Synopses & Reviews
In the 1930s and and#8217;40s, the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo toured the United States and the world, introducing many to ballet as an art form, while spreading the enduring image of the ballerina as an embodiment of feminine grace and sophistication. This sumptuous, illustrated history tells the story of the rise of modern ballet and its popularity through the life story of one of balletand#8217;s most glamorous stars, Irina Baronova (1919and#150;2008), prima ballerina for the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo and later for Ballet Theatre in New York.
Drawing on letters, correspondence, oral histories, and interviews, Baronovaand#8217;s daughter, the actress Victoria Tennant, warmly recounts Baronovaand#8217;s dramatic life, from her earliest aspirations to her grueling time on tour to her later years in Australia as a pioneer of the art. She begins with the Baronov familyand#8217;s flight from Russia during the Revolution, which led them to Romania and later Paris, where at the age of thirteen, Baronova became a star, chosen by the legendary George Balanchine to join the Ballets Russes, where she danced the lead in Swan Lake. and#160;Tennant provides an intimate account of Baronovaand#8217;s life as a dancer and rare behind-the-scenes stories of life on the road with the stars of the company. Spectacular photographs, a mix of archival images and family snapshots, offer manyand#160;rare views of rehearsals, costumes, set designs, and the dancers themselves both at their most dazzling and in their most everyday.
The story of Irina Baronova is also the story of the rise of ballet in America thanks to the Ballets Russes, who brought the magisterial beauty and star power of dance to big cities and small towns alike.and#160; Irina Baronova and the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo offers a unique perspective on this history, sure to be treasured by dance patrons and aspiring stars.
Review
and#8220;As a dancer myself, I connected deeply to Baronovaand#8217;s words about what itand#8217;s like to feel in your soul the extremes of sacrifice, familial rivalry, and tremendous love that come from committing oneself to the art form. These pages made me realize how lucky we are now, we American dancers, because of the pioneering energy and sheer strength of Baronova and the other great dancers of the Ballets Russes who performed tirelessly night after night, stirring and thrilling hearts in every tiny pocket of America. It is something that should never be forgotten and should be instilled in all young dancers. We could never enjoy the careers we have today without these artists paving the way for us. I really couldnand#8217;t put this book down. I was in tears.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;My friend Irina Baronova was a legendary Baby Ballerina of the Ballets Russes and an ambassador of classical ballet in America, but this book shows us theand#160;kind, funny, and hardworking woman behind the legend.and#160;She was a total pro and an elegant human being. If itand#8217;s possible, I'm more in awe than ever.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;This is a beautiful record of the twentieth century lived through dance. and#160;It is illuminating and passionate and vivid: imagine Nabokovand#8217;s Speak, Memory photographed and choreographed. and#160;I loved it.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;The passionate life story of the beautiful and dedicated Russian prima ballerina, Irina Baronova, is tenderly recounted by her daughter with wonderful photographs and vivid detail.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Photograph by photograph, Tennant touches on some of the most celebrated moments of Baronovaand#8217;s career as a professional ballerina, while providing an unprecedented look into the Golden Age of ballet. Although most know Baronova for her grace on the ballet floor, Tennant chronicles her motherand#8217;s life from humble and difficult beginnings to her days as a world-renowned dancer.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Written by Baronovaand#8217;s daughter, this lavishly illustrated book depicts the life of one of balletand#8217;s most glamorous stars, Irina Baronova, whose outstanding talent and beauty led her to become prima ballerina of the Ballets Russes and later New Yorkand#8217;s Ballet Theatre. . . . The result is an intoxicating glimpse into a lost age, taking in the volatile world of the Russian Revolution and two world wars that formed the backdrop to ballet at the time. With stunning photographs of Baronova and her fellow dancers on and off stage as they toured the world in the 1930s and 1940s, this superb book reveals just how fraught but exhilarating that was.and#8221;
Review
andldquo;A fascinating story and a touching memorial to a warm, generous artist, the book is a most welcome addition to any dance loverandrsquo;s library.andrdquo;
Review
and#8220;This is an invaluable book for its coverage of the Ballet Russe companies and for its feast of gorgeous photos. it would make a great gift to any ballet lover.and#8221;
Review
andldquo;An inspiring, fascinating read as a portrait of a person as well as a document of the times.andrdquo;
Review
andrdquo;This elegant, informative book documents the path of a memorable dancer from anonymity to international acclaim.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Tennantandrsquo;s lovely book is more than just a coffee-table commemoration of a figure as adored in her day as Greta Garbo. . . . It will also serve as a research tool for historians of one of the most distinctive phenomena of mid-20th-century high culture. Every balletomane should acquire it.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Irina Baronova and the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo is moving and sumptuous. Evocative, even bewitching, it gives an intimate look at a lost world of ballet as well as the dimensions of the individual career of Tennantandrsquo;s legendary mother.andrdquo;
Synopsis
A major photography book that documents the history of the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo through the life of one of the companyand#8217;s prima ballerinas, Irina Baronova.and#160; The author is Baronovaand#8217;s daughter, the actor Victoria Tennant.and#160; Please note that the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo is the offspring of the earlier Ballets Russes created by Serge Diaghilev in Paris, dissolved in 1929.
and#160;
Through a lavish comingling of rare photographs and texts by Tennant and Baronova, this book explores the rise of modern ballet in Europe, the US, and Australia in the 20th century.and#160; The transformation of dance into a popular and sophisticated art form is told through the life of one of its most distinguished performers of the 30s and 40sand#151;the prima ballerina Irina Baranova, who danced first with the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo and then with Ballet Theatre in New York City.and#160; The bookand#8217;s tremendous sweep begins with the Russian Revolution and the dancers who gathered in Paris, having fled the terrors of their own country.and#160; It progresses to the Great Depression in America with the Ballets Russes crisscrossing the nationand#151;and in fact, the entire world--spreading the good news of ballet and starting a veritable craze for the art form in the US and Australia.
and#160;
Among the gifted artists who worked for Ballets Russes was a young choreographer, George Balanchine, who made dance into something daring, ambitious, and cosmopolitan.
About the Author
Victoria Tennant played the title role in her first film, The Ragman's Daughter, in 1972, and she has since then gone on to work in film, television, theater, and radio, receiving Emmy