Le Beau Danube: four images. Photos by Hugh P. Hall. Hugh P. Hall collection of photographs, 1938–1940, National Library of Australia, Canberra.
Constantin Guys: a typical example of his work: A carriage in London, 1848–56. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Massine in Le Beau Danube, 1933. Private collection; Poul Gnatt (Borovansky Ballet artist), Le Beau Danube, 1952. Edward Pask collection; Preserved Hussar costume. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
Photos by Hugh P. Hall. Hugh P. Hall collection of photographs, 1938–1940, National Library of Australia, Canberra.
Graduation Ball, The Australian Ballet, 1990, with Fiona Tonkin as Pigtails. Photo by Don McMurdo. Don McMurdo personal archive collection, National Library of Australia, Canberra.
Vladimir and Elizabeth Polunin, with Alex Bray, working on a back-cloth for an earlier ballet. Private collection.
Filmography
‘Ballet Russes’, 2005 (director: Dan Geller, Dayna Goldfine)
https://zeitgeistfilms.com/film/balletsrusses
‘Boro’s Ballet—the making of Australian Ballet’ Screensound Australia, 2001 (director: Sally Jackson, Michelle Potter)
https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/boros-ballet---the-making-of-an-australian-ballet-2001/19378/
‘The Ballets Russes in Australia—1936-1940’, NFSA, 1999 (director: Ewan Murray-Will)
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/ballet-russes
‘Spotlight on Australian Ballet’, 1948 (director: Doc K. Sternberg)
https://www.acmi.net.au/works/73119--spotlight-on-australian-ballet/
Discography
The music used for Le Beau Danube and Graduation Ball have been recorded many time. We have selected two recordings available via YouTube.
Graduation Ball (Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Antal Dorati, who arranged and orchestrated the music for the Ballet Russes) Mercury
Le Beau Danube (National Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Richard Bonynge) DECCA
Bibliography
Programs
The National Library of Australia, Canberra, has digitized a collection of 212 theatre programs and ephemera relating to the the three tours by the Ballets Russes to Australia, 1936-1940, https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-61018475
The company's first tour, 1936-1937, was called Colonel W. de Basil's Monte Carlo Russian Ballet or The Monte Carlo Russian Ballet. The second company in 1938-1939 was called the Covent Garden Russian Ballet. And the third, 1939-1940, was known variously as the Colonel W. de Basil's Covent Garden Ballet, Colonel W. de Basil's Ballet Company and The Original Ballet Russe.
Scene from Le Beau Danube, Geoffrey Ingram archive of Australian ballet, PIC P348/BR/179 LOC Album 810/6
National Library of Australia, Canberra
Hugh P. Hall collection of photographs, 1938–1940, https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-144725486
Geoffrey Ingram archive of Australian ballet, https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-141346635
Don McMurdo personal archive collection, https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-147424054
Papers of Margaret Walker, 1938–1991, https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-223990152
State Library of New South Wales, Sydney
Colonel de Basil Covent Garden Russian Ballet and Original Ballet Russe, 1938–1940: scenes from ballets and portraits, PXD 1063/Box 3, https://search.sl.nsw.gov.au/permalink/f/1cvjue2/ADLIB110319024
Colonel de Basil Covent Garden Russian Ballet and Original Ballet Russe, 1938–1940: scenes from ballets and portraits, PXD 1063/Box 4, https://search.sl.nsw.gov.au/permalink/f/1cvjue2/ADLIB110319038
Colonel de Basil Covent Garden Russian Ballet and Original Ballet Russe, 1938–1940: portraits, PXD 1063/Box 5, https://search.sl.nsw.gov.au/permalink/f/1cvjue2/ADLIB110319044
Max Dupain: Australian tours of the Ballets Russes, Kirsova Ballet, Bodenwieser Ballet, Valentin Zeglovsky and Sydney Dance Company: photographs and photonegatives, https://search.sl.nsw.gov.au/permalink/f/1cvjue2/ADLIB110088807
State Library Victoria, Melbourne
David Lichine, 1940, https://search.slv.vic.gov.au/permalink/f/1cl35st/SLV_ROSETTAIE137638
Graduation Ball, 1940, https://search.slv.vic.gov.au/permalink/f/1cl35st/SLV_ROSETTAIE133265
Olga Morosova in Le Beau Danube, 1940, https://search.slv.vic.gov.au/permalink/f/1cl35st/SLV_ROSETTAIE109604
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Ballets Russes: The art of costume, exhibition, 10 Dec 2010–1 May 2011
From Russia with Love: Costumes for the Ballets Russes, 1909-1933, exhibition, 15 May 1999–22 Aug 1999
Australian Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne
Edward Pask collection
Author’s collection
Early programs from Exhibition Catalogue for Shapero Rare Books, London, 2018
Three reviews from 1930s untitled scrapbook
Ballets Russes program, 1939/1940
Title page to 1939/1940 program
List of artists in the Ballets Russes Company
Graduation Ball, Borovansky Ballet Company, 1950s
Borovansky Ballet Company members in 1945
Le Beau Danube program, Borovansky Ballet Company, 1951
Tribute to Borovansky program, The Australian Ballet Company, 1980
Additional picture references from the J.C. Williamson collection
Broadway cast:
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154726965/ (Act I Scene 1—The Alicia Allen Milk Farm on Long Island)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148755268/ (Act I Finale)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148798974/ (Act II Scene 2—The Boathouse of the Hollyhock Inn – Danny Kaye and Eve Arden)
Australian cast:
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154507386/ (Olive Kingette)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154507487/ (Olive Kingette)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154507683/ (Marie Ryan)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154506788/ (Act I Scene 2—Don Nicol in jeep, and cast)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509225/ (Olive Kingette and Marie Ryan standing at back with Ron Beck, Don Nicol and Fred Murray)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509122/ (Bobby Mack and Don Nicol)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154508425/ (Bobby Mack)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154311692/ (Act I Scene 3—Ron Beck, Don Nicol & Fred Murray posing as statues with Bobby Mack & Joy Youlden)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148799072/ (Lily Moore, Yvonne Banvard and Marie La Varre)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148799177/ (Yvonne ‘Fifi’ Banvard with Lily Moore and Marie La Varre)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154507889/ (Marie La Varre)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154508080/ (Marie La Varre)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154507781/ (Marie Ryan and Olive Kingette) (mislabelled as ‘Joy Youlden’)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154507280/ (Olive Kingette) (mislabelled as ‘Joy Youlden’)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154508620 (Don Nicol)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154506689/ (Act II Scene 3—Scene at the Hollyhock Inn Gardens)
Australian chorus:
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509028/ (Act I Scene 1—female ensemble)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154506387/ (Act I Scene 1—Beryl Meekin [mislabelled as ‘Lily Moore’] & ladies chorus)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154508189/ (Shirley Freeman)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154508287/ (Unidentified)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509426/ (Act I Finale—‘Rub Your Lamp’ ballet)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154311896/ (Act I Finale—‘Rub Your Lamp’ female ballet)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154506986/ (Act II Scene 3—‘A Little Rumba Number’ ballet)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509578/ (Act II Scene 3—‘A Little Rumba Number’ ballet with Gwen Bazeley and Gerald McErlean)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154510579/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154510129/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154510325/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154510421/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154510777/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509927/ (Shirley Freeman in Act II Finale)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154510026/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154311998/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509720/ (Act II Finale—soloist)
Scenery by Dres Hardingham and George Upward (from original designs by Harry Horner):
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154505688/ Act I Scene 1—The Alicia Allen Milk Farm on Long Island
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154506281/ The Service Club at Camp Roosevelt
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154505881/ Act I Scene 3—A part of the Parade Grounds at Camp Roosevelt
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154506082/ Mrs. Watson's Summer House at Southampton, Long Island
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154505980/ Act II Scene 3—The Hollyhock Inn Gardens