A new book on the impact of the Ballets Russes on Australia dance is being launched in Adelaide on Wednesday August 9.
Called The Ballets Russes in Australia and Beyond, the book consists of a series of essays that reveals how the tours of the Ballets Russes companies created a lasting legacy in dance, visual art and music, one felt still to this day.
The publishers promise "a dazzling array of pictures" that "bring to life the sheer vitality of the companies in a way that makes the volume indispensable to balletomanes, scholars, and those fascinated by the synergies between the creative arts in general.
"It is a veritable jewel box for anyone interested in visual art, dance, theatre, costume and set design, art history, staging, and performance spectacle."
Contributors include dance critics Alan Brissenden, Lee Christofis, Valerie Lawson and Stephanie Jordan and the musical director for the Australian Ballet, Nicolette Fraillon.
"How lucky for us to have seen the amazing artists of the Ballets Russes in performance," says David McAllister, artistic director of Australian Ballet, in the Foreward, "and to have had some of them live amongst us here in Australia, sharing their art, wisdom and life experiences.
"Their personalities and creative mastery live on in our memories, photographic archives and now also in this beautiful book."
The Ballets Russes in Australia and Beyond is published by Wakefield Press (full colour, $75).