Diaghilev London Walk
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Image opposite: Serge Diaghilev Serge opposite: Image Exhibition with thanks to the to thanks with Exhibition d n a To book tickets go to www.vam.ac.uk/diaghilev to go tickets book To at the Victoria and Albert Museum runs from 25 September 2010 – 9 January 2011. 2011. January 9 – 2010 September 25 from runs Museum Albert and Victoria the at The Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes 1909–1929 exhibition exhibition 1909–1929 Russes Ballets the of Age Golden the and Diaghilev The The tour will take about two hours. hours. two about take will tour The has altered. altered. has it is only the shop front rather than the full façade of the building that that building the of façade full the than rather front shop the only is it way. Much of the area has changed since the 1920s although at times times at although 1920s the since changed has area the of Much way. the theatres in which they performed and other key landmarks on the the on landmarks key other and performed they which in theatres the of all their performances there. This walk is designed to take in in take to designed is walk This there. performances their all of for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, with the dancers giving almost half half almost giving dancers the with Russes, Ballets Diaghilev’s Serge for Ballets Russes were centred. London was one of the most important cities cities important most the of one was London centred. were Russes Ballets it is therefore no surprise that it was the part of London in which the the which in London of part the was it that surprise no therefore is it The Covent Garden area of London has a long history of theatre and and theatre of history long a has London of area Garden Covent The interest in ballet across Europe and America. and Europe across ballet in interest Diaghilev’s dramatic performances transformed dance, reawakening reawakening dance, transformed performances dramatic Diaghilev’s he worked with Stravinsky, Chanel, Picasso, Matisse and Nijinsky. Nijinsky. and Matisse Picasso, Chanel, Stravinsky, with worked he collaborator, consummate A theatre’. ‘total create to ways bold in art and and music dance, combined Diaghilev Russes. Ballet the century, 20th the artistic director Serge Diaghilev and the most exciting dance company of of company dance exciting most the and Diaghilev Serge director artistic The V&A’s major autumn exhibition explores the world of the influential influential the of world the explores exhibition autumn major V&A’s The K l a W n o d n LO 9 2 9 1 - 9 0 9 1 es uss R ts e all B e h t of e G a n de l Go e h t d n a V E L HI G A I D n 14 oR IGh holB eet h R Reet KI IGh ST nGs ST GIles h W EAT QUEEN ST a 17 GR Y PLA e M C e M on soho sQUAR C ST haRI 15 OUTH NEI GR 13 l ST nG CR ENDELL ST eeK ST Ve R a eet DIAGHILEV R and the Golden aGe RY eet DEAN ST dRu R oss R eet R RY LANE 12 eet Reet d lhaM ST R EAR of the Ballets Russes B eet SHAFTESBu e o Reet W ST MOOR ST CR Reet R eet eet R LONG a 4 18 SHELTON ST 1909-1929 M 2 eet eet 16 R R onM 1 al ST 3 h TON ST Russell ST 5 oMP OUTH ST FLOR WYC old C COVENT ald GARDEN R LOndon WalK eet 6 32 Ve RY a Reet u 31 n STPPeR G ETER ST d ST R aRRICK ST eX SHAFTESBu aR ou eet B R an Reet Bu GeRR 28 ST M 7 CR R lIsle ST leIGh ST 19 leIC aR t B SOUTHA WIns C EDFOR e LEICESTER t GOOD I 30 ESTER ST SQUARE ns B 9 EDFOR d ST ESTER sQUAR ln MP 20 leIC CeCIl CouRt R TON ST t eet ST M d C dBu AiDEN LANE BEDFOR M eet 27 29 8 R aR RY RY ST Ce CoVENT t I IRVI n’s LANE nG ST a RAND 26 11 G ST CHANDOS PLAaR ST eet 10 R R W eet h I WIllIaM IV ST t Reet PANTON ST C o 25 MB ST C haRI ha R YM eet nG CR aRKet 24 oss R d RAND 21 all ST Pall M 23 22 CoCKsPu R STReet 1. Covent Garden Underground Station 17. Alias 2. Floral Street 18. Gamba 3. Royal Opera House 19. Clarkson’s 4. The Theatre Royal Drury Lane 20. Stagg & Mantle 5. Brodie & Middleton & Aldwych Theatre 21. His Majesty’s Theatre 6. Waldorf Hotel 22. Carlton Hotel 7. Lyceum 23. Trafalgar Square 8. The Savoy Hotel 24. National Gallery In celebration of a major exhibition 9. Maiden Lane 25. National Portrait Gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum 10. Charing Cross Hospital 26. Arthur Franks 25 September 2010 - 9 January 2011 11. London Coliseum 27. The Alhambra & The Empire 12. Great Earl Street 28. The Hippodrome www.vam.ac.uk/diaghilev 13. Shaftesbury Hotel 29. Eric Wollheim’s Office 14. Princes Theatre & Holborn Baths 30. St Paul’s, The Actor’s Church 15. Anello and Davide 31. Burnet & Co. Ltd. Lydia Sokolova, Anton Dolin, Bronislava Nijinska, Léon Woizikovsky in costumes for Le Train bleu designed by Chanel. Photo: Sasha 1924 16. Palace Theatre & Cyril Beaumont’s Bookshop 32. Gertrude Sims & L. Gustave 1. TOUR STARtInG PoINT: CoVENT GaRDEN UNDERGROUND STATION 2. on exiting the station TURn RIGHT and then LEFT again into Floral Street. after passing 16. TURn LEFT into stacy street and RIGHT back into shaftesbury avenue to Cambridge under the distinctive 2003 Bridge of aspiration that links the new Royal Ballet school with the Circus, dominated by the Palace Theatre. In the variety programmes at the Palace anna Pavlova Royal opera house, note the tall wooden doors on the right to allow sets to be delivered to the presented her early london seasons, and nicolas legat first danced inl ondon. Most notably stage. Just further along floral street on the left is a slate plaque that reads: ‘In this building Vaslav nijinsky premiered his short-lived company at the Palace in 1914. Pablo Picasso painted the backdrop for diaghilev’s ballet le tricorne 1919’. this was the paint shop hired to enable Vladimir and elizabeth Polunin to paint the sets for the Ballets Russes from the Palace theatre you can see left along Charing Cross Road where several of the between 1918 and 1920. here not only was the front cloth for Le Tricorne, (the three-Cornered bookshops that occupied the area in the twentieth century remain, hinting at the atmosphere hat) created but also the cloths for andré derain’s La Boutique fantasque. of the street in the past. It was on the right hand side, now a modern arcade, that Cyril Beaumont’s Bookshop stood at 75 Charing Cross Road. this was where dancers/choreographers 3. at the end of floral street TURn RIGHT into Bow street where you see the façade of the visited to catch up with the news, and fans purchased souvenirs (books, prints, figures etc). Royal Opera House. although most of the auditorium looks similar to the theatre diaghilev knew, the front of house and backstage has improved radically. early in the twentieth century 17. turn left into Moor street, LEFT into old Compton street and then RIGHT into Greek the carriageway under the entrance portico still existed. the Royal opera house is usually open street. these streets were full of suppliers of shoes, fabrics, trimmings and other necessities to visitors to view front of house (10.00–15.30). Backstage tours may be booked. for a ballet company. Continue to soho square where number 36 was the home of the well established firm of theatrical costumiers,Alias who made costumes for many of the ballets It was at the Royal opera house in June 1911 that diaghilev’s Company made its london and premiered in london including Le Tricorne and Barabau and made new costumes for others British debut during the celebrations for the coronation of George V. the Ballets Russes such as Schéhérazade. presented two seasons at the Royal opera house in 1911 (the autumn season seeing Vaslav nijinsky and anna Pavlova dance together for the last time) as well as appearing there in 1912, 18. leave soho square by Carlisle street and then TURn LEFT into dean street. this area was 1913, 1920 and 1929. When diaghilev’s Ballets Russes performed at Covent Garden they were full of shops that supplied the company and at number 46 (roughly where the Groucho Club always a part of seasons including opera and dance. the only exception to this is in their final is today) was another firm of dance shoe makers,Gamba . (1929) season, when after the first week there was a continuous run of ballet. 19. Continue down dean street and cross over shaftesbury avenue into ‘Chinatown’ and leaving the Royal opera house, continue down Bow street and TURn LEFT into Russell street. Macclesfields treet. TURn RIGHT into Gerrard street and continue to Wardour street. at the corner of Russell street and Catherine street you will see the façade of the theatre Royal diagonally at the end to your right was Clarkson’s who supplied wigs and props and make up drury lane.