Paul Scheurich
Mikhail Fokine and Vera Fokina in “Cléopâtre”
undated
Porcelain, colored
John Neumeier Foundation, Hamburg
Scheurich’s enthusiasm for the Ballets Russes’ guest performance in Berlin inspired him to create several porcelain dance figures, including a five-piece group that was produced by the Meissen manufactory. The sculptor succeeded in precisely characterizing the various members of the ensemble with his porcelain sculptures.
Paul Poiret
Vera Fokina and Mikhail Fokine in “Cléopâtre”
undated
Ink and watercolor
John Neumeier Foundation, Hamburg
The 1910 program of the Ballets Russes also included the ballet “Cleopatra.” The choreography was also by Mikhail Fokine (1880–1942) and was based on music by several composers, including Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908) and Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881).
Ernst Oppler
Le Carnaval
circa 1917
Etching, drypoint
German Dance Archive Cologne / SK Foundation for Culture
On May 20, 1910, one day before Käthe Kollwitz saw the Ballets Russes perform a mixed program on stage, a new ballet choreographed by Mikhail Fokine (1880–1942) premiered at the Theater des Westens. Le Carnaval, based on the piano suite of the same name by Robert Schumann (1810–1856) and featuring costumes by Léon Bakst (1866–1924), is one of the company’s most legendary pieces. Ernst Oppler (1867–1929) depicts dancers Tamara Karsavina (1885–1978) and Vaslav Nijinsky (1889–1950) here.
Ernst Oppler
Adolph Bolm in the “Polovtsian Dances”
1914
Pencil and ink
John Neumeier Foundation, Hamburg
Käthe Kollwitz particularly appreciated the “Polovtsian Dances” in the Ballets Russes performance she attended, which were always one of the highlights of the ensemble’s tour program. During the Berlin guest performance in 1910, Mikhail Fokine (1880–1942) took on the role in the “Polovtsian Dances” that was actually the signature role of Adolph Bolm (1884–1951). The study by Ernst Oppler (1867–1929), which sketches Bolm in motion on stage, was created during another performance, but it still conveys the impression that Käthe Kollwitz had at the time.
Ludwig Kainer
Adolph Bolm in the “Polovtsian Dances”
undated
Lithograph, hand-colored
John Neumeier Foundation, Hamburg
The “Polovtsian Dances,” with their wildness and supposed “barbarism,” were one of the showpieces of the Ballets Russes.
Ludwig Kainer
Tamara Karsavina in the “Polovtsian Dances”
undated
Lithograph, hand-colored
John Neumeier Foundation, Hamburg
In addition to classical dances, the Ballets Russes also had pieces with folkloric elements in their repertoire. The “Polovtsian Dances” to music by Alexander Borodin (1833–1887) originated in the opera “Prince Igor,” and Fokine (1880–1942) had reworked them into a ballet in its own right.
August Macke
Dancer
1914
Opaque colors, over washed ink drawing
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett
The ballet Le Carnaval had an extremely stimulating effect on visual artists, as this work on paper by August Macke (1887–1914) shows. In addition to Macke and Ernst Oppler (1867–1929), Max Pechstein (1881–1955) also produced graphic works and a painting dedicated to this ballet.
Josef Lorenzl
Caged Bird
Niddy Impekoven in a butterfly costume
1925
Porcelain, painted (manufacturer: Goldscheider, Vienna)
John Neumeier Foundation, Hamburg
In April 1920, Käthe Kollwitz wrote in her diary: “Saw Niddy Impekoven dance. Very talented. Great skill, temperament, charm.” Niddy Impekoven (1904–2002) was considered a dancing prodigy. After training in classical ballet, she turned to the then emerging art of expressive dance and, from 1918 onwards, developed solo programs for herself, including her choreography “Der gefangene Vogel” (The Caged Bird) to music by Bruno Hartl (1880–1939).
Georg Kolbe
Tamara Karsavina
1912
Brush, pencil, and ink
Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin
The dancer Tamara Karsavina (1885–1978) was one of the stars of the Ballets Russes company. She and her dance partner Nijinsky (1889–1950) visited the sculptor in his studio in December 1912, where Kolbe (1877–1947) sketched movement studies of the two. There are also photographs from the sculptor’s studio showing Karsavina posing in costume. Using both models, Kolbe developed a group of figures for the Heinrich Heine monument in Frankfurt in 1913.
Georg Kolbe
Dancer Nijinsky
1919
Bronze
Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin
The sculpture is a reworking of an earlier version from 1913, which was created immediately after the star dancer of the Ballets Russes, Vaslav Nijinsky (1889–1950), visited Kolbe’s studio. The Ballets Russes gave a long series of performances at the Kroll Opera in Berlin in 1912.
