Rene Blum & the Ballets Russes Rene Blum & the Ballets Russes In Search of a Lost Life in Search of a Lost Life

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.

"Like a detective, Judith Chazin-Bennahum sets out to recover René Blum's fascinating and ultimately tragic life from the margins of history. Weaving him into the tapestry of the Belle Epoque and les années folles, she reveals a life devoted from childhood to the arts, a writer-turned-ballet impresario who brought taste, passion, and a rare gift for friendship to everything he did. The brother of Léon Blum, the first Socialist and first Jewish prime minister of France, René died in Auschwitz, a victim like so many others of Nazi racial hatred."--Lynn Garafola, Professor of Dance, Barnard College

"Chazin-Bennahum has unearthed the truth about René Blum's extraordinary vision and artistic contributions. By illuminating the life of an important dance figure via an array of previously unknown primary sources, she also provides a first-rate model for dance biographies yet to come."--Elizabeth Aldrich, Dance Historian

"Balletomanes, Francophiles, and students of European cultural history will enjoy this scholarly and meticulously researched work." -- Library Journal

"Well researched and fascinating account of the wars of the Ballet Russes and World War II that destroyed so many great artists." -- ART TIMES

"We owe her a debt for bringing Blum back into historical view." -- New York Times Book Review

"A splendid new biography...For dance aficionados the book is a treasure house of information about life inside a ballet company from both artistic and financial points of view...This book is a wonder." -- Washington Independent Review of Books

"Judith Chazin-Bennahum, the author, who researched heretofore uninvestigated archives, has done a heroic job in bringing to a larger public the life and work of René Blum, who was perhaps the quintessential embodiment of twentieth century European culture up until World War I and a major force in dance after 1925." -- Art Times

"The book is a major achievement in dance history. But Chazin-Bennahum's finest work is her last chapter, a harrowing account of Blum's final days. His heroism and selflessness in an appalling situation will bring tears to your eyes." -- Dance Magazine

"This book is a long-needed account of the theater critic, art critic, ballet impresario, cinephile, army interpreter, showman, business director, talent scout and shill - and victim of the Nazis." -- San Francisco Chronicle, Best Books of 2011

"This biography is a must-read for all balletomanes, especially those who are interested in the history of the Ballets Russes and its impact on the development of modern dance...Chazin-Bennahum has brought René Blum and his work back into view, recovering the narrative of an exceptional life tragically cut short by the Nazis' barbarism." -- Gay &Lesbian Review

"Judith Chazin-Bennahum, in searching for [Blum's] lost life, has done a service - not just culturally, but morally." --DCA News

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

andldquo;An inspiring, fascinating read as a portrait of a person as well as a document of the times.andrdquo;

andrdquo;This elegant, informative book documents the path of a memorable dancer from anonymity to international acclaim.andrdquo;

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;

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;

The biography of a fascinating cultural hero, René Blum and the Ballets Russes uncovers the events in the life of the enigmatic and brilliant writer and producer who perished in the Holocaust. Brother of Léon Blum, the first socialist prime minister of France, René Blum was a passionate and prominent littérateur. He was the editor of the chic literary journal Gil Blas where he met such celebrated figures as Claude Debussy, Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, André Gide, and Paul Valéry. As author Judith Chazin-Bennahum's research illustrates, Blum actually arranged for the publication of Proust's Swann's Way. But Blum's accomplishments and legacy do not end there: after enlisting in World War I, he won the Croix de Guerre and became a national hero. And Blum resurrected the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo after Diaghilev's death. Tragically, he was arrested in 1941 during a roundup of Jewish intellectuals and ultimately sent to Auschwitz.

Based on a treasure trove of previously undiscovered letters and documents, this thoroughly researched narrative not only tells the poignant story of Blum's life but also illustrates Blum's central role in the development of dance in the United States. Indeed, Blum's efforts to save his ballet company eventually helped to bring many of the world's greatest dancers and choreographers--among them Fokine, Balanchine, and Nijinska--to American ballet stages, shaping the path of dance in the United States for years to come.

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.

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

Foreword by Janet Rowson Davis

Introduction

Chapter 1: Childhood and Youth: The Formation of an Intellectual and Aesthete

Chapter 2: René Blum, Man of Letters

Chapter 3: Marcel Proust and René Blum: An Uncommon Friendship

Chapter 4: The Great War and René Blum

Chapter 5: The Stately Pleasure Dome: René Blum and the Théâtre de Monte-Carlo

Chapter 6: René and Josette: Romance in Monte Carlo

Chapter 7: The Resurrection of the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo

Chapter 8: Blum Brings Michel Fokine into the Fold

Chapter 9: The New World Calls: Blum Sells the Company to Americans

Chapter 10: Blum's Last Days

Epilogue

Appendix: List of Productions in Monte Carlo

Notes

List of René Blum's Publications and Other Writings

Select Bibliography