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The role of Nicolas Legat in twentieth century ballet

Miller, Alison, M.A. The American University, 1990

Copyright ©1990 by Miller, Alison. All rights reserved.

UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106

THE ROLE OF NICOLAS LEGAT IN TWENTIETH CENTURY BALLET

by

Alison Miller

submitted to the

Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences

in Partial Fulfillment of

The Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Arts

in

Dance

Signatures of Committee:

Chair ^ / O u ^ u a. _ ft

H f c , 7.______Dean of |the College

27 April 1990 Date

1990

The American University ""fO/pl

Washington, D.C. 20016

TEDS AMERICAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ©<'COPYRIGHT

BY

Alison Miller

1990

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE ROLE OF NICOLAS LEGAT IN TWENTIETH CENTURY BALLET

BY

Alison Miller

ABSTRACT

This thesis evaluates the contribution of Nicolas

Legat to twentieth century ballet and places his work in

the context of early Russian ballet history. New documen­

tation is brought to bear on his career in Russia as per­

former, ballet master, teacher; his extensive work in

England and his worldwide influence in twentieth century

dance. Although he taught great artists such as Anna

Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky and Anton Dolin there has been

little recognition of his importance in current writings.

Emphasis is placed in this study on full analysis of his

methods and teaching. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

With deep gratitude, I acknowledge the following people. Naima for her patience and advice, Dora for her passion and love of the arts and Alon for his unconditional support. Also, many thanks to Anne and Mimi. TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ...... ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... iii

Chapter

I. DEVELOPMENT OF THE RUSSIAN BALLET ...... 1

II. MARIUS PETIPA ...... 20

III. CHRISTIAN JOHANSSON...... 32

IV. NICOLAS LEGAT ...... 37

V. TECHNIQUE OF NICOLAS LEGAT ...... 76

VI. A SYSTEM EVOLVES FROM LEGAT'S TEACHINGS ...... 92

VII. LEGAT AND THE ADVANCED STUDENT ...... 103

VIII. LEGAT'S IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF BALLET TODAY ...... 124

Appendix

A. Ballets Produced by Nicolas Legat ...... 133

B. Nicolas and Nadine Legat with dancers at Russian Border ca. 1917 ...... 134

C. Program from "The London Coliseum", Dec. 7, 1925 ...... 135

D. Compilation of Legat Students from Student Register of the Legat Studio, Collett Gardens, Barons Court, London 1934-1937 .... 136

E. Society of Russian Style Ballet Syllabus ..... 144

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 155

iv CHAPTER I

DEVELOPMENT OF THE RUSSIAN BALLET

Dance was introduced to Russia early in the 17th century. First viewed as a court amusement, dance de­ veloped into a stylized art under the patronage of the

Romanov Dynasty during the period 1613 to 1917. The growth of dance followed an erratic pattern for over 200 years.

The direction dance followed was dependent upon the reign­ ing emperor's or empress' inclination and for a long time there was no clear progression for dance as a theatrical art. Over the years as ballet did develop into a theatri­ cal form it was influenced by the various foreign ballet masters engaged by the monarchs and included the different

styles of the French, Italians and Swedes.

From the beginning each visiting artist had their own

system of teaching but there was little connection between what went on in performance and what was taught in class.

The foreign artists brought different stage techniques but did not integrate these into the classroom. In the mid nineteenth century, Russia became the ballet capital of the world, attracting many fine artists and teachers from other

countries. It was during this period that Nicolas Legat

assimilated the "intimate link between class-room and

1 2

stage"* and a systematic development for training ballet artists was developed. He codified a system of teaching which would insure the continuing lineage and heritage of the Russian ballet system both in Russia and abroad.

The history of ballet in Russia began in the court of

Mikhail Romanov who was reigning monarch from 1613 to 1645.

His succession to the throne of Russia in 1613 established a 300 year reign by the Romanov Dynasty. ,1h 1629, a for­ eign visitor, Ivan Lodygin, performed rope-walking and dancing for Tsar Mikhail in his "Poteshnaia palata or

amusement room".^ His performance pleased the Tsar, and as

a result, Lodygin was entrusted "with the teaching of

dancing to a group of children of humble origin, and thus became the first Russian dancing-master".^ Lodygin, though

not teaching stylized ballet technique, began a tradition

of training Russian dancers.

Tsar Alexis, son of Mikhail, reigned in the province

of Moscovy, now known as the city of Moscow, from 1645 to

1676. Tsar Alexis was a great promoter of dance. In 1673,

the first full length dance spectacle Ballet of Orpheus and

Euridice was staged by the court at the Tsars summer home

in the Preobrzhenskoy Village near Moscow. Alexis "was

delighted with the performance, never leaving it for ten

hours at a time."4 Alexis' daughter, Princess Sophia, also

enjoyed dance and composed her own comedy and opera bal­ J

3 lets. One composition, The Slav Nymphsf a play with danc­ ing and singing, was presented in 1675.

It was during the reign of Peter the Great (1682-

1725) that Western influences greatly affected dancing in

Russia and dance made a transition from Court ballet to a public activity. Peter formed the Great Embassy of 1697 (a group of more than 250 Russians). They sailed to major

European states to study Western life. He was very taken with Western court life and especially with the ballet

Cupidon which he saw while in Amsterdam. Upon Peter's

return, he advocated the incorporation of Western ideas

into Russian life as a way to strengthen Russian supremacy.

Peter the Great, realizing the advantage of a strong

navy determined Russia needed a 'Westernized' city closer

to Europe and on the coast where he could base a navy.

This would also help establish Russia as a strong autocracy

having a power base in the Baltic Provinces. In 1703,

Peter began the arduous task of establishing a 'Western­

ized' port city at St. Petersburg. In 1712, St. Petersburg

became the capital of the Great Russian empire, absorbing

many ’Western' influences. Assemblies were held to enter­

tain nobility and visiting ambassadors, opening up the

immediate court to outsiders for the first time. The first

Russian theatre open to the public (and not just the

immediate court) was constructed in St. Petersburg, date 4 unknown, to house entertainment in the Western fashion.

Due to Russia's victory over Sweden in Poltava in

1710 during The Great Northern War (1700 to 1721), Russia was able to consolidate its hold on the Baltic Region.

The celebration ofv the victory at Poltava was marked with music and Russian folk dancing in the street festivals.

Swedish prisoners taken at Poltava were conscripted into

Russian service and their customs began to be introduced in

Russian life. The Swedes enjoyed dancing, and it was the

captured Swedish officers who taught the first stylized

dance forms - contredances and minuets, to the Russian

nobility. Peter's summer palace in St. Petersburg was

completed in the new Russian capital in 1715 and it includ­

ed a large ballroom for assemblies.

In 1717, Peter traveled to Paris. Infatuated with

the French style of social entertainment, he returned with

an interest in holding balls and masquerades. This prompt­

ed him to hold elaborate gatherings at both his summer and

winter palaces in St. Petersburg, where he introduced

Western European ballroom dancing, held masquerades which

included the minuet, courante and pavanne. These dances

were taught by the Swedes assigned to the court and were

incorporated as a noble activity. Peter the Great's mas­

querades sometimes lasted for days or a week at a time.

The nobility were obliged to attend and were also required

to dance. This inspired a new attitude towards dancing. 5

The nobility were not merely spectators to the dance but dancing became a symbol of aristocracy. By associating dance as a symbol of nobility and power, the status of the art was raised from a type of amusement to a "way to con­ firm dominate political ideas, and thus acquired a social significance".5

It was the Empress Anne Ivanovna, (reigning 1730-

1740) who established a school of ballet. She engaged Jean

Baptiste Land6, a French dancer and ballet master in 1734.

Land€ had previously danced in Paris and Dresden and then had been ballet master of a ballet company in Stockholm,

Sweden from 1721-1727. In St. Petersburg, Russia, Land6 organized a school for the children of the poor to teach his students 'danse d'6cole'. He was instructed "to give i instruction to the young people under his charge, to teach them with honesty, sincerity, and seriousness, and all the qualities of a good man."6

His success with the poor children prompted the

Empress to have young noblemen, the 'Corps des Cadets' from

the military school, Shliakhetny College included among

Land6’s students. These young men developed "a high

standard of technique perfectly applicable to the contempo­

rary stage."7 In 1736, the cadets danced the finale in the

opera, La Forza dell'amore e dell'odio by Francesco Araja.

This was the first professional Russian production to 6 include ballet and for the first time the dancing was performed by a corps of over one hundred Russians.

Landd presented students in performances which were well received by the Russian nobility. This encouraged him to appeal to Empress An m & to fulfill his dream of a real

academy. In 1738, she supported the establishment of the

Imperial School of Ballet; its headquarters were estab­

lished in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.

During this period, most of the ballets that Landd's

students danced were produced as an appendix to the opera.

They were choreographed by visiting Italians and were based

on Greek and Roman myths. Antonio Rinaldo, nicknamed

Fusano, was an important Italian comic who choreographed

ballets. His ballets were considered to be in a more

serious genre because they paid tribute to the reigning

Romanovs. As a result, he achieved an esteemed reputation

with the monarchs while working with Landd's dancers using

Commedia dell'Arte characters.

Fusano was given the responsibility of organizing the

1742 Coronation festivities for Empress Elizabeth held

traditionally in Moscow. At the Moscow Gala Festival

Fusano produced two ballets using Lande's students. The

ballets The Joy of the Peoples on the Occasion of

Astreia1s Appearance on the Russian Horizon and the Re­

establishment of the Golden Age and The Golden Apple at the

Feast of Gods and the Judgment of Paris were performed to 7 music by Domenico dal 'Oglio, the Court violinist, at a theatre on the River Yauza. This theatre was near the site that would later house the Ballet of the Bolshoi Theatre

(established 1776).

Joining their talents, Fusano and Land6 began working more closely together. Fusano choreographed and Land§ was in charge of teaching. Fusano began understudying Land^'s teachings and in 1746, on Land6's death, Fusano took over the Imperial School. Under his direction, the dancers developed greater technical virtuosity; he introduced

"complex steps of elevation and batterie to the Russian

O dancers."

Empress Elizabeth Petrovna reigned from 1741 to 1762.

The participation in the ballets by nobility was growing.

"Elizabeth herself was reported to be a 'true artist' of

the dance, unrivaled anywhere."® In 1758, an Austrian,

Franz Hilferding van Weven, was invited by the Empress to

come to Russia. He had previously been the predecessor to

Jean Georges Noverre at the Werttemberg Ducal Theatre in

Stuttgart, Germany. Dance began to grow and this was

encouraged by Elizabeth.

Many choreographers came to St. Petersburg during the

Empress Elizabeth's reign as they "found very good condi­

tions on the Russian stage for fruitful work and good

renumeration".10 Among those was the choreographer 8

Giovanni Locatelli. In 1756, he founded a theatre at the

Summer Garden in St. Petersburg. Ballets produced there were based on those presented at Court often with Greek and

Roman myths as the theme. This was a public theatre and tickets could be purchased by anybody in St. Petersburg.

"It was called the Italian 'free' theatre to indicate the easy access in contrast to the former Court spectacles designed strictly for the select few."11 Locatelli created ballets about Persephone, Pluto, Cleopatra, Cupid and

Psyche. He also showed comic ballets based on current life themes such as The Sailors' Return, London Fair.

Due to Locatelli's success in St. Petersburg, he

"obtained a 'privilege' for building his own theatre in

Moscow, where regular performances of opera and ballet

(freely merged) started in January 1759.h1^

During the reign of Catherine the Great, (1762-1796) ballet made greater strides forward. She is credited with raising the technical and artistic standards of ballet.

Peasants and serfs were often brought in as court enter­ tainers. They were encouraged to dance and contributed a special flavor, performing Russian games, dances and creat­ ing carnivals which were included in the ballet. Catherine brought many foreign dancers to Russia and among them where two important figures, Gasparo Angiolini and Charles le

Picq.

Gasparo Angiolini arrived in 1766 at the invitation 9 of the Empress Catherine the Great. He was a Viennese dancer whom she engaged as a choreographer. He was inter­ ested in producing ballets using Noverre's 'ballet d'action which encouraged the use of expression and mime to tell the

1 ^ • ballet story'. J Angilolini created the following original ballets, including libretti and music: 1) Semira (1772), a tragedy based on ancient Russian history, 2) The Chinese

Orphan. (1776), a divertissement based on Russian Yule-tide customs, and 3) Zabavy o sviatkakh, (translates to 'good time at Christmas) shown in Moscow in 1767.14

Charles le Picq, was the last important foreign ballet master imported by Catherine the Great. He arrived in St. Petersburg in 1786. He became the successor to

Angiolini and was a favorite student of Jean Georges Nover- re. Through his association with Noverre, Le Picq inte­ grated his principles of "ballet d'action" in his teach­ ings .

One of the most important events for ballet during the reign of Catherine the Great was the emergence of the first Russian ballet master, Ivan Valberkh (1766-1819). He graduated from the Imperial Theatre School in 1786 and was admitted as a soloist. His great-grandfather had served in the Swedish army, was taken prisoner at Poltava, then served in Peter I's regiments and was granted Russian nobility.15 Ivan Valberkh was a dancer, choreographer and 10 teacher as well as director of the St. Petersburg ballet school (1794-1807) and the Moscow ballet school (1807-

1808). 16

Valberkh's stagings were influenced by his background in character dancing; plot ballets which included a lot of pantomine popular in the 18th century; and a genre of melo drama new to the 19th century. His plots were dedicated to sentimentalism and morality, often showing contrasting conflicts where good won over evil. The plots of his ballets were also concerned with Russian life in a contem­ porary setting. His first ballet was To Have Repentence staged in 1795. One of his best dances concerned with

Russian contemporary plot was New Verter produced in 1799.

This was unique because its plot was based in Moscow during

1799.17 During his career he staged thirty-six more bal­ lets and restaged ten others.

Valberkh visited Paris in 1802, the first Russian choreographer to do so. When he wrote of his visit he criticized the Paris Opera ballet for its superficiality.

He also expressed displeasure with Auguste Vestris, the danseur noble of the Paris Opera. He found him arrogant and felt the work of Vestris lacked interesting plots and clear expression. His last years were spent closely affil­ iated with Charles Didelot who arrived in Russia in 1801.

Valberkh remained active in the ballet world until the very end of his life. He and Didelot were friends and col­ 11 leagues and worked together for more than ten years.

During this time many reforms were begun in Russian ballet.

Much of the progress made during Catherine the

Great's reign was undone during the reign of Paul I (1796-

1801). Paul I was a lover of ballet. He studied dance in the 1750's, as a child, with Franz Hilferding van Weven and in the 1760's he danced in the Court Theatre. His infatua­ tion with discipline and regimen led to a decline in ballet artistry. He admired the Prussian military system and decided this should be reflected in ballet. As a result, the ballets became like military parades and the poetic movement and story became unimportant. Paul I loathed male dancers and banned their presence, ordering all parts to be danced by women. He was enamored with the dancer Nastenka

Berilova and had her dance en tranvesti. Fortunately Paul

I's reign was short and his successor Tsar Alexander I brought a return to better standards in Russian ballet.

Under Alexander I's patronage, who reigned from 1801

to 1825, ballet was directed on a clearer, more stable path

and emphasis was placed on technical development and art­

istry. Auguste Poireau was a Frenchman who had studied

v*»- Russian culture and dance for 30 years. His expertise

extended to Russian folk dancing and he became known as a

character dancer on the ballet stage in Russia. The use of

his Russian folk dance in ballets created a new ballet 12

style. He collaborated with the Russian ballet master,

Valberkh, in choreographing ballets such as A Russian

Village Ffete and Russians in Germany. ca. 1812.

Charles Didelot, also a Frenchman, dancer and student

of Noverre, Auguste Vestris and Jean Dauberval, came to

Russia in 1801. He stayed in St. Petersburg as choreogra­ pher of the Imperial Ballet until 1811 when he returned to

Paris, and then came back to Russia working there from 1816

to 1831. He continued with many of Valberkh1s students but

his imaginative choreographic talent surpassed Valberkh's.

He enchanted the audiences with "beautiful groupings and

charming dances".1® His teachings were based on Noverre's

principals, (similar to le Picq and Angiolini) promoting

the "ballet d'action" rather than ballet d'entrde or diver­

tissements19. He discouraged sheer virtuosity and prowess

and stressed the value of mime and expressive acting using

the body and face. Didelot brought the concepts of Auguste

Vestris which encompassed higher technical standards and

the incorporation of dance and drama artistically-using the

full body for expression.

Didelot made important reforms in Russian ballet

which were seen in the more than forty ballets he produced

for the Imperial stage. He introduced flying scenes and

innovative costume ideas: the use of tricot, a knit fabric

which is less binding, flesh colored tights, bare arms and

shoulders and light slippers which allowed for dancing on 13 three-quarter point. Some of the ballets he produced while in St. Petersburg which utilized his innovative stage mechanisms were Apollo and Daphne,1802; Zephire et Flore.

1804 (originally staged in London in 1796); and Cupid and

Psyche. 1809. Didelot retired in 1831 but remained with the Imperial Ballet until his death in 1836.

Alexis Blache, another Frenchman, succeeded Didelot

* as ballet master and the Frenchman, Antoine Titus was brought in as his assistant in 1832. Blache served only a

short time as be was considered a poor teacher and unimagi­ native choreographer. He has been credited with the 1832

staging of Don Juan, Amadis of Gaul (1833) and Don Quixote and The Little Sailor (1834).

Titus was considered the more talented and served as

chief choreographer from 1838 to 1848. It was during his

tenure as ballet master that a new kind of ballet music

emerged, introduced by Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857). The

power and importance of this advance would set up great

changes in the development of ballet. Glinka is credited

with establishing Russian national classical music which

led the way for the compositions of Peter Tchaikovsky,

Alexander Borodin and Modest Mussorgsky. Though Glinka

never wrote an individual ballet, he incorporated dance

musical forms from Russian folklore in his scores and

enriched his operas with dance. He used the principles of 14 symphonic development in his compositions, relying heavily on variations of the same musical themes that could be found in traditional Russian music.

Glinka's symphonic scores lent themselves to ballet themes and movement and were used by choreographers in both the nineteenth and twentieth century. Valse Fantasy was composed for piano in 1839 and orchestrated first in 1845 and again in 1856. This particular piece of music became a model for Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky who went on to develop significant reforms in music for the ballets he composed. The Glinka scores also played an important role in the inspiration of ballet masters: Alexander Gorsky used Glinka music in 1901 for Valse Fantaisie (the first symphonic ballet); John Cranko used Russian & Ludmila over ture for the Stuttgart Ballet in 1966; George Balanchine staged Glinkiana for NYC Ballet in 1967.

The score "Polish Scenes" which contains mostly

Polish dances is from the first Russian opera Ivan Sysanin

(1836). This was the first time Russian Polish tradition dances were seen danced to Russian music. The opera

Russian and Ludmila (1842) included 'fantastic' dances and for the first time placed greater important on the dance rather than the drama of the opera. The symphonic piece

Kamarinskaya (1848), based on a traditional dance from ancient times, was staged for dance and easily adapted to ballet. Additionally, two Spanish overtures by Glinka, 15

Aragonese Jota (1845) and Night in Madrid (1851) were used in ballets and have since been used over and over to create spectacular ballet folk dances.

Antoine Titus had some success as ballet master. He staged two successful works Kia-King in 1832 and Caesar in

Egypt in 1834 and has been credited for increasing interest of ballet in Russia by bringing Marie Taglioni to dance in

St. Petersburg in 1837. In his 1836 Ivan Sysanin and 1842

Russian and Ludmila to Glinka’s compositions he could have taken the opportunity to utilize the new musical innova­ tions of Glinka to spark and encourage new ideas and meth­ ods of balletic choreography but his ballets were poorly composed. Titus was not good at conceiving national char­ acter and dramatic content; as a consequence the public was

indifferent to Russian produced ballets and was inclined to prefer the imported Romantic dance.

An additional restraint on the Imperial Ballet's progress during the 1830's was due to lack of artistic

control by the posted ballet master. Tight reigns of the

Imperial Ballet were held by the Directorate of the Imperi­ al Theatre (A. M. Gu6d6onov) and thus to his censorship.

Gu6d6onov monitored which ballets would be produced and who would dance. Under his direction, the Imperial Ballet "was becoming less and less 'Russian': losing all originality,

all personality, it struggled painfully to imitate European 16

O A ballet". Opposition to his decisions were punishable by fines as well as loss of roles. Yelena Andreyanova, a 1839 graduate of the Russian Imperial school, was considered the leading ballerina in Russia at this time and Titus composed many ballets at the Directorate's suggestion for her.

Titus was succeeded by Jules Perrot, a French dancer and choreographer who arrived in St. Petersburg and danced at the Imperial Theatre in 1848. Perrot played character roles in his own ballets, edited dances he had created while at the Paris Opera in France, and choreographed new ballets. He staged Giselle, Ondine and La Esmeralda.

Perrot's final ballet for the Imperial Ballet was Eoline in

1859, after which he returned to Paris.

After Jules Perrot left Russia, Arthur Saint-L6on came from Paris and was appointed ballet master, a post he held from 1859 to 1867. Saint-L6on produced divertisse­ ments and variations using soloists or small groupings and

included these in his full length ballets. According to ballet historian Natalia Rosaleva, he employed "new and original tricks - this is what mattered most, and he racked his brains to inventing processions of weird characters with lanterns on their heads, dances of wines, represented by danseuses dressed as bottles with corks for headgear,

dances in sacks hindering freedom of movement, and so

forth".22 Saint-L6on's choreography "existed as a vehicle

for the ballerina".23 He was unsuccessful in capturing the 17 imagination of the Russian audience. They considered his ballets superficial and hastily composed/ filled with absurdities and non-sequitors and lacking the colorful grouping they had seen in Perrot's ballets.

In 1864 Saint-L6on choreographed The Little Hump­ backed Horser an important ballet as it was the first to use a Russian theme. The Little Humpbacked Horse, danced by a Russian cast, depicted the travels of the hero,

Ivanoushka, as he searched through air, water and fire for the Tsar-Maiden. Along his travels he visited numerous

Russian courts and solo and group dancers "display their native talents in a story of vivid characters well known and loved by them all".^ This was not enough however to persuade the public from being dissatisfied with the other works that Saint-L6on had created with its numerous absurd­ ities. The public felt that Saint-L6on allowed the Imperi­ al Ballet Theatre Directorate to exercise too much control of artistic development.

Ballet would have seriously declined in Russia of

Saint-Ldon had continued to dominate. Fortunately, two other artists began to emerge during the 1870's as impor­ tant creative influences - Marius Petipa and Christian

Johansson. Both had arrived in Russia considerably earli­ er, in the 1840's. They were to become important as teach­ er/choreographers and ultimately become the two most sig­ 18 nificant influences in the artistic development of Nicolas Legat. ENDNOTES

1Nicolas Legat, The Story of the Russian School (London: British Continental Press, Ltd., 1932) 5.

2Natalia Roslavleva, Era of the Russian Ballet (Lon­ don: Victor Gollancz, LTD, 1966) 19.

3Ibid., 19-20.

4Ibid., 20.

5Mary Grace Swift, The Art of the Dance in Russian (Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 1968) 7.

^Arnold Haskell, The Russian Genius in Ballet (New York: Macmillan Company, 1963) 6.

7Natalia Roslavleva, Era of the Russian Ballet (Lon­ don: Victor Gollancz, LTD 1966) 22.

8Joan Lawson, A History of Ballet and its Makers (London: Sir Issac Pitman & Sons LTD, 1964) 26.

^Mary Grace Swift, The Art of the Dance in Russian (Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 1968) 8.

■^Natalia Roslavleva, Era of the Russian Ballet (London: Victor Gollancz, LTD 1966) 22.

■^Natalia Roslavleva, Era of the Russian Ballet (London: Victor Gollancz, LTD, 1966) 24.

12Ibid.

1 • -‘•-’Ballet d'action refers to a ballet having a plot and placing importance on a flow and unity of action. The theory was first introduced by Jean Georges Noverre's and published in his "Lettres sur la danse", 1760.

*4Natalia Roslavleva, Era of the Russian Ballet (London: Victor Gollancz, LTD, 1966) 26.

19 i 20

Tumanova, Anna Kontini and the character dancer Isaak Ablets.

*7Ballet Encyclopedia. Translated by Dora Romadinov, 1981. S.v. "Ivan Valberkh."

•^Natalia Roslavleva, Era of the Russian Ballet (London: Victor Gollancz, LTD, 1966) 41.

19Didelot's teachings were based on ballet d'action- explain ballet d'entrde/divertissements.

20Serge Lifar, A History of Russian Ballettranslated by Arnold Haskell (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1954) 76.

^excluding a short period in 1851.

■^Natalia Roslavleva, Era of the Russian Ballet (London: Victor Gollancz, LTD, 1966) 69.

23Ibid., 73.

24Joan Lawson, A History of Ballet and its Makers (London: Dance Books Ltd., 1976) 72. CHAPTER II

MARIUS PETIPA

Marius Petipa was born in Marseilles, France in 1819, the son of dancer Jean Antoine Petipa and younger brother to dancer Lucien. Late in 1819, the family moved to Brus­ sels where Jean Antoine was engaged as ballet master at the

ThdAtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin. Marius' training began in 1825 under the tutelage of his father. He performed first with the Brussels Theatre de la Monnaie in La

Dansomanie by Pierre Gardel in 1831 but his adult debut was in 1838 in Nantes, France. He was promoted to principal danseur in Nantes and while working there first began to choreograph. He produced three ballets The Master1s

Rights f The Little Gipsy and Wedding at Nantes before the age of twenty-one.

From the time of Marius Petipa's professional debut in 1838 until 1847 when he went to St. Petersburg, Russia, his career involved touring abroad in many solo engage­ ments. His first tour in 1839 was to the United States with his father. They danced with Eugenie Anna Lecompte^5 whom they knew from the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels.

They performed in Jean Coralli's La Tarantule and Marius

21 22 had the leading role in Joseph Mazilier's Marco Bomba at the Bowery Theatre in New York.

Following the United States tour, Marius went to

Paris, France to study with Auguste Vestris for two months. > In 1840, he went to the Grand Thd&tre de Bordeaux as principal dancer. While there he revised the Romantic ballets La Jolie Bordelaise. L'intrigye Amouresuse. La

Langue dee. Fleurs, and La Vendange. During this period, he danced with Carlotta Grisi at the Comedie Frangaise in 1840

and with Fanny Elssler at the Paris Opera in 1841.

In 1843, Marius Petipa accepted a more profitable

engagement at the Teatro del Circo in Madrid. He toured

Spain with the principal dancer, Marie Guy-Stephan, and

learned many of the Spanish national dances. He was great­

ly influenced by Spanish academic dance technique and

enriched his French Romantic choreographic style by includ­

ing the boldness and expressiveness of Spanish techniques

in his choreographic works Carmen et son Torero, La Perle

de Seville and La Fleur de Grenade.

In 1847, Marius went to St. Petersburg, Russia ini­

tially to accept a one year contract with the Imperial

Ballet, at the invitation by Antoine Titus. Marius made

his debut as Lucien d'Hervilly in Paquita partnering Yelena

Andreyanova. He was acclaimed for his talent as a charac­

ter dancer and pantomimic actor. He was given demi-carac- 23 tere and danseur noble roles but truly flourished working with Jules Perrot who arrived in 1848. Perrot recognized

Petipa's dramatic talent and challenged his skills in dance and mimetic roles in Armida. Catarinaf Esmeralda and Faust.

It was 1848, shortly after Marius arrived in Russia that his father, Jean Antoine, his father, was named an instruc­ tor at the Russian Imperial School. Jean Antoine was considered an excellent teacher and remained there until his death in 1855.

Marius Petipa was considered an exceptional partner, very reliable and able to help with difficulties which might hinder a ballerina on stage. He gained heightened respect from his colleagues due to excellent acting and pantomime abilities and in 1854 was invited into the Impe­ rial School as an instructor. During the same year he married a pupil in the graduating class of the Imperial

School, a character dancer named Maria Surovshchikova.

Their daughter, Marie was born in 1857. She became a

student of the Imperial School and created the role of the

Lilac Fairy in her father's Sleeping Beauty in 1890.

Petipa staged A Marriage During Regency. his first original ballet for the Imperial Theatre in 1858. Jules

Perrot was still the chief choreographer at the time (1848-

1859) and he instilled in Petipa a preference for ballet d'action using dramatically convincing plots and pantomime.

Petipa as "a true disciple of Perrot...preferred to deal 24 with three-dimensional characters, being interested in portraying the emotional side of their psychology".26

Perrot returned to France in 1859; his democratic leanings had caused difficulties with the Imperial Theatre Director­

ates, forcing him to leave Russia. The post of chief

choreographer went to Arthur Saint-Ldon upon Perrot's

departure. Petipa had the title of assistant to Saint-Ldon

and continued to choreograph and stage ballets as his

assistant. In 1859 he staged The Paris Market and La

Somnanbule. In 1859-1860 he and his wife Maria took a

leave of absence and toured Europe.

When Petipa returned to Russia from his European tour

he recognized that Saint-Ldon offered a different style

which included many varying divertissements and dances

using the entire corps de ballet. Petipa recognized the

significance of Saint-Ldon's style and began adapting these

ideas to the works he created from 1860-1862. As a result

of Petipa's inventive ideas incorporating divertissements,

such as "Terpsichore" to music by Pugni and his use of the

corps de ballet as a grand orchestra, he began to receive

wider recognition. Saint-Ldon did not want to share the

glory with Petipa. When Saint-Ldon had first come to

Russia he had support from the rich and influential sup­

porters of the ballet. By the early 1860's his support

was waning and, though Petipa had a modest group of sup­ 25 porters and his reputation was spreading, his career was

still uncertain. The two artists had become very competi­ tive and with each of Petipa’s successes Saint-Ldon felt more threatened. Petipa's abilities were tested when he was given only six weeks to stage his new ballet Pharoah's

Daughter.

Petipa's Pharoah1s Daughter. conceived in 1862 became

the turning point in his career. It was the first ballet

which assimilated the ideas of both Perrot and Saint-Ldon

into his own choreographic style of 'a grand spectacle'. It

included Perrot's emphasis on the importance of pantomime

and drama but also incorporated Saint-Ldon's use of the

entire corps de ballet and the creation of interesting

divertissements. The beautiful spatial patterns and inter­

weaving of the corps de ballet in Pharoah's Daughter were

performed by eighteen couples who carried flower baskets on

their heads. These baskets concealed thirty-six children

who danced in the final grouping. The prima ballerina role

originally created for Carolina Rosati's final performance

was given to Maria (Marius' wife) Petipa for the following

autumn's performance. It fitted Maria so well it estab­

lished her career in the ballet world as well as Petipa's

talent for creating roles which would show off a

ballerina's natural gifts.

As a result of the success of Pharoah's Daughter,

Petipa received the official title of second ballet-master 26 to the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg. This served to heighten the rivalry between Petipa and Saint-Ldon. Saint-

Ldon 's rebuttal was The Hump-Backed Horse (1864) which

included improved 'ballabili' or corps de ballet dances.

Petipa then retorted with King Canduales in 1868. "He

created a 'Ballibile Lydien' wherein one could see simulta­ neously two nymphs, three graces, a bayadere, a negro,

eight mulattos, sixteen danseuses with parasols, sixteen

girl-pupils, sixteen boy-pupils dressed as black slaves,

and eighteen male dancers in Lydien costume."^7 Petipa

followed this with one of his 'grand pas' and impressed the

audience when Henriette d'Or (a French ballerina at St.

Petersburg from 1867-1869) completed a series of five

pirouettes on her right foot sur la pointe.

Petipa's ballet King Candaules combined both good and

bad taste. It was dramatic and entertaining and introduced

many choreographic ideas. The sensation it provided in­

duced Saint-Ldon to create The Lily in 1 8 6 9 . The music

and dances were based on La Source which had been previous­

ly produced by the Paris Opdra. Saint-Ldon's version was

placed in China and he used this concept "to make Adele

Grantzow 'dance out' a whole melody on a specifically

invented 'Chinese' musical instrument".29 Saint-Ldon

showed great ingenuity but the St. Petersburg audience

found the ballet extravagant and favored Petipa's more 27 refined ballets. The Lily failed dismally and resulted in

Saint-L6on leaving Russia, allowing Petipa the opportunity to become maitre de ballet of the Imperial Theatre.

Petipa was sent to Moscow to prove himself. He did

so in 1869 with Don Quixote to music by Ludwig Minkus. He

created it with the Moscow audience in mind, knowing that

they could appreciate a fully developed plot in the form of

a comedic play with well developed three dimensional char­

acters and vibrant dances. Don Quixote contained scenes of

fantasy and comedy in its four acts and eight scenes.

Again Petipa's staging effects delighted the audience when

the moon wept big tears at the sadder scenes but laughed to

express merriment at happier scenes.

When staging Don Quixote in 1871 for the St.

Petersburg audience he had to appeal to the 'diamond row'

or more aristocratic audience. Changes were made lessening

the comic scenes and the character dances were substantiat­

ed with added classical steps and style. In recognizing

the differences between the Moscow and St. Petersburg

audiences Petipa served a larger need. The Moscow audience

responded to a more flamboyant and dazzling technique. For

the St. Petersburg audience he established a more academic

character technique with a more refined and sophisticated

style.

During the 1870's Petipa continued to work in St.

Petersburg creating ballets, adding extensive research to 28 his subject matter and staging. He made precise plans for all facets of his productions/ emphasizing artistic chore­ ography as foremost/ and included plans for physical stag­

ing, the musicians and the scenery designers.

Petipa revised part or all of many existing ballets,

including Le Corsaire in 1880 "The Grand Pas de Wilis" in

Giselle in 1884, and Paquita (revised several times before

its final version completed in 1881). In Paquita he in­

cluded more complex choreography, concentrating on many

'variations' and 'pas' providing opportunities for a balle­

rina to excel in virtuosity. The final Paquita revision

had roles for six premiere danseuses and eight second

soloists plus a mazurka for eighty students of the Imperial

School.

Petipa has been credited with choreographing over

fifty original ballets for the Imperial Theatre. Some

ballets choreographed by Petipa are La Bayadere (1877), The I Talisman (1889), The Sleeping Beauty (1890), Cinderella

(189)1, Swan Lake (1898). He collaborated with Lev Ivanov

in The Nutcracker (1892). This period of dance in Russia

was especially fruitful for Petipa as he had some of the

finest dancers Russia had produced. Among those graduates

of the Imperial School from which Petipa drew were Pavel

Gerdt, Nicolas Legat, Serge Legat, Varvara Nikitina, Yevge­

nia Sokolova. Additional talent arrived from Italy between 29

1885 and 1893. Included were Virginia Zucchi (1885),

Enrico Cecchetti (1887) and Pierina Legnani (1893).

Petipa used a wide variety of themes for his ballets, choosing from fairy-tales and fantasies to historical ideas

(loosely adhering to history) and national dances. He established a formula for an artistic structure which became identified as the classic ballet and is known so even today. His productions were so elaborate they offered a magnificent spectacle but also established a new, higher regard for the artistic form. To work out his spatial patterns for the corps de ballet before a rehearsal he used

"little figures like chess pawns to represent dances, arranging them all over the table".3®

Petipa's associations with other colleagues at the

Imperial School offered an environment for sharing of ideas and developing his own creativity. A close friend of

Petipa's was Christian Johansson. Johansson had danced at the Imperial Theatre between 1841-1869 and then became an

instructor at the school. Though of different tempera­ ments, Petipa and Johansson offering mutual respect for

each other's work.

As Petipa developed choreographically, he borrowed works from his predecessors as well as contemporary art­

ists, especially for men's solos. He often visited Chris­

tian Johansson's classes with notebook and pencil in hand.

After a visit by Petipa "Johansson would wink and say, 30

•The old man's pinched some more.'"3* He was creative and inventive and had an unusual ability to choreograph dances that showed off the virtues and hid the defects of his ballerinas. He was not as good with the male solos and recognized this limitation. To his credit he consulted with Johansson and often had others choreograph the men's solos. In his later ballets Petipa had Nicolas Legat choreograph many of the men's solos.

Petipa began to rely on Legat after the latter had successfully choreographed a pas de deux for a Moscow dancer Masalova (full name unknown to author). Later

Petipa asked Legat to choreograph the graduation dance for his daughter Lubov. After that Petipa asked Legat to do male variations and solos in many of his full-length bal­ lets .

Petipa looked upon Legat as a disciple who was extending his ideas. He trusted him to create many male variations, for which he, Petipa, had no great skill. Petipa was delighted when some of Legat's innovations brought him laurels, but when he realised that his apprentice was becoming a rival, his enthusiasm cooled.

Petipa had not been happy with his marriage to Maria

Surovschikova and they parted in 1869. Upon her death from smallpox in 1882 he married Lyubov Leonidovna Savitskaya, a dancer with the Moscow Ballet. This marriage was much happier for Marius. His personal happiness seemed to enrich his choreographic innovations and style. This 31 became Petipa's most fruitful and successful time at the

Imperial Ballet.

Petipa's greatest contributions to ballet culminated in the latter third of the 19th century in St. Petersburg.

He has been credited with changing ballet history during this period, known as 'the Petipa era'.

Petipa's genius lay in his productions for Tsar

Nicolas II of Russia in which he combined romantic ballet with royal glory and grandeur. These productions offered a grand spectacle of grandeur and elegance to a large audi­ ence. In Petipa's choreography the corps de ballet created a grand spectacle as they danced harmoniously in a multi­ tude of elaborate spatial designs. The dancers themselves became incorporated as part of the stage design, bestowing a majesty to the stage.

Petipa established a framework which served choreog­ raphers well for a long time. By doing so he created a new genre for ballet and his solo female variations set a new standard for technical achievement. Standard fare for the principal dancers included a coda with solo roles including turns 'en manage' and fouettd turns. His pas de deux choreography created a unique role for the male as partner to show off the ballerina's skills. His complex choreogra­ phy demanded greater technical prowess than had existed in the ballets before and the Petipa variations in Sleeping

Beauty, Raymonda, and La Bayadere are still considered the 32 test of a ballerina. He also arranged dances for the opera and recast 17 ballets already part of the Imperial reperto­ ry. He had a remarkable career, retiring in 1903 after firmly establishing many balletic stage traditions used today. ENDNOTES

25LeCompte was a Belgian dancer. She danced at the Thddtre vde la Monnaie, then under Petipa in Brussels and invited him and his son Marius to join the Lecompte-Martin troupe in its North American tour.

26Natalia Roslavleva, Era of the Russian Ballet (London: Victor Gollancz, Ltd, 1966) 86.

27Ibid., 93.

28Ibid., 95.

2^Ibid.

38Nicolas Legat, The Story of the Russian School (London: British Continental Press, Ltd., 1932) 36.

31Ibid., 39.

32Andr6 Eglevsky, Heritage of a Ballet Master: Nicolas Legat (New York: Dance Horizons, 1978) 6.

33 CHAPTER III

CHRISTIAN JOHANSSON

Christian Johansson was born in Stockholm, Sweden in

1817. He studied with Eric Wallqvist and Mme. Sophie

Daguin at the Royal Swedish Ballet. He showed great prom­ ise and in 1837 was sent by the theatre to study with

August Bournonville in Denmark. After one year he made his professional debut with the Danish Ballet and then returned to Sweden, first as soloist and then premier danseur. He was chosen to partner Marie Taglioni when she appeared as guest artist with the Royal Swedish Ballet in 1841. When

Taglioni left that same year to pursue her career in St.

Petersburg, he decided to follow as an independent travel­ er.

Johansson arrived in Russia in 1841, with the intention of seeing Marie Taglioni dance and also to take classes from Antoine Titus at the Imperial Ballet school.

He met the Director of the Imperial Theatres, Gedeonov,

(first name unknown) and appealed to him for a chance to dance with the company. He debuted with the soloists

Natalia Apollonskaya and Olga Schlefogt with such success that he was afforded the chance to partner the prima balle­

34 35 rina, Yelena Andreyanova. His official debut was in La

Gitana, partnering Andreyanova in late 1841. He was promptly appointed premier danseur with the Imperial Bal­ let.

During Johansson's forty-three year performing career he partnered all the leading ballerinas of his day: Marie

Taglioni, Fanny Elssler, Smirnova, Yelena Andreyanova,

Lucile Grahn, Carlotta Grisi, and Fanny Cerrito. He was known as "a dancer of an impeccably correct style, pos­ sessing a virtuosity that never transgressed the borders of grace and elegance. He had an outstanding elevation, enabling him to rise into the air lightly, without any visible 'preparation'".33 He retired from a successful stage career in 1884 and concentrated all his efforts on teaching.

Johansson adopted Russia as his country in nationali­ ty and spirit and remained with the Imperial Ballet

School until his death in 1903. He married while in Russia and his daughter Anna (1860-1917) graduated from the Impe­ rial Ballet School with the highest marks in 1878. She immediately joined the Imperial Ballet Company and debuted in Esmeralda.

As a teacher, Johansson was known for his shrewdness and wisdom in pedagogical work, acquired in his early studies with August Bournonville, student of Auguste 36

Vestris. In his teaching, Johansson blended the precepts of the Russian technique and its distinct male and female styles, with the Auguste Vestris system, of manly grace, fluid arm movements, virtuosity and elegance.

Johansson's teaching career began unofficially in

1860, as he frequently offered advice to fellow dancers.

He officially became chief instructor at the Imperial

Ballet in 1869. "His aim was to develop strength, equi­ librium, stamina and correct breathing in the pupils."34

He was a demanding teacher and knew the importance of rubato for vitality and expression. To insure proper tempo and rhythm, he played his own violin accompaniment for all his classes. In 1895 he added a class to continue the training of the professional dancers. This "classe de perfectionnement" began as a class for women artists but two male soloists, the Legat brothers, Nicolas and Sergei, were admitted.

Johansson was considered an exceptional pedagogue, severe and even cruel in his corrections, but a genius as a teacher. He had a dry sense of humor and the highest compliment he gave to any artist was that they were ready for the stage. "In his teaching Johansson exhibited the most extraordinary versatility, ingenuity and variety."35

He was spontaneous in his creation of enchainements (combi­ nations of movements) and encouraged his students to invent combinations for themselves. It is said he never repeated 37 an enchainement twice in his sixty years of teaching.

Johansson's most trusted pupil was Gustav Legat, who studied with him from the early 1860's throughout his career. Later Gustav's son Nicolas would enter the ranks of the Imperial Ballet and he too became a protegd and trusted pupil of Johansson. Upon Johansson's death in

1903, Johansson's daughter, Anna, presented Nicolas with the violin he used in accompanying his classes. His influ­ ence on the world of dance and on Nicolas Legat are monu­ mental, as teacher, mentor and colleague.

The great practical value of Johansson's method consisted in the very fact that he had not invented it. It arose as a result of selection and systematic ar­ ranging of all that was necessary for the education of Russian dancers.36

Legat understood Johansson's genius and worked side by side with him to learn his pedagogical method.

Johansson's teachings became the basis for the method Legat developed that eventually was used to teach all the famous dancers during the 1900's. Recognizing the merits of prowess and brilliance in the Italian system, Legat built on Johansson's ideas incorporating the virtuosity within artistic ideals. This was the system he taught at the

Imperial School. He continued to using this system after he left Russia and taught extensively in England. ENDNOTES

33Natalia Roslavleva, Era of the Russian Ballet (London: Victor Gollancz, Ltd., 1966) 110.

34 Ibid, 111.

35 Nicolas Legat, The Story of the Russian School (London: British Continental Press, Ltd., 1932) 32.

36Natalia Roslavleva, Era of the Russian Ballet (London: Victor Gollancz, Ltd., 1966) 111.

38 CHAPTER IV

NICOLAS LEGAT

Nicolas Legat, (1869-1937) was a third generation dancer whose family had been connected with the Russian

Imperial Ballet for almost a century. His grandfather

Ivan, of Swedish descent was a scene designer and machinist at a Balagani (People's Theatre)37 in St. Issac's Square,

St. Petersburg. During the reign of Nicolas I (1825-1855) he and his brother Samuel (an engineer at the theatre) were selected to work at the Imperial Theatre. Nicolas' grand­ mother, Ivan's wife, was Constance Lede, (1829-186-) a

Swedish dancer. She applied for admission to the St.

Petersburg Theatre School in 1846. Upon passing her en­ trance exam, she spent one year in the school and was admitted to the Company. She retired after ten years

(1857) but returned 1860. Her date of death is not known.

Both of Nicolas' parents were dancers. His father

Gustav was granted special permission to study as a for­ eigner at the school in St. Petersburg by Minister

Gudd6onov of the Imperial Theatre. He graduated in 1857 and was admitted to the Leningrad troop at a high level but was paid only 240 rubles.38 After just one year with the

39 40

1864, he applied and was granted special permission to marry a foreigner Maria Grankin. She was a young dancer who had just graduated from the school. In 1865-1866,

Gustav was directed to Moscow to temporarily replace the lead dancer, a man named Sokolov, who had gotten sick.

While there, he staged his first ballet The Dream of the

Artist.

After his year in Moscow, he returned to St. Peters­ burg and danced with the Imperial Ballet until 1868 when he was again sent to Moscow. His success there prompted the chief of the Moscow Theatre to request that Gustav perma­ nently stay and replace the Sokolov who was ill39. Gustav

Legat was hired to dance with the Moscow Imperial Theatre and his wife, Maria Grankin also requested transfer to

Moscow. She was hired as a character dancer with the

Company and continued to dance through all fourteen of her pregnancies (only ten children survived past birth). At the time of Nicolas' birth, in 1869, Gustav was also Head­ master of the Imperial Moscow Theatrical School in the

Girl's Division.

Gustav continued in his teaching and theatre duties until 1875 at which time he was fired by the chief of

Moscow Theatre. This was one year before he would be eligible to receive his pension and possibly as punishment for his stubbornness towards becoming a Russian citizen. 41

In 1881 he applied to work for another year so that he could fulfill the pension requirements; he was denied. In

1885 he was transferred to St. Petersburg as a dancer of the first rank, and again applied for a pension (stating he began his service in 1857). He was again denied this privilege and applied for retirement in 1887. He included a letter stating that if his time in service was based from the time of his graduation, it added up to twenty-two years, ten months and twenty-two days. If his time was considered like all other artists, from the age of 16, he had already served for twenty-seven years, one month and six days. His letter forced the directors of the theatre to give a him pension of 1100 rubles. He died in 1895.

It is known that three of Nicolas' siblings Serge,

Vera and Ivan were also enrolled at the Theatre school.

Little is known of Ivan, born in 1872. After attending the

Theatre School and dancing in the Imperial Ballet he suf­ fered bouts of insanity and retired to became a monk. Vera born in 1865, graduated in 1884 and became a coryphde (a leading member of the ballet corps) of the St. Petersburg

Theatre. She retired in 1895 and married Count Shuvalov and emigrated to Paris. Serge was born in 1875. He was an outstanding character and classical dancer and partner. He became Nicolas' closest confidant and most trusted friend.

Serge and Nicolas were inseparable companions until his untimely death in 1905. 42

Nicolas began his dance training at the Imperial

School with his father at eight years of age. Gustav was

Nicolas' inspiration in strength and discipline and he continued working with him until Gustav's death in 1895.

He credits Gustav as being relentless as a disciplinarian.

Nicolas felt his father set a noble example; going to the theatre and working alone prior to taking class with Marius

Petipa and then taking another class in its entirety with

Christian Johansson. In teaching his sons, Nicolas and

Serge, Gustav instilled in them the idea that they strive for nothing less than perfection.

In 1880, Nicolas was awarded the prestigious Didelot scholarship by the State and began studying at the Imperial

Theatre School. The training at the Theatre School was very rigorous and severe. Though academics were taught, artistry was primary. Nicolas, often a prankster and neglectful of his studies recalled that "armed with a

Didelot scholarship, I passed through school with the ease of a launched vessel gliding into the waiting waters."4®

The students at the Imperial School were "vowed to the service of Terpsichore".4* The school year was eight months long, from September to April with a four month

summer break. The curriculum was established as a seven year program of five levels. Two of the levels lasted for two years. Though the curriculum called for seven years of 43 summer break. The curriculum was established as a seven year program of five levels. Two of the levels lasted for two years. Though the curriculum called for seven years of study, many students did not actually graduate for nine or ten years, spending the last years immersed in performance.

The students were boarders at the State's expense though a few were allowed to be day students. There was the strict­ est adherence to separating boys from girls in general classes, dance classes and daily living. Girls and boys were not even allowed to converse in ballroom, waltz or partnering classes.

Students were all given nutrition and medical care, as their health and weight were of primary concern. If their weight dropped they would be given extra eggs, milk, and butter. Annual medical exams were given to check their heart and lungs. Heart problems required immediate dis­ missal from the school.

A typical day started when the students were woke up at 7:30 a.m. After being taken to the wash-house they were led to the dining hall for breakfast. Grace was led by one of the older students, then food was served. Food was plentiful and of the best quality as it came from the

Imperial estates. After breakfast, the students were taken for a walk until 9:00 a.m. when lessons began. Music class was usually first and each student was obligated to learn 44 to play either the piano or violin. Dance class followed from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. After a light lunch, stu­ dents were taken to the garden courtyard in the Theatre

School for a fifteen to twenty minute daily 'airing'. In the afternoon they learned general subjects, history, math and French.

Their education emphasized the arts, drafting and painting and music. Many of the students developed talents in several art forms, and became skilled as painters and/or musicians in their own right. For instance, in one production of the ballet "Harlequinade" (danced by Fokine,

Ossipov, Bolm and Lopukov) the mandolin playing in the

Serenade Scene was actually played by Harlequin and his friends.

When the students were involved in productions, rehearsals would be held in the afternoons. Legat was always delighted to escape general classes for the charm of the theatre and the honor of being chosen to work with the principals.

During Legat's student years (1877-1888) at the

Imperial School he studied supported adagio and mimicry with Pavel Gerdt, technique with Nicolas Volkoff and Chris­ tian Johansson and learned stage techniques working in

Marius Petipa's productions. During this period he also continued his technical studies at home with his father.

Legat spent much of his time immersed in all the 45 arts. His time outside of scheduled classes was spent practicing his technique, studying others' dance technique, playing the piano, violin or balalaika or improving his physique with athletics and acrobatics. He was not a dili­ gent student in music but became proficient at the violin and at the age of eighteen, his music teacher "a violinist of the Imperial Opera, predicted him a glorious future".43

His talent was even greater in drawing, especially in caricatures and many of the caricatures made throughout his life were of the theatre people who surrounded his work.

To pursue his dream of painting, he began preparatory classes at the Society for the Promotion of Arts at the age of 30. A noted painter and instructor in the more advanced

classes, Zionglinsky, observed Legat in the children's

class and inquired why he was among the children. Legat

explained how he had always wanted to learn to paint and it was only now he had found the opportunity. Zionglinsky

requested Legat bring his previous work to show him. Legat brought his caricatures from home (already known among the

those in the theatre) and as Zionglinsky and other painters

expressed admiration he was transferred to the senior

class. Ultimately, this conflicted with his principal work

on stage and Legat did not continue his lessons.

In 1903, Legat did publish a collection of water

colors The Russian Ballet in Caricature with his brother 46

Serge. The white bound copy was presented to Tsar Nicolas

II. The brothers were also urged by the artist P. Bergh- oltz to submit some cartoons to the Imperial Society of

Water Colour, which were exhibited and sold for 100 rubles each. The Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovitch purchased several and consequently the brothers not only exhibited regularly but were made honorary members of the Society.

Many of the original Legat brother cartoons and some of their drawings are in Moscow at the Bakrushin Museum.

While pursuing his many interests in the arts,

Legat's primary interest remained in dance. He worked hard to match his father Gustav's incredible strength and standards by incorporating the use of weights in his train­ ing. For strength he placed leggings filled with 7 pounds of lead shot on his ankles while practicing ddvelop6s or leg lifts. To develop ballon (the light, elastic quality in jumps) he would practice jumping with a belt which held

10 pounds of lead shot around his waist. To develop 'manly strength' he established his own repertoire of athletics and acrobatics, practicing somersaults, handsprings, snap- ups and twirling on his head. He felt "these feats impart strength, litheness and self-confidence to a dancer, and secure him against an appearance of that most hateful attribute - effeminacy" To improve his turnout he would go to bed at night with his knees tied to the bed­ posts and sleep in a turned out position. As Legat's 47 career began to include teaching (1890) he set equally high standards and expectation for his own students.

Concurrent with Legat's training, a group of Italian dancers arrived in St. Petersburg. In 1885 Virginia Zucchi captivated the Russian audience with her dazzling tech­ nique, her strength ('en pointe') and faultless balance.

In 1886, Enrico Cecchetti came and exhibited exceptional male virtuosity and made a great impression on the sixteen year old Legat. Cecchetti danced the first "Blue Bird" in

Petipa's Sleeping Beauty in 1890. Upon seeing him dance,

Legat was astounded that a thirty-five year old Italian was turning eight pirouettes while the Russian dancers were content with four. Later Cecchetti was joined by a group of equally acrobatic Italian dancers including Carlotta

Brianza in 1887 and Pierina Legnani in 1893.

Cecchetti was engaged by the Imperial Theatre as second ballet master in 1890 and coach and instructor in

1892. When they hired Cecchetti the directors created two separate schools operating simultaneously within the Impe­ rial Theatre. The directors lined the dancers up and divided them into two groups. One half was assigned to study the Russian style under Christian Johansson, Pavel

Gerdt and Marius Petipa the other half the Italian style with Cecchetti. He taught mimicry in 1893 and classical technique in 1896. In 1902 Cecchetti left St. Petersburg 48 to become ballet master at the Warsaw Government Ballet

School. He returned to St. Petersburg in 1906 to open a private school. He left in 1909 to teach and coach for

Diaghilev's Ballet Russes.

Though the Italians exhibited technical superiority in beats, pirouettes, fouettds and speed, they did not possess the dignity and poise considered attributes of the

Russian school. Cecchetti offered a different aesthetic approach than the existing Russian school. He did not teach the body as a whole but tended to work one side to excess, practicing many tours en l'air and pirouettes to one side. The Russian training considered balance and a wholly trained body important element of their technique.

The craftsmanship of Cecchetti was widely acknowl­ edged by the Russian dancers and though they "set them­ selves to learn certain aspects of the Italian School,” they "could not renounce what they already held, and accept the Italian School in its entirety".45 Cecchetti's method of training was also more proscribed than the current

Russian method. It offered a menu approach, a Monday class, a Tuesday class and so forth for each day of the week. Johansson and the other Russian teachers felt this made the dancer's mind stale and less inventive and also lead to a more mechanical and less artistic development of the body.

Legat wanted to enhance and forward the Russian 49 dancers in technical prowess. The Italians had a bril­ liance Legat found lacking in the Russian training. He spent time with both schools dedicating hours to working with the Italian dancers. Legat examined their technique and analyzed the mechanics of their work. He was able to analyze the Italian 'tricks' and synthesize them. He acquired their brilliance and virtuosity and had the rare ability to discern and comprehend the mechanics of their technique - something the Italians themselves had difficul­ ty doing as they had learned through imitation. He reject­ ed the Italian idea of only emphasizing one side in techni­ cal training.

Even in his professional career Legat continued to work with and learn from the Italians. He worked with

Pierina Legnani, the first dancer to execute the thirty-two fouettds, now standard for all classical dancers. He studied the use of her head and the rhythm of the movement and in turn taught these to Matilda Kschessinska, Vera

Trefilova and later Agrippa Vaganova. He also worked with

Virginia Zucchi to soften her angularity and help her acquire the poise and line emphasized in the Russian tech­ nique .

Legat thus imitated, absorbed and learned all he could from the Italians and assimilated their distinguish­ ing dexterity and 'sensational brilliance' into the Russian 50 dancers. He did not feel a variance on technique should be made for elevation, such as bending the knees in the air when jumping in first position, which would change the beauty of the line. Most importantly, Legat felt artistry need rema.in primary; grace, aesthetic beauty, poise and line were not sacrificed for acrobatic tricks. Legat combined the technique of both systems into one method of training to eliminate confusion of style.

As Legat's professional performing career developed he became known as an impeccably correct technician with grace, good carriage and superb mimicry. His talents as a strong and flawless partner made him much sought after among the ballerinas in pas de deux work. His strength in partnering was demonstrated in an adagio class given by

Pavel Gerdt. Gerdt was setting a pas de deux for Legat and

Alexandra Vinogradova and she was afraid to leap into

Legat's arms and land in 'the fish'. In demonstration,

Gerdt (170 pounds) took a flying leap and landed securely in Legat's outstretched arms. As a result of this demon­ stration, Legat's strength became well known and he was soon asked to partner other ballerinas such as Pierana

Legnani, Anna Johansson, Olga Preobrazhenskaya, Vera Trefi- lova and Anna Pavlova.

It was on stage, while partnering Olga Preobrazhen­ skaya in Valse Caprice that a row of his front teeth were knocked out by her unwieldy and poorly placed elbow. The 51 performance continued and the mishap went unnoticed until the third curtain call when backstage he spat out his teeth and she promptly fainted. Though she was terribly upset over the incident, he made light of it and in later years exclaimed many children would have missed the amusement of his funny grimaces and removable teeth if the mishap had not occurred.

In the Imperial Theatre the support of the lady was totally the male's responsibility. A slip on stage or some other mistake in the performance was considered a personal defect and an official offense since the Imperial Ballet

Company belonged to the state, specifically the Tsar.

Legat recalled in a pas de deux with Anna Johansson that after their partnering work they were to separate to oppo­ site ends of the stage and each perform a pirouette. She fell in her execution and he was fined ten rubles. As her supporter, he was to have foreseen the accident and prevent it.46 ‘ .

Legat's performing career covered over half a cen­ tury. His first stage experience was at the age of seven

(1877) at a large public theatre on the Mars Common in St.

Petersburg. The stage was built by his father and his engineer cousin K. I. Legat for the Carnival where large popular festivals were held. Legat had the part of a negro boy in the patriotic performances and had coconuts in his 52 hands and on his knees. He participated with fifteen other boys in programs which were arranged by his father. He performed twice before his mother refused to allow him to

continue due to temperatures falling below 0° Centigrade.

Legat was considered a gifted dancer early in his

school years and was offered numerous roles in the Imperial

Ballet's productions. In his student years he danced in

many of Marius Petipa's ballets including: Daughters of the

Snow, Pharoah's Daughter. Paqueretta. Mlada. Rozano. Night

and Day, The King's Orders. Zaraiya and Deva Dunaya. One

of his earliest performances was in Petipa's Pharoah's

Daughter (around 1886). In this performance he was ap­

pointed to dance the role of monkey and the leading part

was to be danced by Virginia Zucchi. In preparation for

this performance assignment Legat spent time at the zoo

learning the monkey's movements. His performance won wide

appeal and he was asked to repeat the part several times

before the applause ceased. Zucchi was delighted with

Legat's rendition and predicted he would have a splendid

dance career.

His debut from the Imperial Ballet School at the age

of 18 was in a pas de deux with Marie Anderson. "Their

success was enormous; the criticisms in the Press, and

those of the public and artists, were excellent, and Mr.

Legat's name was made."^7 He graduated into the Imperial

Ballet Company with soloist standing, the only male to 53 earn that accolade at the Imperial School at that time. He was contracted at 300 rubles a year but after his debut his artistic gift was recognized and that was increased to 700 a year.

Shortly after he joined the Imperial Ballet his made his professional debut in The Enchanted Forest by Lev

Ivanov with music by Drigo. He danced with the ballerina

Maria Gorshenkova. His performance was widely acclaimed and he was given more premier roles. The following year

Nicolas danced as Endymion with Varvara Nikitina as Diane and Georgi Kyasht as Satire in a pas de trois called "Pas de Diane". Later the same year he danced with Carlotta

Brianza as a young peasant in the ballet Kalcobrina. His partnering success continued to grow and he was most wel­

come among the up and coming ballerinas. He partnered

Kschessinska at her debut in 1890 in La Fille Mai Gardde

and the well known critic A. Plestcheev wrote "Legat showed

himself the ideal partner for Mile. Kschessinska II."48

From his inception into the company he shared leading roles

with Pavel Gerdt.

Nicolas was known for being a maker of mischief and

for throwing humor into a stage production. When Prince

Serge Volkonsky became Director of the Imperial Theatre, he

wanted to start off well so he chose to revive Freischutz.

He replaced the less experienced dancers then dancing with 54 four leading couple roles danced by the premier dancers,

Serge and Nicolas Legat, Alfred Bekefi and Pavel Gerdt and the ballerinas Anna Pavlova, Olga Preobrajenskaya, Julia

Sedova and Vera Trefilova. The performance was well re­ ceived so Volkonsky decided to play it four and five times a week for two months. Nicolas, tired of the production, decided to have some fun. He chose the last act when all four couples dance together and the men wear identical costumes and wigs to play around. As Nicolas also pos­ sessed a great talent for make-up design he used this as part of his mischief. He applied make-up so that he and

Serge would look exactly like Alfred Bekefi. Three Bekefis and one Gerdt were so effective, even the ballerinas could not recognize their partners and mixed up their dances.

The tragedy became quite humorous and though the audience thought it a sensation and delight, Volkonsky did not and the premier dancers were all released from their roles.

In 1894, for the coronation of Nicolas II, a gala performance was held in Moscow. Nicolas was among the prominent ballet artists chosen to perform at the gala. He danced a pas de deux with Matilda Kschessinska and all the other artists danced in the corps de ballet.

Legat was greatly influenced by Marius Petipa and

considered him his mentor. Petipa did not pay much atten­ tion to Legat in his early career but eventually gave Legat

his first leading role (at age 26). This was to be the 55 beginning of a long professional working relationship between the two men, not only because Legat would later dance many major roles in Petipa's productions but because

Legat found that Petipa also relied on his choreographic invention for male solos and small groupings.

Legat's creative choreographic skills became evident to Petipa when Petipa viewed a pas de deux Legat had set for a Moscow dancer, Masalova.49 Legat had experimented and used a waltz for the pas de deux; pas de deux had most often been done to adagio in duple time very successfully.

Legat went on to set many pas de deux to waltzes. One of his most well known was Valse Caprice, created during the

last decade of the 19th century. This pas de deux first danced by Preobrajenskaya and Legat had acrobatic lifts and was considered guite contemporary for its time.

Because of Petipa's pleasure over the dance Legat

choreographed for his daughter Lubov. In addition Pavel

Gerdt asked Legat to set the debut dance for his godchild

Tamara Karsavina in 1901. For Karsavina, he chose a pas de

deux from The Willful Wife. The dance showed off

Karsavina's natural grace and talents and she and her partner Theodor Kosloff shone among the other dancers.

Legat's choreographic development was nurtured by both Johansson and Petipa and he was given more opportuni­ ties to create pas de deux, trois and quatre. Legat earned 56 a reputation for having talent and Petipa began to rely on

Legat to do more and more choreography for him. "Petipa looked upon Legat as a disciple who was extending his ideas.As Petipa was known to do more women's varia­ tions he relied on Legat to work more on the men solo's and pas de deux.

Petipa retired in 1903 and it was during this year that Legat first collaborated choreographically with his brother Serge and produced the ballet The Fairy Doll, to music by Joseph Bayer. It was the most widely received ballet choreographed by the Legats. It was danced by the

Legat brothers as the two Pierrots and Matilda Kschessinska danced the Doll. This ballet broke from the Petipa tradi­ tion of fairy tale like stories, containing human charac­ ters from the circus and minstrel world, eerie waltzes and a tap dance. The brothers were asked to produce it at the

Winter Palace as a special performance for the Tsar's children's first ballet. It is currently included in the

Russian Kirov Ballet's repertoire. Legat was also awarded an Imperial Cross on a Stanislav Ribbon for his artistic achievements at this time.

Legat began coaching (officially) in 1904 and became second ballet master for the Imperial Ballet Company 1905.

During this time he staged dances in balls and operas. In

1906 he produced the two-act ballet Puss in Boots; in 1907

The Little Red Flower: and in 1909 a new version of 57

Petipa's The Talisman. (See Appendix A for listing of

Legat's Ballets.) He was granted a twenty year pension in

1908. His works were described as charming and reminiscent of Petipa's ingenuity. He was talented in distinguishing dancers' strengths and weaknesses and composed poses, groupings and combinations to expose their virtues. His choreography, though not spectacular, was well received and he attributed his success as a ballet master to following

"the principle that the secret of beauty lies in simplici­ ty" .51

In 1909, he was leading the men's support class, and the Russian Government honored him and awarded him his 2nd

Imperial Cross on a Stanislav Ribbon. He was granted four months of leave for foreign travel paid for by the Russian

Government. He traveled to Paris and danced with Ksches­

sinska and Trefilova. It was also in 1909 that Diaghilev took Russian dancers to perform at the Thd&tre Chalet in

Paris.

In 1910, following Legat's tenure as assistant ballet master he, and a sm^ll group of dancer's, including Anna

Pavlova, from the Imperial Ballet performed through Europe.

The dancers made numerous visits abroad dancing at the

Grand Opera in Paris, in Berlin and Dresden, Germany;

Vienna, Austria; Budapest, Rumania; and at various provin­

cial theatres in London, England. Legat's dancing was 58 triumphant and he was honored by the French and awarded the

"Palme de l'Academie des Beaux Arts". The Russians also decorated his achievements and awarded him another Russian

Imperial Cross.

Legat fondly remembered his tours recalling that they

spent their days practicing, evenings performing and nights playing poker. At the Opdra Comique in Paris he and Trefi-

lova were offered fifty thousand dollars a month to tour

America. During his 1910 tour with Pavlova, Diaghilev

first approached Legat to join his new company. Legat declined both offers as he was very happy with his contract

at the Maryinski Theatre. He felt a great yearning for his

native Russia and he chose to return.

Legat performed in over fifty Petipa productions,

often dancing the lead role. A list of some of his impor­

tant roles include: Paquita (1890); The Sleeping Beauty

(1890); The Nutcracker (1892); the part of Luc in The Magic

Flute (1893); Swan Lake (1895); Blue Beard (1896); Raymonda

(1898); Harlequinade (1900); Petrouchka (1911, in Paris)

and La Fille Mai Gard6e (produced originally in 1827 and

danced with Pavlova in 1912). He became Premier Danseur

and Artist Emeritus in 1913.

The professional dancers at the Imperial school

continued class regularly and there was a growing genera­

tion of dancers developing even greater technique. Chris­

tian Johansson added a post-graduate class in 1895 known as 59 the 'Class of Perfection'. Its objective was to continue the training of the prominent dancers who had already graduated from the Imperial School and were performing in the Imperial Theatre. It began as a class for women art­ ists but Nicolas and his brother Serge requested and were allowed admittance. Later more men would join the class.

Legat first began teaching in the early 1890's in private houses before actually being appointed an instruc­ tor at the Imperial Ballet. In 1896 he took over the senior boy's class and Gerdt took over the senior girl's class. Cecchetti was teaching the parallel girl's class.

It was in 1900, during Legat's tenure as instructor of the senior class that he recognized the potential of

Vaslav Nijinsky. Nijinsky's mother had brought him to the theatre school at the age of ten to audition for admission.

The examining commission had an unfavorable impression of

Nijinsky as they felt he seemed awkward and of 'delicate health'. Legat observed his unusual thigh formation and requested him to jump. His ability to soar granted him immediate admission.

Nijinsky was impressed by Legat's method of using weights to increase ballon. He too began to train with weights and follow Legat's advice closely. He found a mentor in Nicolas and followed his advice closely.

Nijinsky fondly recalled how Nicolas would open all the 60 studio windows allowing the frigid air in until right before class began. He would then work the dancers to warm their bodies and within ten minutes into class their "blood tingled". Nijinsky also said, when thinking of the cold, how he "thought of Legat, unable to exercise as we did, patiently teaching us, now shouting exciting orders at us, now counting sharply to emphasize the tempo that he set by plucking strings of his violin. Always happy and smiling, he made his lessons a joy, and loved us both as a friend and teacher."

When Johannson retired from teaching, in 1903, Legat began teaching the 'Class of Perfection'. In the first

classes Legat taught, Johansson sat by his side. He guided

Nicolas and shared his wisdom and with the word "good",

gave his approval to Nicolas as a teacher. Legat conducted

the 'Class de Perfection' until 1914, using Johansson's

violin as accompaniment.

Legat married Antonia Chumakova (a graduate of the

St. Petersburg School in 1908) in 1909. Though it was a

short marriage, they had a daughter Maria in 1910. Maria's

daughter, Legat' granddaughter, Tatiana is a dancer and

instructor with the Kirov Ballet. Her daughter, Alena, has

studied at the Leningrad Choreographic School.

Not long after the birth of Maria, Legat noticed one

of his students, Nadine de Briger. She practiced diligent­

ly in her dancing, employing his use of weights to achieve 61 greater elevation and working hard to meet his standards.

Though twenty-six years his junior, he became enamored with her and she with him and they decided to elope.53

The 1914 gala performance of Esmeralda, marking

Legat's 25th anniversary as a professional dancer with the

Imperial Theatres turned out to be Nicolas1 last appearance at the Maryinsky Theatre and also the last visit by Emperor

Nicolas II. The audience was composed of Russian nobility and all rose to hear the National Anthem and pay tribute to the Tsar and Tsarina. Richard Drigo conducted, Matilda

Kschessinska danced Esmeralda, Pavel Gerdt danced Frolo and

Stukolkin (first name unknown) danced Quasimodo. Halfway into the first act, when the poet Gringoire, danced by

Nicolas Legat was dragged on stage by the brigands, the performance stopped.

The entire audience rose to its feet. Even the Tsar stood. On the stage the performers deserted their positions to acclaim their colleague, who remained in the centre bowing incessantly, clearly moved to tears by this acclamation. The poet Gringoire was Nicolas Legat, and the occa­ sion the celebration of his jubilee of twenty- five year's service in the Imperial Theatre. The demonstra­ tion, which lasted a good fifteen minutes, and was re peated again in the next two acts, was a tribute of public admiration.54

Legat received congratulatory telegrams and tables brought on the stage were filled with gifts from his pub­

lic. The Tsar gave Nicolas a gold cigarette case with the

Imperial Coat of Arms in enamel and diamonds and the title 62 of "His Majesty's Soloist".

After the gala performance, commemorating Legat's twenty-five years, in service at the Imperial Theatres,

Legat obtained leave from the Imperial Theatres to tour abroad with Nadine de Briger Nicolaeva, the pupil with whom he had become infatuated. In 1914 when World War I broke out they were dancing in Paris at the Mogador Theatre. On

August 1, Germany declared war on Russia and within days

France and Britain were involved. Disbandment of the group of dancers seemed imminent as France began to mobilize.

Legat and Nadine, while deliberating over their situation, welcomed a suggestion by Anna Pavlova to take over her

London engagement so she could accept an offer to take her

company to India.

Legat and Nadine traversed the English Channel under the protection of Sir Alfred Butt. They danced in a revue

called The Passing Show at the Palace Theatre. In each performance Legat and Nadine danced a pas de deux either

the "Pas de Ruban" from La Fille Mai Gardde or The Baccha-

nale. They accepted invitations to appear on behalf of

charitable efforts and at private balls and also gave

lessons to many serious ballet students. After the engage­ ment at the Palace Theatre, the Legats accepted an engage­ ment from Sir Oswald Stoll to appear at the London

Coliseum. They received notable press reviews,

If the work of his partner, Mademoiselle Nicolaeva, 63

may be taken as a sample of his teaching, then he is truly great. Her ddveloppds. her arabesques. are a feast for the gods. All this time Legat is "doing nothing", just holding her; but he is doing nothing as only a master can... 5

Nicolas Legat and Nadine toured the country for several weeks with the Stoll show but Nadine, feeling very homesick, asked Nicolas to take her back to Russia. Find­ ing release from their engagements and setting up their pupils to continue classes with another former dancer from the Imperial Ballet, Seraphina Astafieva, they began their

journey back to Russia.

They made a difficult and long voyage to Bergen,

Norway on a mine-sweeper. Despite difficulties in arrang­

ing their travel back to St. Petersburg they arrived safe­

ly. They went to stay at Nadine's parents home, the de

Brigers, as Nadine was pregnant. Their daughter, Anna,

called Nan, was born 1917. Nadine's mother was happy to

care for Nan while Legat and Nadine continued dancing.

When home from their tours, both Nadine and Legat spent

their time with Nan. Legat proved to be a great entertain­

er as he amused Nan with happy and droll faces, making up

tricks or funny antics. Nadine told a story about the

family walking through the park and remembered this about

Legat:

...he suddenly picked me up and set me in the push-chair with Nan on my lap, to send us coasting down a long steep slope. Passers by showed amusement, disapproval, or consternation as Nicolas raced after us, only just managing to stop the chair at the bottom of the hill. 64

We landed in a heap, all shrieking with laughter.56

The Russian government planned a mission to the

Roumania-Russian border to entertain representatives of both countries. Included in the mission were Legat and

Nadine, a small company of dancers, opera singers, actors and a balalaika orchestra. Admiral Veselkine, in control of the Russian boundary, arranged a reception and dinner party upon the entertainers' arrival so they could meet his officers, their wives and Roumanian officials. The next day they crossed the Danube into Bucharest and entertained between conferences. See Appendix B for picture of the

Legats with the border guards.

Upon their return to St. Petersburg, Legat and Nadine

resumed their dancing. They maintained an apartment in both Moscow and Petrograd (as St. Petersburg was called

from the onset of the war) because of the constant travels between the cities. The Legats had Nan with them whenever possible but with their irregular life and the

unrest in their country it was not too often. Finding it

difficult to locate someone to care for Nan, they decided

to let her stay with Nadine's parents.

The Legats were attached to a company to tour the

southern provinces as troop entertainment. Though the

country began to see many war hardships and casualties the

dancers fared well, enjoying plentiful food and generous

hospitality and parties offered by the provincial gover- 65 nors.

After this provincial tour, the Legats went back to

St. Petersburg to continue their more regular life of classes, practice and performance. Russia was not faring well in the war. Many soldiers were deserting, food was becoming scarce and hostilities and political rebellion within Russia itself seemed eminent. The strife and disor­ ganization caused by the war created a tension which brought many unhappy workers to take a stand against their homeland. The Tsar was forced to abdicate his throne in

March of 1917. He and his family were banished to

Ekaterinburg in the Ural mountains. A government formed by the liberals under Kerensky came in control of Russia. For awhile the theatre life went on unchanged as ballet and opera were still receiving large and enthusiastic audi­ ences .

In the fall of 1917, while performing at the People's

Theatre, the Narodny Dorn in St. Petersburg, the Bolsheviks took control of the city. After the performance the Legats found it impossible to reach the Naval College where

Nadine's parents and Nan were as it was surrounded and under guard. News was finally filtered back that the family had escaped to Kiev and later to England, but it was a six year separation before Legat and Nadine were able to meet up with their daughter Nan. 66

It was not long before vast changes were made at the

Maryinski Theatre. The grandeur and richness were a thing of the past. The audience was no longer the elegant and flamboyant aristocrats but political refugees and factory workers. The dancers were no longer in the service of the

Tsar (the Romanov family having been killed by the Bolshe­ viks) and were without many of the privileges previously granted them. They lived in conditions of hardship, con­ serving fuel whenever possible, rationed baths and danced

(by strict orders) in cold theatres. All personal posses­ sions were confiscated.

The acting government transferred the Legats to the

Bolshoi in Moscow. Their apartment had been commandeered and they were given one a block from the theatre. In an effort to expand the outlook of the workers, the new gov­ ernment arranged tours taking the artists to the workers.

Railway cars became living quarters and the dancers trav­ eled from village to village to entertain the workers.

There were no theatres and conditions were miserable. They performed in village halls and factories. Food and heat were scarce and daily practice was difficult. Legat still held class daily which Nadine faithfully took. The dancers traveled far west across the Caspian Sea then North into

Siberia, well exceeding the three months originally planned for the tour.

Conditions worsened and Nadine became very ill. 67

Forced to dance anyway, Legat wrote appealing to the gov­

ernment in Moscow for a holiday. After much effort, and with Nadine contracting pneumonia, they received their long

awaited response. They were granted a short stay in the

Caucassus at government expense and then returned to Mos­

cow. It was upon their return they were notified that

Nadine's family and their daughter Nan had reached London

safely. Though they despaired over the separation with

their daughter they had no choice but to resume life in

Moscow as no one could leave Russia without a permit.

After the revolution, Legat was appointed ballet

master at the State School of the Bolshoi theatre. About

two hundred day pupils, chosen from the population at

large, attended the school. Both Nadine and Legat partici­

pated in the stage productions, dancing many principal

roles. Legat became very distressed that Nadine's health,

her stamina and strength had never returned fully. He

decided they must leave Russia, the country he loved so

much, if things were ever to get better. Without Nadine's

knowledge he devised a plan for their escape.

Legat's plan was to travel by railroad car during the

middle of the night, hoping to leave unnoticed. Legat had

made arrangements for he and Nadine to board a hospital

train as patients, accompanied also by Victor Smoltzoff, a

young dancer at the Bolshoi. Upon their arrival, the train 68 was to depart immediately. Instead it was held up in the yard, and for three days the Legat's and Smoltzoff were surrounded by fear they would be found out. They remained hidden and after three days the train departed. After many days of stops and traveling, the train arrived at Kharkoff.

Almost safely out of Russia the fugitives were stopped by the Cheka, the Secret Police, who were sent to return them to Moscow. Legat in desperation explained the illness of his wife. He was informed by the Cheka that M. Lunatch- asky, the Superintendent of Education was in Kharkoff.

Realizing Lunatchasky was the brother-in-law to Lydia (last name unknown by author) a retired ballerina who had coached

Nadine previously, they relayed their plight and appealed to him for help. After agreeing to dance in Kharkoff, he signed a letter composed by the fugitives which not only caused the Director in Moscow to over look their lapse but also to grant them a holiday.

Waiting for a reply concerning a holiday, Legat began work on a project for reforming the Moscow State Ballet

School. It proved a diversion for him while awaiting his persistent requests for a trip to restore Nadine's health.

At last, in 1921, the request passed through the many subcommittees and the required signatures were obtained. A six month vacation abroad was granted. Now the problem was finding the resources to finance their trip to England and hopefully be reunited with their family. Nadine's spirits 69 were very low. Nicolas, always the optimist "declared he would find a diamond which should provide" their

"capital".57 Nicolas explained that with all the ransack­

ing and looting that had been done by the ousting of the

old government, it was not a fantasy but a real possibili­

ty.

As time grew nearer to their appointed departure,

Nicolas continued his routine, but walked the streets

gazing downward, looking for his diamond. To Nadine's

utter surprise, hurrying in the rain in Nevsky Prospect, he

suddenly stopped and knelt down and began to poke in a

puddle with a stick. He had found his diamond.

The Legats left Russia with two other dancers, Lola

Lukoma and Boris Shavroff, a violinist and pianist. They

gave concerts whenever possible, traveling through Lithua­

nia and Latvia, across the Baltic Sea and into Sweden. The

Legats separated from the others here as the Legats in­

formed them that they had no intention of ever returning to

Russia.

In Berlin, they found Nadine's brother Vladimir and

news that the de Brigers and Nan were still in England.

Anxious to leave Berlin but in need of money, they were not

able to leave until 1922. As soon as they were able,

Nicolas and Nadine made their journey to England. They

were finally reunited with Nan and Nadine's parents at 70

Victoria Station in London.

Survival had become a primary concern so Legat began making inquiries into how best to find work in the dance

profession. As other misplaced Russians had also made

their way to London, they were able to join them and per­

form throughout 1923. They took all and any engagements.

In March, the Legats auditioned at a small hall in Crickle-

wood. In June, at a private party given by Mrs. Benjamin

Guiness, they performed Lac des Cynges with a small company

of dancers. It was performed outdoors amongst the trees on

specially constructed rafts which floated on the water.

The Daily Express reviewed the evening as "F6te Nocturne"

and described the performance in poetic terms.

In 1923, Legat also opened a studio on Euston Road.

Many dancers came to Legat to study privately including

Lopokova, Idzikowsky and Algeranoff. The studio prospered

as more dancers were sent to him by other Russian dancers

and English students alike became aware of his teaching.

Seraphina Astafieva sent Anton Dolin. During this time,

Alicia Marks 'Markova' was brought by her father to take

class with Legat.

Not being satisfied with teaching alone, the Legat's

also established a company known as the Moscow Art Dancers.

The company performed in the West-End and provincial thea­

tres. They secured an engagement at the London Palladium.

They obtained a special license so that the under age 71

Alicia Markova could perforin with them (allowing her to

dance until 9:00 o'clock p.m.)*

During 1924, the Legats and company had even more

engagements and the studio flourished. Sir Oswald Stoll

viewed the Moscow Art Dancers and booked them at the

"Alhambra" and the "London Coliseum". Legat arranged and

choreographed ballets for the company. Included in their

repertoire were La Poupde f several pas de deux and scenes

from Coppelia and La Mort du Cyqne. Legat taught young

aspiring dancers, company members and those professionals

who sought private lessons.

In the spring of 1925 Serge Diaghilev came to the

studio and approached Legat about teaching the young Serge

Lifar. The arrangement was made that Serge would be re­

leased from his contract for concentrated lessons with

Legat. Diaghilev then explained he and Lifar would be

going to Italy for the holidays and invited Nicolas and

Nadine to join them so that Lifar could continue his les­

sons. The studio was gaining ground and it was determined

that Legat would fare better by continuing his work in

England. Diaghilev telegrammed from Italy two months later

again requesting that Legat come and tutor Lifar. Re­

sponding to his request, in 1925, the Legats went to Venice

and then Lido, to where Diaghilev had reserved a studio

where Legat worked with Lifar. To the accompaniment of his 72 violin, Legat worked with both Lifar and Nadine, affording

Lifar a lot of double work practicing his partnering skills with Nadine.

The Legats accompanied Diaghilev throughout Italy,

Florence, Rome, Naples, Capri and Sorrento. After much discussion the Legats eventually agreed to join the Ballets

Russes. Nicolas was to arrange ballets and work as ballet master, Nadine to join as company member. Needing to go back to London and make arrangements for their family and

studio, it was agreed that the Legats join the company in

Paris, then Brussels and return with the company to dance

in the London Coliseum.

In Paris, the Legats joined the company, composed of

Stanislas Idizkowsky, Vera Nemchinova, Lydia Sokolova,

Alexandra Danilova, Alicia Nikitina and Alicia Markova.

George Balanchine was the company choreographer and he was

working on a new ballet Baraban. Legat as ballet master,

became engrossed in teaching. The dancers rehearsed sec­

tions from Sleeping Beauty. Nutcracker and Swan Lake be­

cause it was felt European audiences were not yet ready for

the full-length versions.

After a short season with the company in Brussels,

the company went on to London to perform at the Coliseum,

with both Legat and Nadine performing. See Appendix C for

a program copy from this performance. After London the

Diaghilev company went to Berlin. Here their season in- 73 eluded Prince Igor. Lac des Cynges. La Boutique Fantasque and Scheherazade.

From Berlin they went on to southern France and Monte

Carlo. In Monte Carlo, Legat was reunited with his sister

Vera and her husband Count Andrey Chouvalov. As Chouvalov was once the general in charge of the Tsar's bodyguards, they had enjoyed the riches of life. Now they were desti­ tute.

During this time Karsavina joined the Ballet Russes as Lifar's partner in Romeo and Juliet and Bronislava

Nijinska arrived to join the company as choreographer.

Despite financial difficulties the Ballet Russes still managed to continue. Legat was discontent with the demands made of him to teach and choreograph. He and Diaghilev quarreled frequently and financial problems were plentiful.

Legat was eager to extricate himself from the company and, after a bitter quarrel, resigned. Nadine was still under contract.

In May the Ballet Russes was booked for a season in

Paris at the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre. Legat followed to

stay with Nadine and she was finally released from her contract. The family from England was brought over but it was obvious Nan was not well. After back x-rays it was advised that she be taken to the Institute Calot at Berck-

Plage, Boulogne. She had contracted tuberculosis of the 74

spine and needed medical attention and would be on her back

for two years.

While in Paris, Legat was approached by Djina Saari who was interested in setting up a permanent ballet company with the Thdcitre des Champs Elysdes. Legat spoke with

Anatole Oboukhoff about partnering Nadine. They began

working together and Nicolas created a new ballet Vengeance

des Dieux based on a Hindu legend. The Djina Saari Company

performances were sold out but the production costs seem to

always exceed the revenue causing financial difficulties

for the company. When Diaghilev arrived to review the

dancers he offered Oboukoff and three company members

contracts. Seeing the opportunity as a wonderful chance

for them, Legat released them from their contracts and they

joined up with Diaghilev.

Again, as luck would have it, Legat was to start over

again. With urging from Nadine's brother Vladimir, Legat

invested what little capital he had into a new studio Haute

Ecole de Ballet in Paris. He taught new dancers and girls

from the Opera; he also attracted professional dancers who

came to study with him when in Paris. Arrangements had

been made for Nadine to tour Holland but Nadine was without

a partner. A student, Jean Mercier, had been coming to

Legat for advanced lessons and it seemed he might be suit­

able to accompany Nadine. Legat worked with them and

Mercier took 'Serge Renoff' as his stage name. Off they 75 went to Holland and continued to Copenhagen, Germany,

Alexandria and Algiers. On return to the Apollo theatre in

Paris, Bronislava Nijinska, ballet mistress for Ida

Rubenstein's company offered Nadine and Renoff a contract for the Paris season. Legat's studio was well established and Nan seemed to be responding to treatment. Paris was now home.

The Paris studio did well until 1930, when raises in rent made it less profitable to continue in the city. The idea of moving back to England was explored and premises in

Colet Gardens, near Baron's Court station, looked inviting.

With spacious floors, a high roof and windows it seemed the optimum studio. The decision was made to have a stage built for performances. While this was being readied,

Legat began classes on Poland Street until he was able to move to his new studio at Colet Gardens.

The Legat studio of Operatic dancing at Colet Gardens opened in 1930. It was established as The Russian Ballet

Society and Legat taught technique incorporating the forty-

five years of expertise he had acquired as artist, dancer,

choreographer and pedagogue. He also taught choreography and special classes in mime.

In the same year (1930), Diaghilev died, the Ballet

Russes disbanded and the Camargo Society was forhied. This was in part to fill the gap left by the Ballet Russe but 76 also to establish a national ballet for Britain. The

Camargo Society's first performance was October 19, 1930 and it included Variations and Coda by Nicolas Legat to music by Glinka. Legat also participated in the January

25th, 26th 1931 performances by arranging "Le Rois s'amuse". In his teachings he was still considered a maestro, which brought the best professional dancers to his studio for class. Among the register of pupils who attended his classes were Pearl Argyle, Mona Inglesby,

Antony Tudor, Margot Fonteyn, Moira King 'Shearer', Ninette de Valois, Adeline Gende. See Appendix D for a register of his students from 1934-1937. ENDNOTES

Q7 # A Balagam is a field theatre of buffoonery, in­ cluding ballet, circus and puppetry.

38The placement of Gustav Legat at 240 rubles was terribly low. He was continually denied salary increases and privileges because of his resistance to becoming a Russian citizen. Finally in 1871 he applied for citizen­ ship and it was granted but without privileges due to his previous stubbornness.

OQ M. Borisoglebsky, Leningrad State Choreography School. "The Past of the Ballet Department of Petersburg theatre School Currently Named Leningrad State Choreography School", part I, trans. Dora Romadinov (Leningrad: Lenin­ grad State Choreography School, 1938) 205.

48Nicolas Legat, The Story of the Russian School (London: British Continental Press, Ltd., 1932) 41.

41Ibid.

42Feodor Lopukhov, 6O1 Years in Ballet: Note and Memories of a Ballet Master. (Moscow: Art, 1966. Translat­ ed by Dora Romadinov) 84.

43Nicolas Legat, "Chapter in the History of Russian Ballet," The London Dancing Times. 188 (June 1926): 244.

44Nicolas Legat, "What is Elan," The London Dancing Times 316 (February 1937): 624.

45Gregory, John, Light on a System of Classical Dance (London: The Federation of Russian Classical Ballet 1950) 4.

46Nicolas Legat, The Story of the Russian School (London: British Continental Press, Ltd., 1932) 52.

47Nicolas Legat, "Chapter in the History of Russian Ballet," The London Dancing Times. (June 1926): 243.

A Q , , *°Matilde Kschessxnska, Dancing in St. Petersburg.

77 78

The Memoirs of Kschessinska, trans. Arnold Haskell (New York: Da Capo Press, 1977) 30.

A Q ^Masalova was a distant relative to Nicolas Legat

88Andrd Eglevsky, Heritage of a Ballet Master: Nicolas Legat (New York: Dance Horizons, 1978) 6 . c *| 3XNicolas Legat, The Story of the Russian School (London: British Continental Press, Ltd., 1932) 50.

52Richard Buckle, Nijinsky New York: (Simon & Schuster, 1967) 13-14. c o 3,3Barbara Vernon, University of Surrey Catalog. 50th Anniversary Exhibition of Nicolai Legat 1869-1937. First shown at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden 9-12/87. pg.2

54Nicolas Legat, The Story of the Russian School (London: British Continental Press, Ltd., 1932). foreword by Paul Dukes - pg. 7 55 • Nicolaeva Legat, The Legat Story Unpublished manuscript 1947, Copy in the hand of author 46.

56Ibid., 31.

57Ibid., 89.

58Ibid., 94. CHAPTER V

TECHNIQUE OF NICOLAS LEGAT

The development of the Legat system of pedagogy culminated from Legat's work as student, choreographer, dancer, and his associations with Christian Johansson,

Marius Petipa and Enrico Cecchetti. A prodigy of the

Russian Imperial System, he had an appreciation for the beauty and artistry historically associated with French ballet. Exposure to the Italian ballet master and teacher

Cecchetti sparked an interest in developing brilliance in technique. The system he developed brought the best of the

Russian and Italian methodologies.

Feodor Lopukov corroborates the concept.that Legat propelled the Russian system further than his predecessors.

He remembers him as "among the finest teachers who laid the foundations of the present Russian Ballet.

Legat did not simply pass on to his pupils that which he had received from his teachers. He constantly and insistently worked to evolve and perfect a unique system from the genuine national elements of the classi­ cal dance. His students did not belong to the French school (as some balletomanes believed); they were the brilliant representatives of a new school of dance - a true Russian classical dance which has indeed conquered the whole world. 0

This chapter is an analysis of the system

79 80

Legat developed as passed down from generation to genera­ tion to Legat in oral tradition. It examines information obtained from pupils of both Nicolas and Nadine. Informa­ tion was received through oral discussion with Barbara

Vernon, Anna Lendrum, Patricia Deane-Gray, Jurgen Pagels and Mimi Legat who generously gave time and information to the author. Information reviewed was also gathered from

Legat's lesson plans and other published material on his teachings. Chapter VI analyzes the Legat system as record­ ed by Nadine Nicolaeva Legat.

The Legat system was based on a logical progression of muscular and skeletal development. It was a molding of the body involving time, patience and daily regimen. He maintained that the primary goal of a teacher is to estab­ lish a joy of dancing in his students. Legat did this by giving the students the feeling of dancing, connected, flowing movement, from the beginning of their training. He taught definitive rules for the execution of a movement which the student could apply to other steps. This result­ ed in implanting a spirit which could grow with a working knowledge; the perfection of technique was acquired along with the joy and desire to dance.

Legat felt that in ballet, "the beauty of line is maintained by adherence of the head, torso, arms and legs to the rules of the circumference".61 Legat felt learning to stand like a dancer with "a straight back, shoulders 81 held down, head raised proudly, arms circular, held slight­

ly away from the body"62 was the first step in learning to dance. From this, the most noticeable feature that the

Legat School developed was the ease, grace and fluidity in using the upper body, the '6paulement'. Legat felt it was

in the '6paulement', the expression of the upper body, where artistry began, using the obligue alignments 6ffac6

and crois6 to offer elegant, long lines and three dimen­

sional form. His theory accentuated the beauty of

epaulement and the ballet aesthetic which emphasized its

subtle use of the shoulders and back and the turn of the

head over the forward shoulder. Legat taught all movements

coordinating dpaulement with the use of the lower body;

arms remained soft and balanced with strength maintained in

the legs.

Legat felt it was important that proper balance of

the body was felt from the onset of training: That the

legs were properly turned out from the groin, and the head

held in line with the spine to create ease of movement. He

emphasized that the finding of balance came from using the

pressure of the ball of the foot, which caused a slight

forward lean over the kneeB and centering of the body.

Legat stressed danger in overstretching resulting in

a lack of firmness.63 He emphasized that care and time

should be used in limbering the body to develop elasticity 82 of the tendons and muscles. He would use the example of his father Gustav to explain this. Though Gustav was able to develop extraordinary turn-out by increasing the elas­ ticity of tendons and muscles the price he paid was a lack of elevation in his leaps and jumps.

Legat's teachings stressed the importance of musical- ity and understanding of accents and rhythm. These were so greatly emphasized that he found his own playing of the violin or piano while teaching made the accompaniment very

suitable. Barbara Vernon, an English dancer and former

student of Legat's speaks of the use of rubato and rebound

in technique - something she feels is lost in today's pedagogy.64 Legat's teachings encouraged soaring and

lightness and he used the music to support elasticity in movement and tempo. By offering his own accompaniment,

Legat could produce the intended rhythm which expressed his

ideas better than an accompanist could.

Legat's tenets included the development of the body

harmoniously: muscular flexibility and strength, speed,

quickness of mind, a quality of lightness and fluidity of

movement. Vernon explains a gentleness in Legat when giving

corrections. "He would cajole and persuade to achieve

technique.1,65 Legat remained calm and helpful using

subtle comments and images to correct a stance or explain

technique to the dancers. He had the ability to transform

a difficult step into one of beauty and grace. 83

Legat felt there was an immense difference in men's and women's technique and that the integrity of masculinity in the male dancer was vital. A man should never extend his leg higher than 90° in arabesque or attitude nor bend from the back. When performing pas de bourrdes, a man should perform them simply, never picking his feet up in

'pizzicato' manner but keeping his feet close to the floor.

A woman was allowed free range to take her leg above 90° and arch her back as well. There were also steps that a man should never execute as Legat considered them to be too feminine. For instance, a woman may execute a pas de chat, but the man would execute a brisd. Included as men's movements in Legat's pedagogy were most unsupported turns

such as tours en l'air, a jump with a full turn as well as pirouettes (which were performed with the foot at sur cou- de-pied or at the ankle). The unsupported fouettd turns did became popular among women, introduced when Pierina

Legnani came to Russian in 1893 and Legat worked with many women to perfect these.

Legat placed great importance on the use of the

coupd, from which lightness and elevation in movement are

derived. He emphasized hip control for turn-out to support

the upper body over the legs and for delicacy of movement

in executing the coupd. He taught that coupd is performed

by pushing away from the ground and accenting the upbeat; 84 the entire leg stretches, extending the height and creating a different rhythm than a movement done low to the ground

(as in the Italian Method). Greater elevation and a springy jump is achieved in this way and a dancer can suspend in the air by opening the legs at the peak of the jump. The use of energy is efficient as the dancer uses the push against the floor for an impetus, and the legs are involved in maintaining the energy flow. Legat taught that the arm and head movement to accompany the jump must be done in the air and maintained upon landing; compromise for convenience was not allowed.

Legat followed a systematic logical approach and progression in his class which alternated and incorporated the use of many muscle groups and formed smoother, longer muscles. Varied and lengthy combinations were often given to the dancers incorporating development of mind and body and encouraging development of strength and endurance.

Within his structured framework he continually gave differ­ ent combinations which challenged the mind and offered to the dancers infinite creative combinations and ways of moving. The combinations were given once and the dancers were required to perform them correctly, on flat, demi- pointe or pointe without error. If there was an error, the combination had to be repeated from the beginning. Other­ wise, Legat followed Christian Johansson method and never repeated combinations from class to class, bringing new and 85 challenging work to his students continuously.

The class began with preparatory exercises at the barre. Each exercise was given in a logical sequence for warming up, strengthening and lengthening the muscle groups and involving the joints sequentially. Beginning with the

larger muscle groups and proceeding to the deeper, smaller muscles each exercise had a specific purpose. The muscles were worked in opposition so that there was consistent use without over use. "Everything was balanced, never too much of one movement in one direction; an exercise of tension being counter-balanced by one of relaxation; a step of

rebounding allegro followed by one of legato; the small

allegro leading to the big allegro, and so on to the bat-

terie and grands tours."®® Legat explained the mechanics

and purpose of each exercise so the dancer would make the

best use of it in execution.

Legat did not demonstrate but emphasized the used of

the ballet vocabulary, stressing the French nomenclature.

He used his fingers to demonstrate the movements. Vera

Zorina studied with him in Paris in 1928 and then in Eng­

land in the early 1930's until his death in 1937. She

recalled, "He was a little old man but amazingly graceful,

and would illustrate what he wanted us to do with perfect

nimble economy."®7

In describing the class structure it should be noted 86 that Legat taught all exercises to instill the inherent qualities of the method - 6paulement, musicality, speed, breathing and eye focus. He paid close attention to each dancer's strength to encourage individual development of their particular unique qualities. He worked with each

student to understand their own body and talents and devel­ op as dancer uniquely. Each exercise involving specific muscle groups was done slowly then quickly to ensure proper warm-up and readiness of the muscles. Variations of arm movements, changes in rhythm and tempo were incorporated with each exercise.

The class structure always began with plids at the barre. Once the concept of pli6s was taught they were

always done in second position first, this being the easi­

est to execute and then performed in first position and

fifth position. Advanced dancers would also do them in

fourth position but this was considered too strenuous and

difficult for younger or more inexperienced dancers. In

Legat's class pli6s were done once through without repeti­

tion because he felt too many grand plies (eight grande plids were the limit) were excessive and caused muscle

strain.

Plids were followed by battement tendus to strengthen

and make the instep more pliable and supple. This included

a family of seven types: The simple battement tendu

(performed with straight legs), relevd, jetd, piqud, 87 balangoire, pli6 or en l'air68. In the beginning years battement tendu were done simply but as the student pro­ gressed they included the more difficult types executed with changes of rhythm and tempo and alternating weight from leg to leg. This provided the base for building control and power in the foot to be used in jumps, balances and turns. Pli6s and tendus were included as part of all other ballet steps either singularly or together, their correct execution being integral to developing proper strength, flexibility and control.

In the Legat syllabus, tendus were followed by batte­ ment fondus. This incorporated the use of coordination of both legs bending and straightening in a fluid movement.

The purpose was to work the calf muscles and produce elas­ ticity and ballon. It was unique to the Legat system to follow battement tendus with fondus which were often done later in the class in other systems. In the Legat Method the legs were kept low to the ground at ankle height as the body was not warmed up sufficiently to extend it higher.

As the student became more proficient and stronger, varia­ tions were added, including a greater number to build strength and endurance and repetition on half-pointe and/or alternating legs.

Frapp6s were the fourth exercise. The frapp6 was done as a brisk, energetic movement, where the foot 88

(wrapped around the ankle or fully stretched) struck out­ ward from the ankle, without displacing the height of the

leg. This strengthened the foot and the tendons at the

knee providing protection for the joint as well as prepara­

tion for jumps such as jetd, bris£ and assemble. As the

student became more advanced the rhythm would be varied,

beats added and the exercise would be repeated on demi-

pointe.

Rond de jambes par terre which describe a circular

motion along the floor were done next. The action of this

movement began with the tendu and the leg was carried

circularly from the fourth position front to second posi­

tion to the fourth position back. Rond de jambes worked

the muscles at the hip joint where turnout occurs and

helped develop a continuity and fluidity of movement during

weight shifts as the foot passed through first position and

continued it circuitous movement. Many different varia­

tions would be performed including rond de jambe en dehors

(outward) or en dedans (inward) to different tempi, with

pli§, arm movements and port de bras.

Rond de jambe en l'air was the next exercise. This

followed the Scime concept of the rond de jambe par terre

but the circular movement was taken in the air rather than

along the floor. The circular movement was performed at or

below a height of 90° in second position. The thigh re­

mained still as the foot described the circle (the align- 89 ment of the lower leg never reaching behind the knee)

either in the en dehors or en dedans direction. This being

a difficult step it was usually introduced at the fourth

grade of training. It strengthened the muscles and tendons

at the knee joint and strengthened the muscles supporting

turnout from the hip joint.

In the Legat syllabus, following the rond de jambe

was the larger more controlled adagio movement, developp6 .

The ddveloppd was an unfolding or an extension of the leg

at the highest level possible without disrupting placement.

It involved all the muscles of the legs and a great deal of

support from the muscles of the abdomen and back. The

foot, in making its extension, first traveled sur cou-de-

pied, then to the retire position at the knee and then to

the desired placement (second or fourth devant or

derrifere). The foot then determined the height as it was

lifted first and the leg carried through the attitude

position before the thigh finally finished the extension.

Ddvelopp<§s were first taught at the grade four level. As

the student advanced, the combinations became more diffi­

cult, added were varying oblique alignments such as croisd,

ecartd and 6ffac6 , and carriage of the leg en rond at full

height or through passd, repeated on demi-pointe or pointe

and incorporated with port de bras and balances in ara­

besque and attitude. 90

Grand battement followed ddveloppd. It was a high throw of the leg and followed the same principles of the ddvelopp6 in the use of the hip joint. It began as a tendu but continued to the highest extension possible. The leg was tossed freely with respect to anatomical placement and then controlled during the descent. The impetus was de­ rived from the tendu and stretched the leg muscles during the ascent of the leg building strength in the control of the descent. It was preparatory for larger jumps such as grand jetd, jetd entretrelac6 , saute de Basque and 61ancd.

Upon understanding basic placement and more simple steps the grand battement was included first in preparatory stages and by grade four with rhythmical variations.

The barre work continued with petit battement, small beats of the working leg sur cou-de-pied (at the ankle) of the supporting leg. The foot of the working leg was wrapped around the supporting ankle and the shape was maintained throughout the movement. It required speed, control, a strong back and support of the upper body and freedom of the working leg from the knee to the foot; it was prepara­ tion for entrechat (interlacings or beats) of the legs during petit allegro or grand allegro. It was introduced during the fourth year of study and the combinations became increasingly more difficult as the student advanced.

Barre work was concluded with pli6 relevd, an action from a knee bend to a rise on demi-pointe or pointe and 91 important for balance and strength of the legs and back.

Plid relevds were introduced from the onset of training and variations were added as the student became more capable.

The students then continued the class in the centre, without the support of the barre. The centre work began with adage, slow, continuous, controlled movements. In the

Legat method there were three sets of adage given repeated twice to both the left and right sides. This generous amount of adage work was unique to the Legat system as it was considered "the key to all dancing, covering as it does all ddveloppds and extensions of the legs, it gives con­ trol, balance, poise and perfection of line.69

The centre work continued, repeating the barre exer­ cises with more variations, expanding the exercises to

'enchainements' or linked steps, adding pirouettes and batterie. The class then moved into allegro, the tempo increasing. The students were given petit allegro first.

These small, quick combinations would prepare their legs and ankles for larger jumps. Following the petit allegro enchainement was the grand allegro section. This included movements which were more expansive and traveled across the floor in more intricate patterns. John Gregory wrote the following about Legat's allegro enchainements:

Legat was noted for his simple yet enchanting •enchainements' of allegro steps. He made of such steps as glissade, jetd, assemble, pas de bourr^e, coupd ballond, ballond entournant, the Russian pas de chat, 92

and failli, etc., a pure interpretation of music in movement, and his invention was magical and exquisite to watch. One may say he taught his pupils to speak in whole sentences, and not just words or syllables of dance. 70

After the grand allegro section the ladies changed to pointe shoes and the exercises alternated between combina­ tions for the ladies and those for the men. The ladies were given pointe enchainements with steps including glis­ sade sur la pointe, chaine in manege (in a circle), pirou­ ette piqu§, dchappd. The men were given enchainements of

'tours de force', work consisting of grand pirouette, tour en l'air, tour de reins, entrechat six and pas ciseaux.

The class concluded with the ladies and the men performing grand battement and/or petit batterie and final­ ly, always reverence (a final bow).

Legat regarded the passion, fire and enthusiasm in dance known as '61an', the characteristic of a consummate artist. Critical in the training of the dancer was the spirit of the dancer. Legat wrote, "There is a vast need for cultivating the emotional imagination in dancers in the earliest stages of their training."7^ He suggested the use of 'ingenious illustrations', incorporating imagery for evoking expression and when giving exercises. For example,

"tell a child when showing it a port de bras, to imagine it is 'picking up a beautiful flower lying on the ground'" or when performing a ddveloppd "tell it to think it 'is bal­ ancing a fragile ornament' on the extended foot".72 93

Inherent to the development of a dancer was the

investment of time, thus requiring patience and dedication to acquire these skills. Legat felt the energy expended was actually energy "merely invested, and the dividend to be derived is priceless".^ ENDNOTES

3^Andrd Eglevsky, Heritage of a Ballet Master: Nicolas Legat (New York: Dance Horizons, 1978), 14.

60 Ibid, 14-15.

6-^Gregory, John, Light on a System of Classical Dance (London: The Federation of Russian Classical Ballet 1950) 7.

62Ibid.

63Nicolas Legat,"Limbering the Limbs for Practice," Dancing Times 255 (December 1932): 250.

®4Barbara Vernon, interview by author, oral interview with notes, Paris France, 22 November 1988.

65Ibid.

66Andr6 Eglevsky, Heritage of a Ballet Master: Nicolas Legat (New York: Dance Horizons, 1978), 23. 6 7 Vera Zorina. Vera (New York: Farrar Straus Giroux., 1986), 56. ro °°Patricia Deane-Gray, interview by author, oral inter view with notes, Staten Island, NY, 5 July 1989.

u;7Gregory, John, Light on a System of Classical Dance (London: The Federation of Russian Classical Ballet 1950) 10.

70Ibid.

71Nicolas Legat. "What is "(Sian" in Dancing?," Dancing Times 317 (February 1937): 623-624.

72Ibid, 624.

73Ibid.

94 CHAPTER VI

A SYSTEM EVOLVES FROM LEGAT'S TEACHINGS

The Legat system went beyond teaching basic pedagogy and movements of the body. In addition to teaching the academic steps, the system taught the dancer to use the intricacies of the body and energy efficiently, to use the head and arms expressively, to develop the body with resil­ iency and to care for it with respect; in essence it incor­ porate the entire body as a vibrant medium of the art of dance. The Legat system not only created a finely tooled instrument of dance but created an artist for the stage, establishing a link between student and artist and class­ room and stage.

Nicolas Legat recorded little of his teachings. He graciously shared his art, passing his pedagogy down orally to carefully chosen pupils. They in turn would carry the tradition forward. Nadine Nicolaeva Legat worked closely with the maestro for over twenty five years, onstage as well as in the studio. She was one of the few direct links to the Legat system and one who actually recorded many of the essential aspects of his method in her book Ballet

Education. The following are some of her descriptions of

95 96 the technique fundamentals as included in her book.

In her book she wrote that the Legat system empha­

sized use of efficient breathing for its importance in

increasing the range of respiration and blood circulation.

Madame Legat stipulated that breathing should occur through

the nose and a balanced rhythm of breathing should be

acquired. She felt control of breath gave more control of

the body and increased self-confidence. Her idea was that

it decreased the possibility of allowing for a shortness of

breath, hence a lightheadedness, fatigue or disorientation.

There are five head positions as outlined by Nadine

Nicolaeva-Legat in Ballet Education. In all positions the

neck should allow the head to move easily thus provide

counter-balance and contrast to the movement of the legs.

The five movements are 1) head looking straight forward,

2 ) head turned left or right, never more than half as in

profile 3) head inclined to the side, without lifting of

the shoulders 4) slight dropping of the head forward and

5) head thrown slightly back.

Madame Legat concerned herself with teaching the use

of the eyes and arms for enhancing expression. She felt

that the eyes convey artistic expression and when used well

can evoke emotions from the audience to complement the

dance; technically, they become important for balance,

stability, ease and direction. This is important in turns 97 as in spotting, assurance in balances and in execution of movements. The eyes are also important in imitation for learning movements as well as performing dance with proper spacing and line.

Forwarding the pedagogical methods of Nicolas Legat,

Madame Legat taught that the proper use of the arms is as significant to dancing as the use of the legs. Their control and fluidity is essential and the dancer becomes proficient in their use well after gaining expertise in use of one's legs. The arms should enhance the movement, adorn or ornament the body and help in the execution of movement.

The arms may be purely decorative, they may aid in balance, they may be expressive; for example, to carry flowers or with palms pressed together as in prayer or gesticulatory as used in mime or for gesturing. Legat said that the

"final achievement in dancing is the complete control of the arms"74 There are five arm positions which serve as the basis for class work. The legs are required for sup­ port and they are not as free as the arms; therefore, arms beyond the five basic positions are used aesthetically on stage.

The material in Ballet Education relates how the arms should always have a smoothness and round quality, the hands appearing tapered without fingers or thumb protrud­ ing. First position of the arms makes a circle held low but in front of the dancer. Second position is the same 98 circle raised to mid chest. Third position is the same circle brought above the head, framing the face. Fourth position, keeping the curved shape, extend outward, in line with the shoulders but sloping downwards, to the sides.

The palms should be turned to the front, the hand supported at the wrist. Fifth position has the palms turned down, the arms extended to the back, lengthened behind without upsetting the shoulder line, hands just below waist level.

Fluidity and grace of deportment is emphasized in the Legat method. The arms may travel from position to position in any order, but must pass through one of the established positions in doing so.

Madame Legat stressed the proper use of the dancer's knees and curve of the foot to increase longevity as well as create a more polished dancer. She stated the dancer's knees are the most important part of the body and should be cared for accordingly. Elasticity and pliancy of movement are derived at this delicate joint but so are strength of movement, quickness and agility. Plids are crucial for proper balance, as well as developing ballon in movement.

The knee in this function absorbs shock upon landing giving support of the upper body over the lower leg-ankle joint and toes.

In her teachings, the development of the curve of the foot was foremost not only for its importance in pointe 99 work but for control in jump landings. She wrote that for

the development of a strong and elastic instep, the first

step is battement tendu. This is the basis of all other

steps, weight transference and use of the feet. The tendu

is executed with and without use of the plid. When per­

formed it requires control and tautness of the knee which

is necessary for steadiness in balancing and acquisition of

control.

Nicolas Legat felt the ultimate purpose of his peda­

gogical methods was to attain grace, taste, beauty, artis­

tic expression, and an exactitude in technical proficiency.

Above all, brilliance should not compromise the aesthetics.

Movements should occur with a feather like lightness, a

springy jump (known as ballon) and efficient use of energy.

Due to war conditions in London, Madame Nadine Legat

moved the school to Mersey Island in the late 1930's. Due

to bombing at Mersey Island the school was moved promptly

to Seer Green, England. It was at Seer Green that the

school developed as a boarding school in the Russian tradi­

tion. Academics as well as ballet education were included

in the curriculum. The school thrived and to accommodate

its growth moved to moved to Royal Tunbridge Wells in 1945,

then to Finchcocks at Goudhurst in 1960 and finally to its

current location, Mark Cross in 1970. In the fall of 1990,

the school will join with Wadhurst College in Wadhurst,

England. The college will assume the academic curriculum 100 and the Legat School will continue its ballet tradition.

Tatiana Legat (Legat's granddaughter) of the Kirov Ballet in Russia plans to visit and teach as a guest artist.

The syllabus of examinations was developed to ensure the passing on of the Russian tradition. This offered a way to maintain and uphold the established style and stand­ ards and also to further promote the system. It was empha­

sized that this was not a teaching syllabus but to be used

for examination purposes. Examinations were offered with

an established board of examiners thus ensuring the quality of the work and the consistency of the standards.

The system emphasized the development of artistry matching the development of technique. The ballet educa­

tion required six to eight years of study. Seven grades were offered, with three teacher levels that combined

technique and theory. Each level offered two divisions,

one being of a slightly lower standard but a stepping stone

to the higher level. The examination was in the form of a

class and unrehearsed enchainements of barre work, center

practice, adagio and allegro work, except one prepared

ench&inement for the younger classes (I, II, III, IV).

Upon graduation from the school and successful completion

of all seven levels, a dancer would be ready to enter a

professional company at a corps de ballet level. Perform­

ances were included as part of the schools activities, and 101 considered preparatory education for the dancer who would continue in ballet as a career.

The syllabus of examinations was most currently re­ vised in 1986. This syllabus is more explicit in the requirements of the school and adds three preliminary divisions and a 'professional standard' examination to the

original syllabus. See Appendix E (An overview of the age

requirements and levels). ENDNOTES

7^Nadine Nicolaeva-Legat, Ballet Education (London Geoffrey Bles n.d.)/ 34.

102 CHAPTER VII

LEGAT AND THE ADVANCED STUDENT

Nicolas Legat had a particular gift for working with advanced dancers. For ten years (beginning in 1903) he taught what was called the 'class of perfection' a special class at the Imperial School for the most professional dancers. Although mentioned previously, it is important to understand it in fuller detail. Many talented Russian dancers were guided to greater artistry through their work with Legat in this class - among them, Anna Pavlova, George

Balanchine, Vaslov Nijinsky, Mathilde Kcshessinska, Maria

Petipa, Julia Sedova, Olga Preobrajenska, Vera Trefilova,

Fedor Vassilevitch Lopukov, Tamara Karsavina, Michel Fo- kine, Adolf Bolm, Alexander Pushkin and Theodore Kosloff.

The 'class of perfection' was held at 10:30 each morning in the rehearsal hall next door to the Theatre

School. The room was almost fifty feet square, well lit and with a perfect pine floor with a rake to match the

Marinsky Theatre. The barres were fixed to three walls and mirrors ran the length of the fourth wall. Portraits of the greatest dancers and ballet masters hung on all the walls, and this coupled with the great size gave the room a

103 104 majesty of its own.

Each morning Legat arrived early in his practice

clothes, white shirt, black tights and white shoes, and

sprinkled the floor with water, preparing it for the danc­ ers. When all was ready he would call the dancers. Legat

remembered,

The future ballerinas would enter like fairies, tripping lightly, impeccably attired in ballet-skirts of various hues, ethereally beautiful. After them would come their partners, bold and energetic, eager to bear their goddess-like ballerinas skywards.75

After the dancers warmed and stretched their bodies

they would take their place at the barre and Legat would begin class. Going through his diversified regimen of

plids, tendus, fondus, frapp6s and so forth, Legat orches­

trated the dancers as they worked their bodies, offering

subtle corrections, exacting their technique. Legat recog­

nized the beauty of his dancers "all gracefully and silent­

ly moving in a perfect symphony of movement".76 He also

recognized their individual special qualities, "some secret

charm or special ability to be brought out and

developed",77

Fedor Lopukov, who graduated from the Imperial School

in 1905 considered Legat a strong influence in his own

career, which covered fifty years of service in the theatre

including heading the ballet at the Kirov Theatre 1922-30,

1944-47 and 1955-58. Legat's first teaching assignment was

a freshman's class; Lopukov was in this first class (1896) 105 and continued with him until his graduation (1905). In­ cluded in this class were Vaslav Nijinski, Adolph Bolm and

Leonid Leontiev.

In his book Sixty Years in Ballet Lopukov wrote of

Legat's sensitivity as a teacher and his ability to read his students' (as well as his colleagues) bodies, gifts, souls and minds. Lopoukov also wrote that he felt Vaganova owed Legat a great obligation for her success yet she

seldom spoke of him. Much of the lack of attention to

Legat by the Russians was due to the fact that he left in

1922, when his country really needed him. Never the less we must recognize Legat as one of the most prominent teach­

ers of the school which established all the real values of

the school of Russian dance and Legat developed many of the

entities, special elements in his teaching methods which

were picked up later on in Russian School.78

Lopukov noted that Legat's care of us, his students

extended outside his classes, he invited them into his home

and even helped them with money in their difficult times.79

He wrote,

His art was really incredible, by intuition he understood what each student needed in class. He was teaching the same movement but correcting each of us in a different way."... "He had a very individual approach to each of us. The specific of his teaching method was that he was sequentially training our using our muscles progressively. A wonderful draftsmen who perfectly knew the body of a human being, all our muscles, our joints. Legat really knew what kinds of movement we should do. He never gave us even a moment for relaxation because 106

each next moment some other group of our muscles were working. Though it was a non-stop lesson, we did not feel as tired as we did with other teachers. He was saying I want this tendon to relax. With this way we did know what he was doing with us, it was a very con­ scious teaching.80

Lopukov further explained that Legat taught the brains and the body, completely realizing the functions of

anatomy in dance; he was consciously preparing each dancer

to develop their own creativity. Also, this exactitude to

the muscles has been lost and that is why we see so many

problems and damaging of the muscles and displaced menis­

cus, which Legat's students never, ever had.

Lopukov also wrote about Legat's role in the artis­

tic development of the students, explaining that the teens

in the school might feel that their own artistic capacity

may lean towards the heroic, lyrical, comedy or romantic

ideal and that they often do not view their abilities

clearly. Convincing them of their strengths which may not

be their ideal is often impossible and many students broke

down when they could not achieve the roles they were given.

Many of the students felt they could trust Legat and he was

able to talk to them and convince them of their talents,

preparing them for the roles which suited them.

Vaganova who studied under Legat's direction at the

Imperial Ballet remembers (as translated) "As a dancer I

worked a lot under the keen observation of N. Legat, who

was a very talented man. He was possessed of a great 107 resourcefulness and imagination in the area of dance...".8^

Legat continued his work with the advanced student when he fled Russia. After being reunited with his family in England he began teaching the professional dancers who traveled to London and then worked with the company members of the Ballets Russes. He stayed with the Ballets Russes through their tour to Paris and then began teaching in

Paris. His reputation was well known among dancers and many professionals sought him out for his expertise. It was in Paris (in 1923) that a young girl, Eva Brigitta

Hartwig, later known as Vera Zorina first took class with

Legat. Legat had a small but bright studio on Place Pi-

galle. It had one wall of mirrors and three walls decorat­ ed with Legat's caricatures of dancers. Zorina wrote,

Legat taught pirouettes better than anyone I know. He would come up behind you, ask you to assume fourth position, adjust your body, tell you to swing your arms for the momentum needed, and you then found yourself executing a perfect turn. The astonishment and joy of itl You thought you had mastered it, but he had to show you over and over again, adjusting your hips and legs, it never failed with 'him', and bit by bit you learned. Andrd Eglevsky, also a pupil of Legat, mastered it to such perfection that he could perform four, six, eight pirouettes slowly without a flaw.82

When Zorina went to London (1933) with Anton Dolin to

appear in the ballet play, Ballerina she sought Legat out

for instruction. She took class with him daily, and "loved

him as much as ever, both as a teacher and a dear little

old man".83

At the end of the nineteenth century enthusiasm for 108 dance in Britain had waned and the little dance that was seen was shown in music halls. Though there were private dancing schools at the time the teachers lacked the disci­ pline and strength of classical training. "A young person wanting to study dance seriously was at a great disadvan­ tage in England during the late nineteenth century and early years of the twentieth. No school or permanent company existed where ballet traditions were nurtured and handed down from generation to generation."®4 The first

sampling of ballet to the English audiences came from

Adeline Gende, a Danish dancer, who arrived in 1897 and

stayed for ten years. Following Gende were Diaghilev's

Ballets Russes. Anna Pavlova, Lydia Kyasht, Nicolas Legat and other Russian dancers. The company and the artists

renewed an enthusiasm for stylized and sophisticated dance

The British sought to establish their own school and compa

ny. "Merit for the incorporation of England into the

sphere of modern ballet trends, however, lies with the

Russian Artists, mainly Diaghilev, Pavlova, Karsavina,

Astafieva, Kschessinskaya and Nikolaus Legat." 85

Patricia Deane-Gray, a student of Legat's in England

in the nineteen thirties, calls Legat 'the grandfather of

British Ballet'. She explained that Legat brought a herit

age to Britain and taught every ballet name which emerged

in British ballet prior to and at the inception of the 109

Royal Ballet. See appendix D (register of Legat's students from his private student 1934-1937). He was also responsi­ ble for Russian dancers graduating from the early 1900's to about 1920.86

Many of these dancers became emigres, finding their homes in other countries. They brought and disseminated the tradition of the Russian ballet, the Legat Method.

John Gregory writes "England was fortunate after the first \ world war when Nicolas Legat settled in this country and dispensed the secrets of his art to dancers living and working in England. So many of our star dancers of the last twenty years have to thank Legat for light and guid- ft 7 ance."0/ Legat's students have gone on to teach or have established their own schools and so that his knowledge and his legacy has reached many parts of the world and contin­ ues to do so.

Alan Carter, a soloist with the Sadler's Wells Ballet and choreographer and ballet master in England and Germany, was first taken to Legat at the age of ten by Leonine

Massine. Feeling he was not proficient for Legat's class he studied with Seraphina Astafieva until 1934 and then returned to Legat's Baron Court Studio. When Carter became an advanced dancer Legat taught him the double tour en l'air and how to use both sides egually well in jumps and pirouettes. Carter describes how Legat "was able to guide the pupil by the rhythms of the steps"88 and "taught a 110 subtle dpaulement, which gave lightness and quickness to gargantuan dancers" ®9. Legat's teaching was based on classicism and required a dedication to his classes by the student. Months would pass while the students worked to absorb Legat's class structure and method. He showed great patience and reassured his students when they did not understand his lessons, saying "Leetle by Leetel".90

Carter writes Legat "taught: to rethink, understand and develop but not to copy." 9^

Anton Dolin who became England's premier dancer, choreographer and director speaks warmly of Legat saying

"the quiet almost religious way he taught us by his own

Legat method was a revelation."92 Legat had a great fond­ ness for Dolin calling him Piccadilly after the statue at

Piccadilly Circus in London. He would tease Dolin about cutting his long hair saying, "being bald and the winter coming on, I would be cold and wanted the clippings made into a wig for himself". 9^ Dolin was one of those artists for whom Legat's advanced method added another dimension.

He credits Legat with teaching him the art of pas de deux and leaving "behind a system of teaching, a literature of dance, which, as I have said is the true art of ballet."94

Margot Fonteyn, Britain's great ballerina, first took lessons with Legat at the age of twelve. Her description of him follows: "He was enchanting in his benevolent good Ill humor and occasional elfin fancy. Like all Russian profes­ sors he could be quite sarcastic by way of reproof but it was always a kindly sarcasm. I never saw him loose his temper as some of his colleagues did."9^ Jurgen Pagels who studied at the Legat School in the late 1940's said that he was approached by Margot Fonteyn in Dallas, Texas in the late 1960's to help revise the Royal Academy Syllabus.

Pagels said it was due to his connection with the Legat method that she felt he could help her. She told Pagels that through her association with Nureyev it was clear that more fluidity of movement and work on the basics was neces­ sary to better the Royal Academy of Dance. The two worked for several days going over the Legat syllabus, Pagels explaining what was expected at each year and what should be taught at each age.

Legat continued calling his most advanced class the

'class of perfection' while in London. Grania Guiness claims this was appropriate. About his teachings she says,

"while he never neglected to correct in detail, one felt this was only a means to an end", and "I was continuously conscious of this striving for perfection".9^

Anna Lendrum was a student of Legat in London and now is a teacher at the Legat School in Mark Cross England and

Chairman of the Society of Russian Style Ballet which was established in 1923 to continue the Legat method. She offered praise and high esteem and wrote about Legat "I 112 feel that his enormous contribution to the art of ballet, has over the years been so sadly neglected" and "that he was the greatest master of this century".97 She contin­ ued,

Every lesson was an enlightenment something to be treasured for all time and to have been his pupil was something so precious that it is difficult to have words to so describe the aura of greatness which surrounded him yet coupled to such a delightful sense of fun, made every lesson an experience. I was of course a very young student at that time, working with Mme. Rambert, and it was during a long vacation that a friend took me for class to Maestro Legat for my very first lesson with him. That lesson changed the whole direction of my career. I knew imme­ diately that this was what I had been searching for. The logic, dynamic rhythms on which the technique was built up, the exquisite breadth and presentation of line at the same time so simple yet so beautiful did not convince me of its superiority - I just knew that this was to be my life, and so I became his pupil.98

Legat wrote for the Dancing Times during his last years in London. He was introduced as "one of the out­ standing figures in the history of ballet at the beginning of the twentieth century" and "a 'link' which connects the present age with the days of August Bournonville, Christian

Johansson and Marius Petipa".99

Legat wrote many articles for the Dancing Times included articles on Russian folk dance, character dance and those focused on the 'class of perfection1, remem­ brances of famous dancer and his memoirs. Legat was always interested in the advanced dancer he wrote articles to help their technique and teaching, offering suggestions on 113 preparing for class through stretching and limbering and a

three part article on the pirouette.

Nicolas Legat understood the body, the anatomy and

what was involved in developing technique. Contrary to

schools which consider ballet as " 'unnatural'-a violation

of nature"100 Legat explained how the ballet dancer sought

to remodel the shape and to modify certain tendencies and

that it is no more a violation of nature than creating an

English or Italian garden.101 To remodel the body requires

time and care. There must be consideration of the complex­

ities and delicacy of the dancer's tool, the body; this is

why limbering the body and preparing for practice is so

important. In Limbering the Limbs for Practice he ex­

plained the need for ample blood supply to the components

of the ankle, the many small bones held by tendons and

ligaments to prevent strain and increase elasticity of the

muscles and tendons. This is true of all the joints, care

must be given to readying the body for practice before

class began.

Legat offered a series of exercises to prepare for

practice noting others could be added. The warm-up series

began by:

1. Sitting on a chair with one leg supported over

the other. Beginning with massaging a stretched foot, the

foot was then manipulated to work the joint loosely.

2. While still on the chair, the legs were opened to 114 second position and the knees were pulled backwards to stretch the tendons in the groin area. The stretch could then be increased by sliding forward on the chair into a deeper piid and repeated.

3. Seated on the chair in second position, one leg was raised and the heel pulled in towards the groin area.

Next the leg was extended to the side fully stretching the knee. This was to be repeated for both sides and several times.

4. As in the third (above) but the insole of the foot was held in the hand and the leg fully extended with­ out release of the leg.

5. Seated on the chair with the legs and feet fully stretched in the air, the dancer would execute a rapid series of entrechats.

6 . Facing the barre, with legs in second position, the dancer would lunge as deeply side to side without raising the heels.

7. At the barre, rising and lowering through the feet.

8. With one heel placed on the barre and both legs stretched, bend the body over the raised leg reaching the forehead to the knee.

9. Standing approximately three feet from the barre, with the feet together, fall forward stretching the arms to 115 the barre. Then bend the arms and lower the body towards the barre, keeping the legs stretched and the heels on the ground.

Legat also noted too the importance of stretching at the end of class when the limbs are fully warmed up. These are more effective when done with assistance. The dancer would first ddveloppd back and the assistant would grasp the leg and stretch the groin by pushing the leg upwards towards the dancer's head. This would also be done with the leg forward pushing the leg upwards to touch the fore­ head, with the assistant taking care to maintain the leg in line with the shoulder. Another stretch has the assistant carry the leg around in a grand rond, gently pushing the leg upwards as it travels. Legat cautioned against "forc­ ing or overstretching the limbs. Over-elasticity tends towards a lack of firmness."102

Legat often warned his students about overdeveloping elasticity and relayed how his father, Gustav had slept on his back with his feet turned out, fixed to the bedposts and developed turnout well past first position. When he was asked to dance a Caucasian folk dance, Lezginka, in the opera Russian and Ludmila, he was concerned he was not capable of dancing the character role. The director would not release him but the elder Legat being of a mischeivi- ous nature made his point. In the dance, the men hold their arms bent before their face and can only see the legs 116 and feet of the dancer in front of them. The dance com­ menced with Gustav leading the line around the stage, as the dancers were to turn suddenly and move in the opposite direction, Gustav did but turned his feet well out so they were pointing backwards. The dancer behind him was a novice and was intently watching Gustav's feet and thought

Gustav had turned around. Thus, he turned and so did the line of dancers upsetting the dance.

In the three part article "The Secret of the Pirou­ ette" Legat analyzed the technical principles of the basic pirouette and examines the different kinds of pirouettes.

In part one, Legat described this acrobatic 'trick' of adjusting movement and equilibrium. Practice for the pirouette (performed sur cou-de-pied) begins with a pivot, or rotation on the supporting leg at half-toe. Performed correctly, from this raised position, the body is rotated by a jerk of the arm, maintaining balance. One of the most difficult of pirouettes, and not done on stage, Legat considered this an excellent exercise for producing stabil­ ity in the pirouette.

All other pirouettes were then done with a springing motion into the half-toe, sur cou-de-pied position and technically finished at the half-toe position in balance.

The head was used, remaining with its focus to the audi­ ence, turning only when it must and immediately facing the 117 audience. When this was mastered the force of pirouette could be increased, in turn increasing the number of rota­ tions . Pirouettes were done sur cou-de-pied but also acceptable with the non-supporting leg placed at the knee or tire-bouchon.

The second part of this article differentiated be­ tween the two categories of pirouettes. Legat called one kind of pirouette 'pirouette simples', which is a closed pirouette where the non-supporting leg is placed sur cou-de-pied. He called the second type of pirouette

'grandes pirouettes' and they are performed with the non­ supporting leg in an open position. Part two discusses only 'pirouette simples' detailing the various prepara­ tions, the tautness of the body to hold the position during the turn, direction of the turn and weight distribution during the preparation of the turn. The preparations include fifth, sur cou-de-pied, second croisd, and dffacd, flic and flic-flac.

Legat considered the one prepared from second posi­ tion to be the easiest pirouette to perform. The non­ supporting leg was extended to second then pushed from the floor, the weight being slightly greater on the supporting leg. The torso was slightly forward and the arms in posi­ tions one and three. The non-supporting foot then force­ fully pushed, coming into sur cou-de-pied, while the sup­ porting leg rises to demi-pointe and the arm in fourth 118 comes to second.

The pirouette in fifth follows the same principles and weight distribution but is more difficult using a more shallow base of support. The pirouette sur cou-de-pied again follows the same logic but began on one leg, the foot already sur cou-de-pied. The turns continued as the heel was lowered and then the motion was immediately resumed creating the effect of continuous motion.

The pirouette performed from crois6 and dffacd align­ ment was prepared from a tombd. The tombd executed as the front foot did a d6velopp6 from fifth position to a posi­ tion "midway between fourth (front) and second position".103 All the weight fell onto the front, bent, leg. The rest of the movement continued in the same man­ ner.

The flic was a powerful and energetic turn executed en dedans, commencing in fifth position. The non-support­ ing leg does battement jet6s to second with a 'whisking' or flick motion and then back against the floor to sur cou-de- pied en avant. The flic-flac began in the same manner but the foot was whisked back in the same direction ending en arri&re. From the flic a number of turns may be performed, from the flic-flac only one turn was done.

Legat expounded on the importance of the head and eyes to give the pirouette a polished and completed appear- 119 ance. The head should remain facing the audience as long as possible. At the onset of the turn the eyes look in the opposite direction. The eyes would return to the same spot for each turn within the series. This was advantageous in helping the dancer finish to the audience during each turn and aesthetically adds brilliance to the turn as it accen­ tuates the movement.

Part III was concerned with the fouettA turn, proper finishing of a pirouette, open pirouettes and renversA.

The fouettA, a whipped motion, can be performed en dedans or en dehors. The weight is forward on the supporting leg while the non-supporting leg ddveloppds from croisd or dffacd en arri&re to second position and 'whipped' into sur cou-de-pied. The arm was coordinated with the supporting leg, simultaneously opened to fourth position and both are brought into second for the turn. FouettA en dehors was performed with the non-supporting leg ddvelopped to croisd or 6ffac6 en avant, and the turn continues in the same manner but the body was turned en dehors. The sur cou-de- pied position was higher for the fouettA than for other turns. Legat wrote, "The secret of fouettd lies in the minute adjustment of balance by controlling the muscles of the sides and back."10'*

The most common grande pirouettes are arabesque, attitude, a 1A seconde and renversd. The pirouette in second was performed as the pirouette prepared from second 120 position but the leg ddveloppds to second and was main­ tained there during the turn, finishing in second with the supporting heel finishing par terre.

The pirouette in attitude began with a wide tombd to v fourth 6ffac6 of croisd. The spring resulted in the body held in attitude position on half-toe and the body was held during the turn. The arms were coordinated with the legs but were to flow smoothly. The arabesque turn follows the same pattern but the non-supporting leg was held in ara­ besque position.

The renversd was performed from a wide tombd, the non-supporting leg pushed off and went to attitude. This turn was executed en dedans only and during the first rota tion the body was held upright. During the second rota­ tion, the body was bent over the non-supporting leg and the non-supporting leg was brought to tire-bouchon, then ddvelopped to second. When the leg was ddvelopped, the arms went to arm position three, the opposing shoulder to the supporting leg forward, head turned to the supporting leg and the weight slightly back and over the supporting leg. The supporting leg was then lowered from half-toe to flat.

The pirouette finish, the last impression, was of great importance. Though the pirouette should technically finish on the half-pointe, "For stage effect, however, the 121 finish is both facilitated and embellished by springing smartly into some attractive pose".1®5

As a teacher, Nicolas Legat's expertise lay in his work with the advanced student. In Russia, he had taught the senior boys, worked with individual ballerinas and reigned over the 'class of perfection'. Upon his arrival in England and his time in Paris it was the professional ballerinas and male dancers who flocked to him for specific coaching. When he settled to live out the remainder of his life in England he worked almost exclusively with the professionals or the younger students who showed the talent and drive to seek out the maestro with the intent of making dance their career.

Nicolas Legat's influence cannot be overstated. The list of dancers he has taught or worked with is extensive

(Appendix D). The names include those dancers who have helped lay the foundations of ballet in Britain, America,

Yugoslavia, and Bermuda. Many dancers who he trained at the

Imperial Ballet later fled Russian and traveled to other parts of the world to perform or teach with professional dance companies and schools. Endnotes

75Nicolas Legat, The Story of the Russian Imperial Ballet School (London: British Continental Press, Ltd.)/ 71.

76Ibid, 72.

77Ibid. 7ft /0Feodor Lopukhov, 60 Years in Ballet: Note and Memo­ ries of a Ballet Master. (Moscow: Art, 1966. as trans. to author by Dora Romadinov), 81.

79Ibid, 82.

80Ibid.

8^Agrippa Vaganova, "Souvenir Program of the 250th Anniversary Program of the Maryinsky School", May 1988, Leningrad, Russia.

f t O £Vera Zorina. Vera (New York: Farrar Straus Giroux., 1986), 56.

83Ibid, 75.

Q A °^Naima Prevots. Dancing in the Sun. Hollywood Chore­ ographers, 1915-1937 (Michigan: UMI Research Press, 1987), 53.

85K. V. Burian, The Story of World Ballet (London: Allan Wingate, LTD, 1963), 96. ftfi Patricia Deane-Gray, interview by author, 28 November 1988, telephone interview between Bermuda and Maryland. fi7 Gregory, John, Light on a System of Classical Dance (London: The Federation of Russian Classical Ballet 1950), 6 . ftft °°Andr6 Eglevsky, Heritage of a Ballet Master: Nicolas Legat (New York: Dance Horizons, 1978), 18. 89Ibid.

122 123

90Ibid/ 22.

91Ibid, 19.

92Ibid, 21.

98Anton Dolin, Divertissement (London: S. Low, Marston & Co., Ltd, 1931) 51.

94Andr6 Eglevsky, Heritage of a Ballet Master: Nicolas Legat (New York: Dance Horizons, 1978), 21.

95Margot Fonteyn, The Magic of Dance (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1979), 62.

96Andrd Eglevsky, Heritage of a Ballet Master: Nicolas Legat (New York: Dance Horizons, 1978), 26.

97Anna Lendrum, personal letter to author, 12 January 1989.

98Ibid.

99Philip J. S. Richardson, "Nicolas Legat" The London Dancing Times 244 (January, 1931) 244.

^-"Nicolas Legat "Limbering the Limbs for Practice" The London Dancing Times. 260 trans. Sir Paul Dukes, K.B.E. (December, 1932): 248.

101Ibid.

102Ibid, 250.

^■98Nicolas Legat "The Secret of the Pirouette" Dancing Times. part II, 265 trans. Sir Paul Dukes, K.B.E. (Septem­ ber, 1932): 534

^94Nicolas Legat "The Secret of the Pirouette" Dancing Times. part III, 266 trans. Sir Paul Dukes, K.B.E. (Novem­ ber, 1932): 128.

105Ibid, 129. CHAPTER VIII

LEGAT'S IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF BALLET TODAY

Looking back a hundred years at ballet throughout the world, the Imperial Ballet School and Maryinsky Theatre offered the finest in ballet technique and artistry. This is where Nicolas Legat's professional artistic career began. He made major contributions in developing new choreographic ideas, restaging Petipa's work, developing artistry in performance and most importantly, in creating a systematic method of dance education.

Legat has been criticized for his insistence on upholding the traditions established in performance and training during the late 1800's and early 1900's. His strongest adversary was one of his students, Michel Fokine, who was an advocate of reform in ballet. Fokine has called him a "slave to tradition", and worse that Legat limited the progress in ballet.

Times were changing. Other forms of art were going through a transformation - but his ideas remained stat­ ic. He did not dare to attempt to change anything. He was an excellent dancer, a gracious partner of a balle­ rina .

In spite of this Fokine acknowledged Legat's influ-

124 125

ence on him,

Legat was the last of my teachers. It was a coin­ cidence that, at the time when my mind was beginning to be filled with accumulated doubts about the invulnera­ bility of ballet traditions, my guide was none other than an admirer of these traditions...106

At the end of 1904 Fokine made suggestions for reform in ballets being produced at the Imperial Theatre.

He felt that the existing productions lacked continuity, as they were interrupted by applause and bows. He also felt that artistic integrity was diminished by blatant errors in production. His list of suggestions were submitted at­ tached to a scenario for production of the ballet Daphnis and Chloe. These suggestions ranged from the banning of the bows and applause that interrupt the continuity of the action to maintaining authenticity in choreography and costume. For example, he suggested a ballet master would not "arrange dances for Russian peasants in the style of

Louis XV or, on the contrary, create dances in the manner of the Russian 'trepak' to a French theme."10^

During the time that Nicolas Legat was ballet master,

Isadora Duncan visited and danced in St. Petersburg.108

Her loose tunics and bare feet suggested not only a new dance form but a rebellion of the strict adherence to classical aesthetic line, prescribed movement and tightly fitted and confining costumes. She "caused great contro­ versy among the old-school balletomanes and the reformers."109 To Fokine her dancing "confirmed his be­ 126

liefs."110 It distressed Fokine that Legat did not seem to be influenced by Duncan or by her ideas.

Changes in the arts reflect changes in society. The move for reform in dance paralleled the move for reform in

Russia. Though Nicholas II ruled Russia until 1917 opposi­

tion to the life he represented grew from the beginning of

his reign (1894). By 1898 the beginning of a populist

revolution had started with the formation of the Social

Democratic Party among the industrial workers. In 1901 a

second party the Social Revolutionary Party was organized.

This party's major concern was the peasants' plight and

advocacy of nationalization of the land. In 1903 the third

opposition party the Union of Liberation was organized.

This group of intellectuals, "zemstvo"111 workers and

liberal professionals called for a liberal constitution.

The outbreak of the Russian-Japanese War 1904-1905 fueled

the opposition and discredited the existing government

adding to the populist dissension.

The year 1905 showed marked bloodshed, strikes, and

mutinies in the armies and navies. The demand for reform

was not only at the provincial borders and in the agrarian

community but also in the theatre. The artists had begun

to organize and fight for their rights. The dancers wrote

a collective protest outlining their demands. Among the

dancer's demands were a rise in salaries, the right to 127 choose their own company managers and another free day a week. Serge Legat, Nicolas1 brother was one of the most serious proponents of the artists' rights. Distress over signing the petition and a difficult romance led him to suicide. "Teliakovsky recorded in his Diary that Legat's funeral took the form of a revolutionary protest, and that

Anna Pavlova kept demonstratively arranging more prominent­ ly the red ribbons on a wreath from the company with the following inscription: 'To the first victim at the dawn of freedom of art from the newly united ballet company'."11^

The dancers' uprising in Russia was quickly squelched but reform of existing traditions had already begun half way around the world as evident in Loie Fuller's dances.

Her 1892 Serpentine Dance and her 1893 Fire Dance included less technique but was more interesting due to her innova­ tive uses of lighting and yards of draperies. Duncan's appearance in Russia encouraged seeds of artistic reform to take root in that country. Duncan returned to Russian in

1921, establishing a school which existed until 1924.

The Russian populist were not so easy to pacify and unrest in the government continued to take a strong hold.

By 1917 Russia was no longer ruled by the Tsar but by the

Bolsheviks. The artists until this time had belonged to the Tsar and vowed service to him and his family. As changes continued in Russian life, the dissatisfied artists found it easier to leave their homeland rather than accept 128 the conditions which were left them.

The reform gave the artists the opportunity to make reforms, innovations and progress in the dance world, that since the turn of the century had included many ideas first initiated by Fokine.

There is a tendency to "jump on the band wagon" and follow the fads. There is also the need for a reference point. The ballets which we call classics today are those ballets of the Romantic period which have endured. These were first presented during Legat's time and the technique he established still provides a strong, sound foundation for the style of ballets produced and performed in the nineteenth as well as the twentieth century. Many are being restaged and resurrected almost a hundred years later. Productions of the Nutcracker abound at Christmas time, produced by National and Regional Companies. Swan

Lake, Sleeping Beauty. La Fille Mai Gardde and Legat's The

Fairy Doll are in the repertory of companies worldwide and appreciated and enjoyed by dance enthusiasts. Many of these companies include contemporary works in their reper­ tory.

Just as Nicolas Legat recognized the validity of the

French heritage in the Imperial School, he recognized that it could be improved. While maintaining the traditions and aesthetics of the technique he built upon it, adding the 129 virtuosity and 'sensational brilliance" of the Italian dancers. It is recognized today that classical dance is the foundation of ballet training and that, while teachers

"train their pupils in the spirit of severe classicism, the teachers do no consider the system of the classical dance as a rigid set of rules allowing of no alteration and ... exhausting all the potentialities of the human body." 113

Today's training incorporates the new innovations offered in technique, style, choreography and artistry. It does not ignore its classical heritage but builds on its foundations.

Duncan reminded us: "Do not forget that beauty and expressiveness are of the greatest importance". The new Russian ballet answered: "Do not forget that a rich technique will create natural grace and expressiveness, through the really great art form". 14

The Russian Vaganova Method and the British Royal

Academy method both are outgrowths of Legat's method and retain much of his ideas. It is because his teachings were classic and recognized as a standard of excellence that they have endured and hold a secure place in today's ballet world.

As a performer he was revered by the foremost dancers male and female, that he worked with for over a quarter of a century. His tours abroad brought him fame and accolades from the critics and artists in the cities in which he danced. His reputation as a strong, considerate and able partner put him in high esteem among the leading ballerinas 130 in Russia for over thirty years. His choreographic efforts gained him recognition and the title of ballet master of the Imperial Theatre. Petipa relied on him for choreo­ graphic contributions in some of the major classic115 ballets which are still danced today. As a result, when

Petipa retired Legat earned the post of ballet master and continued to resurrect and restage ballets for the Imperial

Ballet. "It is probable that we are seeing Legat's emended pas de deux in Acts III and IV" of Swan Lake.116

As a teacher at the Imperial Ballet, he earned the title of maestro and was known for his gentle and subtle instruction and respected for his inspirational style. His greatest gift to the dance world is the system he de­ veloped, increasing the prowess and virtuosity inherent in the existing Russian method while emphasizing the beauty, grace and artistry of the French heritage.

Bringing together his performance skills, choreo­ graphic concepts and his intuitive and gentle teaching

Legat offered the utmost to his dancers. He teachings were not limited to the development of a dancer but encouraged the development of an artist as it bridged the gap between the stage and classroom technique.

The list of dancers who sought Legat out in the short time he taught in Britain and Paris provides a living testament to his greatness as a teacher. The many stu- 131 dents who benefited from his instruction have taught for others or established their own schools in Russia, Yugosla­ via, England, Bermuda, Australia, America, France ... ENDNOTES

*®5Michel Fokine, Memoirs of a Ballet Master, trans. Vitale Fokine, (Boston: Little Brown & Co., 1961), 33.

106 Ibid.

1 07'Natalia Roslavleva, Era of the Russian Ballet (London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1966) 175.

108 Isadora Duncan came to Russia in 1905. 1 00 Mary Clarke and Clement Crisp.Ballet. An Illustrated History (New York: Universe Books, 1973) 115.

110Ibid.

^^zemstvo means a Russian elective district. 112 ■LX*Natalia Roslavleva, Era of the Russian Ballet (London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1966) 169. 1 1 O JYelena Bocharnikova and Mikhail Gabovich, Ballet School of the Bolshoi Theatre (Moscow: Foreign Language Publishing House, n.d.), 28.

^Michel Fokine, Memoirs of a Ballet Master, trans. Vitale Fokine, (Boston: Little Brown & Co., 1961), 256.

115 Classic denotes "an author, artist or work general­ ly recognized as a standard of excellence". Funk and Wag- nalls Standard Desk Dictionary (1974), s.v. "classic."

116Arlene Croce, Going to the Dance (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1982), 186.

132 APPENDIX A

Ballets Produced by Nicolas Legat

Nicolas Legat composed many other dances which were per­ formed separately or as part of other ballet productions.

The Fairy Doll

Blue Beard

The Four Seasons

Two Thieves

Puss in Boots

The Purple Flower

The Prince1s Enchanted Dream

Rose of Margita

The White Lily

Kermess

Talisman

The Khan1s Dream

La Chasse de Diane

Nymph and Satyr

133 APPENDIX B

Nicolas and Nadine Legat with dancers at Russian Border ca. 1917.

From the private collection of Mimi Legat. Reprinted with permission.

134 APPENDIX C

h e o n d o n o l i s e u m T L C M u m . N a DEJDA NICOLAKVA bll&'JL. TWICE DAILY at U* auA MJ Mon*. NICOLAS LEGAT 4—I—** ■ Am » «« — ‘ * - — - * -• o/pi twnoifxtr Oiu u p r w sr wmi usaw 4r m SysSSTSm i^jSSim 17 Southampton Slraat, Fiuroy Squat* W.l ‘JUT __ PRICES OF ADMISSION

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Program from "The London Coliseum", Dec. 7 1925

From the private collection of Mimi Legat Reprinted with permission.

135 APPENDIX D

Compilation of Legat Students from Student Register of the Legat Studio, Collett Gardens, Barons Court, London 1934 to 1937.

From the private Collection of Mimi Legat. Reprinted with permission.

Miss E. Adreon, Feb. 1934 Miss Adrianova (Basil Ballet Co), Sept. 1936 Alice Alanova, Aug.-April 1936 Miss Psyche Albham, July 1934 Algeranoff, Dec. 1935-Sept. 1937 (trans. to new ledger) Miss Lena Anderson, Oct. 1934-June 1936 Miss Felicity Andreae, July 1935-Oct. 1936 Sara Andreiff (de Basil Ballet Co.), April - July 1936 Miss Lena Anderson, Oct. 1934-June 1936 Miss Jane Ann, July-Sept. 1934 June Appleton, Nov. 1934 Miss Betty Armstrong, Sept. 1934-Jan. 1937 Miss Pearl Argyle, July 1935-Aug. 1937 (trans. to new ledger) Olga Armfeld, July-June 1936 Miss Arnaud, 1935 Miss Margaret Gould Ashford, Aug. 1934 Miss Grace Atwell, July 1934-Jan. 1937 Miss Ariel Baird, July 1934-May 1935 Miss Doala Baker, Sept. 1934-Oct. 1937 (trans to new ledger) Miss Eileen Baker July 1934-Nov. 1936 Miss Mary M. Ball (Leon Woyzchoffsky Ballet Co.), June 1935-Jan. 1936 Miss Mary Ballard, July 1934-Oct. 1937 (trans.p. 167) Mark Baring, Jan. -March 1934 Desmond Bartholomew, May-Nov. 1935 Miss Heather Bax, July 1935-Feb. 1937 Miss June Bear, July 1934-April 1937 (trans. to new ledger) Miss Betty Beevor, May 1935-July 1936 Mr. Bell, July-Aug. 1935 Nigel Bellairs, Oct. 1936-June 1937 Ella Bennett, July 1934 Molly Bergmayr, Oct. 1934-Jan. 1937

136 137

Miss Joyce Berry, July-Sept. 1935 Marina Bessel, Feb. 1936-May 1937 (trans.) Miss Blackwood, Dec. 1935-Jan. 1936 Yvonne Blake (Blum Ballet), July 1936 Helen Blehlock (Mayfair School of Dancing), May 1935-Sept. 1937 (tran.pg. 162) Blum Ballet Group, May 1936 Miss D. Bogardis, July-Aug. 1935 Irene Bogdan, Sept. 1936-June 1937 (trans. to new ledger) Miss Boshkovitz, July 1934-August 1936 Miss Botchorsky, Nov. 1935-Nov. 1936 Mrs. Botsford, June-July 1936 Patricia Bowman, Sept. 1936-April 1937 Joan Briggs, Nov. 1935-March 1936 Miss Mary Britneva, Nov. 1935-Sept. 1937 Barbara Brook, Sept 1935 Miss Brook, July 1934 Miss Shirley Burke (Blum Ballet Co.), July 1935-Jan. 1937 (trans. to new ledger) Miss Burnett (Markova Dolin Ballet), March 1936 Miss Butler, Jan. 1935 Kathleen Cadicott, July-Aug. 1936 Alan Carter, Sept. 1934-Dec. 1936 (trans) Mr. L. Cavalieri, Oct. 1934-July 1935 Miss Cavallero, Oct. 1935-April 1936 Mary Chalk, Oct. 1935-Sept. 1936 Ruth Chanova, Sept.-Oct. 1935 Evelyn Chapman, Aug.- Nov. 1934 Miss Charlton, Sept. 1935-Jan. 1937 (trans. to new ledger) Irena Charova, Sept. 1934-Sept. 1935 Anne Clare, Sept. 1935 Miss Rosamund Clifford, Sept. 1934-July 1937 (trans.) Pat Coleman (Mayfair School of Dancing), Oct. 1936-Oct. 1937 (trans. to new ledger) Darja Collin, Sept. 1936-May 1937 Miss Erna Collins, May 1936 Hillary Collins, Sept. 1935-Nov. 1936 Tony Constantine, Dec. 1934 Miss Daisy Cordero, Dec. 1935-Jan. 1936 Mr. Costello (Adelphi Theatre Co.), July 1936-July 1937 Nancy Cowen, July 1935-Feb. 1937 (tran) Doreen Cox, July 1934-March 1937 (trans.) Miss Kathleen Crofton, July 1934-Dec. 1936 (trans. to new ledg) Doreen Cuthbert, Aug.-Sept. 1934 A. Danilova (De Basil Ballet), July 1935-Sept. 1936 Tatiana Danitch, Nov.-Dec. 1935 Miss Darnbough, Sept. 1935 Helen Davidson, Oct. 1935-Dec. 1936 (trans) Rosemary Davis, Jan. 1935 Miss Day, Aug. 1935 Berthe Dean, Aug. 1936-Feb. 1937 Patricia Deane, July 1936-July 1937 (transferee! to new ledger) Dophe Dewar (Blum Ballet Co.), May 1935-Aug. 1937 (trans.) Dawn Digby, April-July 1936 Rosalinde Dilworth, Oct. 1934-Jan. 1935 Eileen Dolamore, June 1935-Aug. 1936 Miss Dolarova (Ballet Russe Monte Carlo), July 1935- July 1936 Anton Dolin, July 1934-March 1935 Margaret Donaldson, Nov. 1935-May 1936 Nadia Dor§, July 1934 Julian Duncan, May 1935-July 1937 (trans. to new ledger) Miss Sonia Edelberg, July 1934-Dec. 1935 (trans) Rose Eden, Feb.-June 1935 Andr6 Eglevsky (Monte Carlo Ballet), July 1934-March 1937 (trans to new ledger) Miss Tatiana Eglevsky, Sept 1935-Oct. 1937 (trans p 166) Miss Muriel Elva, July 1935-June 1936 April Emmins, Nov.-Dec. 1934 Doushka Esprilova, no addl listing Elisabeth Fabry, July-Aug. 1936 Annabelle Fairjeou, July-Aug. 1936 Pansy Field (Ripman School of Dancing), Jan.-March 1936 Miss Meragh Forbes, (4 lessons) Vera Fredova, Jan. 1935 Helen Gabriel, July 1936 Mr. Gamble, July-Sept. 1934 Diana Gardner, Feb. 1936 Madeleine Gaunt, Aug.-Sept. 1936 Jacqueline Gilardani, April 1936-April 1937 Olga Gilmor, Aug. 1934-Sept. 1936 Miss Gladys Godby (De Basil Ballet Co.), Aug. 1934-Aug. 1937 Miss Katrina Goodall (Tamarova), July 1934-May 1937 (trans. pg. 73) Myrette Gough, Nov. 1934-Aug. 1936 Diana Gould (Markova Dolin Ballet Co.), Nov. 1935-Sept. 1936 Diana Graham, Dec. 1935-Jan. 1936 Miss Moray Grant, no additional Grantham, Sept. 1935-Jan. 1937 Sylvia Greaves, (Mayfair School of Dancing), Oct. 1934-Oct.1937 (trans. pg.163) Natasha Gregoraova, July 1934 Juliette Green, July 1935-Nov. 1936 S. Grikis, Aug. 1936 Miss Chayele Grober, Aug. 1934 Pearl Hackney (Windmill Theatre), Feb.-June 1934 Miss Hammond, June 1936 Miss Brigitta Hartwig (Vera Zorina), July 1934-April 1937 139

Mr. Oskar Harmos, June 1935-July 1936 M. Heffer, Aug. 1936 Maria (Helmsieg) Maximova, Sept. 1934- April 1936 Madileu Hibbert, May 1936-April 1937 (tran. p. 65) Miss J. Hinde, July 1934 Aubrey Hitchens, Jan. 1936 Miss Grancia Holliday, June 1935 Elisa Hobart, July 1937 (trans. to new ledger) Ruth Hobday, May 1936 Mary Hodges, Sept. 1934-Jan. 1936 Mary Honer (Sadler Wells Ballet Co.), April 1935-Aug. 1937 (trans.to new ledger) Mr. W. H. Honey, May 1935-April 1937 Peggy Hookham (Margot Fonteyn), (Sadler Wells) Feb. 35-Aug. 1937 Andrei Howard, Nov. 1934 Miss J. Howard, July 1935-July 1936 Peggy Hunt (Mayfair School of Dancing), Aug. 1934-June 1935 Diana Hunter, Feb. 1936- Dec. 1937 (transfered to new led) Miss Hyman (Markova Dplin Ballet Co.), February 1936 E. Keegan, July 1935-Sept. 1937 Bridget Kelly, July 1934-June 1937 B. Kelbauskas, Feb.-Sept. 1935 Kerenoff (USA), July 1935 Anne Kerpen, April-May 1935 Mr. Travis Kerrys (Markova Dolin Ballet Co.), May 1935-March 1936 Miss Mona Kimberly, July 1935-May 1937 Diana King, July 1935-July 1937 Moira (King) Shearer (Mayfair School of Dancing), Sept. 1936-July 1937 (tran) Lady Cecil Kimball-Cook, no additioanl Tris Kirkwhite, July 1934 Marion Knight (Cone School of Dancing), Sept.-April 1934 Ludmilla Kronidova, July 1935-October 1937 (trans. to new ledger pg. 164) Miss Martha Krueger, Sept. 1934-March 1937 R. Kouznetzoff (Blum Ballet Co.), May 1935-Aug. 1937 Andolf Kroller, June - Sept. 1935 Miss Jackelly, May 1936 Tris James, July 1935-Dec. 1937 Miss Jay, July 1934-July 1936 Jigolvsky (De Basil Ballet), July 1936 Miss Bessie Fabes Jones (Ripman School), Sept. 1936 Elisabeth de Jousheen, Nov.-Dec. 1935 Stanley Judson, May 1935-June 1936 Joan Innes, April 1935-Aug. 1937 (transfered to new ledger) Miss Lake (King), (Markova Dolin Ballet Co.), May 1935-Jan. 1937 Miss Pauline Lammonte, July 1934-July 1936 Margaret Leaver (Ripman School of Dancing), Jan.-Feb. 1936 140

David Lechine, Sept.-Oct. 1936 Helen Lelianova, Nov.-Dec. 1935 Miss Joan Lendrum, July 1936-Feb. 1937 (trans.) Mr. Leslie, April-July 1936 Mr. Keith Lester, July 1934-Nov. 1937 Miss Denise Levertoff, Sept. 1935-June 1937 (transferred to new ledger) Betty Leverton, May-Nov. 1936 David Lichine (de Basil Ballet), Sept.-Oct. 1936 Edna Liggitt, Aug. 1934-March 1935 Miss Lindo, Feb.-Dec. 1935 Mr. Raylor Lindsay, May 1935-June 1936 Marcel Liplat, Sept. 1935 Mr. Lorion, Aug.-Sept. 1935 Miss Tilly Losch, July 1934-Sept. 1935 Miss Irena Louchesarsky, July -Aug. 1935 Betty Low, July 1934-Sept. 1936 Miss Juai Lunes (Markova Dolin Ballet Co), Sept. 1935-Aug. 1937 (trans. to new ledger) Yvonne Lurion, Sept. 1935-June 1936 Daphne Lyndon (Lawrence), Dec. 1935-Dec. 1936 (trans. to new ledger) Dorothy Lysaght, Oct. 1936-Mar. 1937 (trans. to new ledger) Miss Margit Machytna, July 1934-Dec. 1936 Juan Magrina, June 1936 Miss Alicia Markova, Nov. 1934-Aug. 1936 Eleonora Marra, June 1935-Sept. 1936 Jean Marriott, Oct.-Nov. 1936 Peggy Marsh, Dec. 1935-March 1936 Miss Helen Meyer, Sept. 1935-April 1936 Miss Kathleen Michael, April 1936-Oct. 1937 (trans.) Doris Miles, March-July 1936 Miss Mishoursky, Aug. -Sept. 1936 Mrs. Ann Mitchell, July 1936 and March-April 1937 Alexanstra Moissi, Sept.-Dec. 1936 Miss Maxene Mollenhour, Aug. -Sept. 1935 Miss R. Monteith, Sept. 1936-July 1937 (trans) Miss Morita-Wyman, July 1935-Sept.1936 Miss M. Morteurse, Sept.1936 Miss Gwendoline Moss, July 1934-Oct. 1936 (trans) Miss Moyd, Feb. 1936 Lady Evelyne Moyne, July 1934-Dec. 1936 (tran) Miss McArthur, Sept. 1934-July 1935 Mr. David McLeod, July 1934 Miss Edna McRae, Aug.-Sept. 1934 Ursula Mynors, Aug. 1935-Dec. 1936 (Tran) Miss Mamia Nadejdova, Oct. 1936-Jan. 1937 Mr. Naylor Lindsay, May 1935-June 1936 Anne Nederhood, Sept. 1934 Mr. Negri, July-Aug. 1935 Seda Nercessian, July-Aug. 1934 141

Miss Joy Newgass, Jan.-Feb. 1936 Miss Niclas, Dec. 1935 Miss Kyra Nijinsky, July 1934-Feb. 1936 Miss Alice Nikitina, June-Aug. 1936 (transfered to new ledger) Miss Doris Niles, March-July 1936 Miss Cleo Nordi, July 1934-May 1937 (trans) Miss Norris, Sept. 1935-July 1936 Miss A. Northcote (Basil Ballet Co.), May 1935-Aug. 1936 (trans. to new ledger) Anna Lige von Oettingen, July 1936-Aug. 1937 Eileen Oliffe (Mayfair School), July 1934-Sept.' 1937 Mr. Alexis D'Ormesson, July 1934-April 1935 Miss Dorothy Osborne Dec. 1934-June 1935 Miss Osald, Sept. 1935 Miss Edna Otto, Nov.-Dec. 1935 Mr. Ozoline, July 1936-June 1937 Susy Pache (Blum Ballet), Sept. 1935-Sept. 1936 M. Panaeff (Blum Ballet), June 1936 R. Pavanoff, May 1935 R. Pavinoff, May 1935 Rydus Peacock, Sept. 1936-April 1937 (trans) Mary Pearse, Aug. 1935-Nov. 1936 Mr. Janis Pelnens, Sept. 1936-Jan. 1937 A. Petroff (Russian Ballet), June 1935-July 1936 Miss Frida Petrova, July -Oct. 1934 Delphine Petters, Dec. 1935-June 1936 Podjapolsky (De Basil Ballet Co.), July 1936 Miss Postinikoff, July 1934-Jan 1935 Miss Polunina, Oct. 1935-March 1937 Miss Ponsonky, Dec. 1934 Diana Power (Kraska School), Aug. 1936 Joy Pratt, July 1934-May 1937 (trans) Miss Psota (Monte Carlo Ballet), July 1934-July 1935 Mr. L. Psota (Monte Carlo Ballet), July 1934-July 1935 Peggy Purcell, Oct. 1935-Oct. 1936 John Pygram (Mayfair School of Dancing), Nov. 1935-March 1936 Miss Rabinovitch, Jan.-March 1935 Miss Nina Rae, May-June 1935 Andris Ray (Adelphi Theatre), 1936 Miss Sophie Reed, July 1934 Rosemary Rees, July 1934-June 1935 Mr. John Regan, (Markova Dolin Ballet) Dec. 1934 Jan. 1935- Jan. 1937 Joan Rent (Markova Dolin Ballet), Aug. 1936- April 1937 Miss Marjorie Richards, March May 1936 Helen Richardson. Aug. 1936 Miss Mary Richmond, Aug.-Sept. 1936 Jean Roach, July 1934-May 1935 Miss Catherine Roberts, April 1935-Dec. 1936 142

Miss Robinson, June-July 1936 Audrey Robius (Markova Dolin Ballet), Aug. 1936 Edith Rochambeau, July-Sept. 1936 Nora Roche, Sept. 1934-Jan. 1937 Miss Lilly Roggensniger (Mayfair School of Dancing), Nov.-Dec. 1935 Anna Roje, July 1934-July 1937 (tran) Miss Vibeke Rorvig, Sept. 1934 Miss Chr. Rosslyn (Markova Dolin Ballet Co.), May 1935-June 1937 (trans. pg. 171) Mr. Dmitri Rostoff (De Basil Ballet Co.), May 1935-June 1937 Miss Lelia Roussova (Basil Ballet Co.), Dec. 1935-June 1937 Miss Ann Russwurui, Aug. 1935-Sept. 1937 Felicity Sands, July 1936-June 1937 Miss Arense Schioler, Feb. 1936 Miss Irene Schoukine, Nov.-Dec. 1935 Miss K. Schroeder, July 1934 Igor Schwetzoff, Sept. 1935 Miss Olga Schwiller, Oct. 1934-Oct. 1937 (transfered to new ledger, pg. 160) Miss Belita Scott, Oct. 1936-Feb. 1937 Miss Semenova (Basil Ballet), June 1936-July 1937 Miss Ruth Sendler, Aug.-Dec. 1934 Miss Seona (De Basil Ballet Co.), May-June 1936 Miss Margaret Severn, July 1935-Oct. 1936 (transfered to new ledger) Patricia Shaw Page, May-Nov. 1936 Miss Tamara Shepperson, May-June 1935 Ana Simpson, May-July 1936 Miss Mary Skeaping, Sept. 1935-March 1936 Yvonne Noble Smith, Nov. 1935-Jan. 1936 Miss N. van der Maesen Sombrieff (DeJoos Ballet Co.), Feb. 1935 Miss Doris Sonne, Aug. 1934-Dec. 1936 (transfered to new ledger) Miss Pat Spalding, June 1935-July 1937 (trans.) Miss Geraldine Spencer, Nov. 1935-Oct. 1936 Mr. J. Spurgeon, July 1934-Jan. 1937 (transfered to new ledger, pg. 82) Miss Mona Stahl, July 1935 Miss Hilary Standen (Ripman School of Dancing), Jan.-June 1936 Miss Phyllis Stanley, July 1934, May 1935-Jan. 1936 Miss Strang Stell, Oct. 1936 Miss Stevens, Oct. 1934-July 1936 Miss Phyllis Strickland, Dec. 1934, May-July 1935 Miss R. Stuart, July 1934 Miss Allison Sutcliffe, July 1934-June 1936 Alfred Suteroff, March-May 1936 Miss Nadine Swinton, July 1934-July 1937 143

Mr. J. Tate-Regan, July 1934 Miss Wendy Toye, Feb. 1936 Anne Thelluson, Oct. 1935-July 1936 Mr. John Thodey, July 1935 Aimee Thompson, Sept.-Dec. 1936 Miss Joy Thornton, Jan.- Feb. 1935 Otto Thoresen (Royal Opera House, Stockholm), Aug.-Sept. 1935, June 1936 Sorrel Thomas, Sept. 1935-Sept. 1936 Tamara Toumanova (Russian Ballet), June 1935-July 1936 Irene Trebert, May-Aug. 1936 Edna Tretakar (De Basil Ballet Co.), May-June 1935 Harold Turner (Sadler Wells Ballet Co.), April 1935- Aug. 1937 (trans) Miss Audrey Valeskd, June-Aug 1935 Lucie van Bleycuboyhe, Nov. 1935 Peggy van Praagh, July-Sept. 1935 Diana Vecchi, July 1935-May 1936 Vera Vecchi, July 1935-May 1936 Miss Dorothy de Vere, no additional list Barbara Vernon, Feb. 1936-Jan. 1937 (trans. to new ledger) Mr. Vladimiroff, Sept. 1934-March 1935 Doreen Vinci (Ripman School of Dancing), Jan.-June 1936 Irene Vivien de Chateabrun, March-June 1934 Lamette Volhoff, Aug. 1936 Boris Volkoff, Aug.-Sept. 1936 Vera Volkowa, April 1936-July 1937 Vrijanic, June 1936 Miss R. Walton, Jan. 1935 Cloth. Ward, Oct. 1934-March 1935 Miss Anna Waters, Feb.-May 1935 Peggy Welch, July 1934-April 1935 Phyllis Welman, Nov. 1934-April 1935 Vera Whitney, July-Sept. 1936 Mr. Tris Whyte, Dec. 1934-Jan. 1935 Miss G. Wigginton, Oct.-Dec 1935 Gordon Williams, July 1934-Dec. 1935 Miss Thea Wilmer, Sept. 1935-June 1937 (transfered to new ledger) Miss Winoma, Feb. 1935 Nadia Wolkovsky, Sept.-Oct. 1934 Miss Wright, Oct.-Dec. 1935 Betty Wyche, April-June 1935 Rosemary Young, Dec. 1935-Jan .1936 A. Zozitech (Ballet Russe), July 1935, June-July 1936 Miss Oxama L. Zvegintzov, Sept. 1934-July 1937 APPENDIX E

SOCIETY OF RUSSIAN STYLE BALLET SYLLABUS

The original syllabus was first established under Nadine Legat, and required the following work; information given and explained by Mimi Legat. The syllabus was revised in 1978 and again in 1986.

The Primary syllabus for ages 7-8 would meet biweekly. The students were tested on the following work.

Barre 1) Demi-pliAs, 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions 2) Battement tendu simple en croix 3) Battement fondu A la seconde 4) Battement frappA dAgagA A la seconde 5) Rond de jambe pare terre marquA 6) Grand battement preparation en avant en arriere 7) RelevA with demi-pliA in 1st and 2nd positions

Centre 1) Five arm positions 2) Battement tendu

Allegro 1) ChassA effacA 2) SautA in 1st position 3) Skipping

The Grade 1 syllabus for ages 9-11 includes the primary work plus the following:

Barre 1) Soutenu en dehors and en dedans 2) Grand battement en croix

Allegro 1) Glissade in 3rd position croisA en avant 2) AssemblA dessus (arms, 4th position) 3) JetA de cdtA

144 145

4) Changement de pieds 5) Echappd A la seconde position 6) Sissone to seconde position

The Grade 2 syllabus for ages 10-12 includes daily technique work. The following is added to the prior syllabi.

Barre Grand-plid in 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions Battement tendu demi-plid. Rond de jambe par terre en dehors and en dedans Petit battement serrd Relevds with demi-plid 3rd position

Centre 1 Battement tendu demi-plid 2 Rond de jambe marqud 3 Grand battement

Allegro 1 Glissade in 3rd position dcartd 2 Tombd 3 Soutenu en tournant en dedans 4 Sissone from 3rd position, simple 5 Chassd en.avant croisd 6 Jetd de c6td 7 Ballond dffacd en avant 8 Pas de bourrde de cdtd, devant and derridre 9 Pas de basque en avant 10 Assemble dessous 11 Soubresaut 12 Italian pas de chat

The Grade 3 syllabus is for ages 11-13. The following is added to the previous syllabi.

Barre 1) Battement tendu jetd 2) Rond de jambe par terre; soutenu and port de bras

Centre 1) Demi-piid 2) Battement frappd 3) Rond de jambe par terre; port de bras 146

Allegro 1) Glissade dessus and dessous 2) Sissone ouvert, dffacd, croisd, and A la seconde position 3) Ballond croisd 4) Pas de bourrde de cdtd, dessus and dessous 5) Assembld devant and derridre 6) Failli en avant 7) Preparation for pirouette en dedans and en dehors, with tombd into 4th position dffacd and croisd

The Grade 4 Syllabus is for ages 13-15. The students are tested on the prior syllabi and the following additions. At this level they are also tested on point work.

Barre 1) Demi-plid, grand-plid in 4th and 5th positions 2) Battement frappd en croix 3) Rond de jambe en l'air en dehors and en dedans 4) Ddveloppd en croix 5) Grand battement en croix, single and double 6) Battement battu 7) Relevds with demi-plie (facing the barre) in 2nd, 1st, and with dchappd in 5th positions Centre 1) Repeat all the exercises done at the barre in the center using arms in 4th position

Allegro 1 All variations of glissade 2 Tombd en avant and en arridre 3 Chassd, dffacd, en avant and en arridre 4 Coupd, dessus and dessous 5 Soutenu, en dedans and en dehors 6 All variations of sissone 7 Sissone tombd, dffacd and croisd 8 Jetd de cdtd, en avant and en arridre 9 All variations of assemblds 10 Ballond en avant and en arridre 11 Pas de bourrde, all variations except en tournant 12 Pas de chat, in 4th (Russian) and 5th (Italian) 13 Pas de basque, en avant 14 Failli to 4th croisd en avant and close in 5th 15 Pirouettes (single rotation) en dehors and en dedans with preparation from 2nd position 16) Preparation for pirouettes from croisd and 147

6ffac6 with single rotation 17) Echapp6 saut6 in 2nd and 4th positions en croix 18) Changement de pieds- two high, three small or two slow and three quick 19) Soubresaut sur place and traveling en avant and en arrifere (crois6) 20) royale and 6chapp6 royale

Pointe work (at the barre only) 1) Relev6, in 2nd, 1st and 5th positions 2) Echapp6 simple and en croix 3) Soutenu simple 4) Glissade the 5th position sur les pointes, devant and derrifere 5) Assemble dessus and dessous 6) Jet€ de c6t€ dessous and dessous

The Elementary Examination includes all the previous work and the following additional work.

Barre 1) Battement tendu jet§, various combinations 2) Battement fondu, en croix and variations 3) Battement frapp§, en croix and variations 4) Rond de jambe par terre with simple variations, soutenu port de bras 5) Rond de jambe en l'air with simple variations 6) D6velopp6 en croix and grand rond de jambe 7) Grand battement en croix and balangoire (la cloche) from 1st position, en avant and en arridre, and facing barre using legs alternately 8) Petit battement serr6 and battu, various rhythms 9) Relevds (facing barre) from various positions, with and without pli6

Centre 1) Repeat barre with simple variations and soutenu entournant using arms appropriately

Allegro

1) All variations of glissade 2) Tomb6, all positions en avant and en arridre 3) Chass6: crois6, €ffac£, en avant and en arrifere 4) Coup€, with and without a jump 5) All variations of soutenu simple and entournant 6) All variations of sissone 148

Sissone (sautd or relevd) tombd Sissone relevd passd la jambe en arridre and en avant Jetd simple en avant and en arridre, include with glissades, chassds, tombds 10 All variations of assembles 11 Ballond en avant and en arridre, dffacd, croisd and d la seconde, with coupd 12 Pas de bourrde, all variations except en tournant 13 Pas de chat, in 4th (Russian) and 5th (Italian) positions, consecutively 14 Pas de basque, en avant and en arridre 15 Failli, en avant and en arridre 16 Pirouettes (two rotations) en dehors and en dedans with preparation from 2nd position 17 Preparation for pirouette, en dehors from 4th position croisd and en dedans from 4th position dffacd (one or two rotations) 18 Echappd sautd, simple with single beat 19 Changement de pieds in various speeds and rhythms 20 Soubresaut in diagonal, dffacd (pas de poisson) 21 Entrechat quatre

Candidate must have knowledge of correct dpaulement and demonstrative positions of: Croisd, en face, dffacd (en avant and en arridre) d la seconde.

Pointe Work (at barre and in the centre) 1) Relevd, in 2nd, 1st and 5th positions in various rhythms 2) Echappd en croix 3) Soutenu en tournant 4) Glissade to 5th and 4th position en avant and en arridre 5) Jetd dessous and dessous 6) Pas de bourrde dessus and dessous 7) Sissone passd en avant and en arridre 8) Sissone ouvert in all positions 9) Relevd sur une jambe, jetd piqud et coupd (dessous) 10) Coupd, jetd, piqud en mandge and en diagonal

Candidate must show a perfectly straight leg sur les pointes

The Intermediate Examinations syllabus is as follows:

Barre 1) Enchainement of plids with relevds 149

2) Enchalnement of three different battements tendus in varying rhythm 3) Battement fondu with enchalnement of one fouettd en dehors and en dedans 4) Battement frappd in varying rhythm 5) Rond de jambe par terre in varying rhythm with soutenu and port de bras 6) Rond de cuisse en dehors and en dedans 7) Rond de jambe en l1air in varying rhythm 8) Ddveloppd with the use of arms: a) en face b) dffacd (en avant and en arridre) c) croisd (en avant and en arridre) d) attitude e) arabesque f) d la seconde 9) Grand battement a) with stretched instep b) with flexed instep (to stretch achilles tendon c) balangoire (en cloche) 10) Petit battement with variations and battement battu 11) Enchalnement of relevds in varying rhythm

Candidate must have knowledge of order of barre work

Centre 1) Plids with adagio, including grand rond de jambe and simple pirouettes a) dffacd, and croisd en avant b) attitude, croisd and dffacd c)arabesque, dffacd, croisd and a deux bras 2) Temps lid 3) Battement tendu with simple variations 4) Battement fondu in all positions with pirouettes 5) Battement frappd with pirouettes 6) Rond de jambe en l'air, en dehors and en dedans sur le demi-pointe with pirouettes, finishing in attitude 7) Ddveloppd with grande pirouettes 8) Grand battement in all positions 9) Petit battement serre sur le demi-pointe et chaine

The above enchalnements are examples. The candidate must be able to perform many and varied enchalnements.

Allegro Enchalnement of three or more of the following steps and batterie. 150

1) Pas de chat with variations and all styles (Russian, Italian and French) 2) Ballond en tournant 3) Jetds, simple and battu 4) Jetd emboite sur le cou-de-pied 5) Jetd ballottd 6) Grand jetd en tournant, finishing in arabesque 7) Pas de basque en tournant 8) Fouette simple and en tournant 9) Grand emboite, jetd with ddveloppd 10) Temps de cuisse 11) Chaine 12) Pirouettes a) en dehors and en dedans from 2nd position b) en dehors and en dedans from 4th position c) en dedans from dffacd d) piqud, en dedans and en dehors e) pirouette fouettd en dehors and en dedans f) pirouette flic-flac, en dehors and en dedans g) grande pirouette in attitude, arabesque and d la seconde 13) Pas de bourrde en tournant en dedans and en dehors

Batterie 1) Glissade battu, en avant and en arridre 2) Echappd with demi-tour and full turn 3) Entrechat quatre 4) Entrechat trois devant and derridre 5) Royale 6) Brisd dessus and dessous, en avant and en arridre 7) Entrechat cinq, devant and derridre 8) Cabrioles in all positions

Pointe Work 1) Jetds (all variations) 2) Sissones (all variations) 3) Failli 4) Coupd ballond 5) Pas de bourrde (all variations) 6) Ballottd, dffacd and croisd 7) Glissades (all variations) 8) Tombd coupd 9) Pirouette piqud (en dehors and en dedans) en diagonal 10) All petites pirouettes with preparations from 4th and 5th positions 11) Echappd en croix 151

The Advanced Syllabus is as follows.

Barre 1) Plids in 2nd, 1st and 5th positions with relevds on demi pointes, taken in varying rhythm and variations and finishing with port de bras 2) Echainement of three battement tendus with half- turn 3) Battement fondu a) with ddveloppd (in varying rhythm) b) fondu double and fondu oppose c) frappd, etc. 4) Battement frappd a) with accents on extension and sur le cou-de- pied b) with tombd and coupd c) with demi-plid and pirouette en dehors and en dedans (one or two rotations) and pirouette piqud with half-turn en dehors 5) Enchalnement of rond de jambe par terre, en l'air and rond de cuisse using arms 6) Rond de jambe en l'air with double fouettd finishing in: a) attitude b ) arabesque c) cl la seconde, etc. 7) Ddveloppd with enchalnement if any of the following examples a) slightly lowering and raising leg b) grand rond de jambe en dehors and en dedans c) tombd and port de bras d) en piid and sur demi-pointe 8) Grand battement: a ) en rond b) enchalnement of the following: -grand battement ballottd -grand battement piqud -grand battement double 9) Enchalement of petit battement serrd battu and fouettd finishing in dffacd and croisd positions 10) Enchalnement of relevds and batterie (entrechat six, etc.) taken facing barre

Candidates must understand that the above examples can be varied. This also applies to Centre Work, etc.

Centre 1) Plids in 2nd, 1st and 5th positions with choreographic compositions of adagio, including: a ) ddveloppds b) pas de bourrdes en tournant 152

c) tour de rein (en dehors and en dedans) d) assemble soutenu (en dehors and en dedans) e) all port de bras and free use of arms f) all pirouettes 2) Temps lid (simple and sur demi-pointes) with enchalnement of: a) pirouettes b) ddveloppds c) battement tendus, etc. 3) Battement tendu simple and en tournant and enchalnement of: a) pirouettes b) glissades 4) Battement fondu sur demi-pointe with enchalnement of : a) battement frappd b) pirouettes 5) Rond de jambe a) en l'air sur demi-pointe b) double, (gargouillade) 6) Grand battement with enchalnement 7) Petit battement sur le cou-de-pied with enchalnement of the following: a) chaine b) pirouettes c) pas de basque d) sissones

Candidates must be able to show perfect balance on demi- pointe and perform all adagio in this manner.

Allegro 1 Chassd with enchalnement of grandes pirouettes 2 Failli en tournant 3 Petit jetd emboite en tournant devant and derridre 4 Petit jetd emboite battu en tournant 5 Gargouillade (rond de jambe double en dehors and en dedans) 6 Sissone sautd en tournant 7 Fouettd sautd en tournant, finishing 4th croisd a terre or arabesque en 1'air 8 Pas de chat en tournant, starting with back or front foot 9 Pas de basque emboite 10 Pas de ciseau 11 Cabrioles (all positions and varieties) 12 Soubresaut 13 Tour de rein sautd 14 Grand ballond void en arabesque 15 Ballond arronde 16 Saut de basque 153

17) Rond de jambe sautd 18) All jetds

The following steps are especially for male examinees: 19) Revoltade 20) Tour en l'air 21) Grande pirouette a la seconde and en arabesque

Batterie 1) Entrechat six 2) Entrechat sept sur place 3) Entrechat sept void 4) Entrechat cinq croisd void 5) Entrechat sept void en attitude and arabesque (for male examinees) 6) Entrechat cinq void fermd sur cou-de-pied 7) Entrechat cinq ouvert 8) Saut de basque battu

Pointe Work

All work to be taken sur les pointes including double pirouettes, chaines, fouettds and pirouettes en mandge.

Soloist

For qualification as a Soloist, a classical variation must be danced in a professional manner.

Ballerina

For qualification as a Ballerina, a full pas de deux must be performed, also a miming scene from a popular ballet or, aternatively, a demi-character solo with strong characterization. Junior Teacher

For a Junior Teacher Certificate, the candidate must have a sound knowledge of the first four grades, technique and theory. Intermediate Teacher

Candidate must have sound knowledge of first four grades plus Elementary and Intermediate Syllabus, technique and theory. Senior Teacher

For a Senior Teacher Certificate, all seven grades of 154 the syllabus must be known and it is necessary to have complete knowledge of technique.

The teaching syllabus are often awarded to performers who return to the school during the summer to earn their teaching certificate. The examination syllabi have been taken from The Russian Ballet Society Examinations Book, originally set forth by its Founder-President, Nadine Nicolaeva-Legat. The execution of these steps with full explanation may be found in Nadine Nicolaeva-Legat1s Ballet Education. BIBLIOGRAPHY

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