, no more immaculate than was this charming being who is today no more than a memory, and who bore the name of Giuseppina Bozzacchi.”

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Crystal Pite, The Season’s Cannon

Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet

ph. Agathe Poupeney

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This is possibly the coolest video I’ve ever taken.

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my kinda man

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A vintage bohemian home in shades of blue | photos by Andrea Papini

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Shimura Tatsumi, 口紅 (Lipstick) (detail), 1980

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Inside Howl’s Moving Castle - Dir. Hayao Miyazaki (2004)

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Ghislaine Thesmar and Michaël Denard in Lacotte’s La Sylphide c.1971

Photo © Francette Levieux

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Sailor Lead Crow & Sailor Aluminum Siren from Sailor Moon Stars

I had plans to make these two for a few years now. It’s so nice to finally cross them off my list! They were an interesting challenge… Those outfits really weren’t made for little spheres haha.

Want a plush of your own? Contact me for info! I’m willing to make just about anything with a decent reference.