SARA REECE, President of The Ballet Society Victoria, wrote that the impetus for this talk, Borovansky—the trail blazing ballet pioneer and the transition to The Australian Ballet, originated with Graeme Hudson (Australian Ballet Alumni—
Blazenka Brysha
Photo courtesy of The Ballet Society Victoria
Lee Christofis
Photo courtesy of The Ballet Society Victoria
Of Czechoslovakian nationality and born Eda Skrecek-Borowanski, in 1928, at the age of 26, he joined Pavlova’s company, where he was to learn so much that later would stand him in such very good stead. The following year, 1929, he toured with this company—a tour that first introduced him to Australia—and almost ten years later (Pavlova having died in 1931), at the conclusion of the 1938 tours of the Covent Garden Russian Ballet here in Australia, Borovansky and his wife Xenia stayed on. Edouard and Xenia founded both a ballet school and a company—initially from 1939 to 1943 they presented recitals and performances to help raise money for charities and for the war effort but from 1944 onwards the dancers were all under contract and paid professionally. The studio, in Roma House, was located at 238-240 Elizabeth Street in the city but was at some stage demolished to make way for a string of shops linked to The Emporium. It is just possible the studio had a back entrance in Driver Lane.
Anna Pavlova’s company sailing to Australia, 1929
From Pavlova Impressions, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1984
Borovansky company, Sydney, 1945
From Borovansky Ballet, F.W. Cheshire Pty Ltd, 1946
After Edouard’s death in 1959 the Borovansky Ballet School continued to run for many years by his widow Xenia. Many in tonight’s audience fondly remember her classes, along with those of both Martin Rubinstein and Janina Ciunovas.
There were links and crossovers with other newly-formed companies—Ballet Guild (later Ballet Victoria), the National Theatre, the Queensland, the West Australian and the New Zealand Ballet companies. Laurel Martyn was originally one of Boro’s principal dancers and went on to create her own company, the aforementioned Ballet Guild, which had its first appearance in 1946 and continued for a further thirty years. Other names ‘to conjure with’ include Paul Hammond (Paul Clementin) and Peggy Sager, and their involvement with the short-lived, Sydney-based Kirsova Company in the early 1940s. Martin Rubinstein and Leon Kellaway (who taught at the National Ballet School, the Borovansky Company and the Australian Ballet School and who had danced with Lynne Golding under the name of Jan Kowsky), Edna Busse, Dorothy Stevenson, Poul Gnatt ...
Edna Busse and Martin Rubinstein—Sigrid ballet. Photo by Steele, New Zealand
Peggy Sager and Paul (Clementin) Hammond—Harlequin ballet. Photo by Max Dupain.
Edouard Borovansky—Carnaval ballet. Photo by Jean Stewart.
Edna Busse—Coppelia ballet. Photo by Jean Stewart.
Blazenka stressed the importance of the collaborative nature of the Boro Company - the productions that drew so many together—choreographers, designers and painters, composers and musicians—and these were often ‘locals’, not names or productions drawn from the past or from Europe. The company’s seasons were incredibly long by today’s standards—world records were often broken.
Lynne Golding. Photo by Maurice Seymour, New York.
Leon Kellaway
National Library of Australia, Canberra
Blazenka went on to show a ten-minute segment of the 1949 film Spotlight on Australian Ballet where we caught glimpses of Boro’s company in action and also Laurel Martyn’s—Le Beau Danube, Capriccio Italien, Les Sylphides, En Saga ... Blazenka spoke of Boro’s ‘very Australian’ Terra Australis ballet, with story by Tom Rothfield and the designs, ultimately, by William Constable, and a score by Esther Rofe. Although he was never considered a brilliant choreographer his portrayals in character roles were masterful and—he certainly made things happen! The eventual formation of The Australian Ballet Company in 1962 owed so much to Borovansky.
Terra Australis. Estate of William Constable, National Gallery Australia, Canberra.
We heard about the early 1950s and the National Theatre Ballet’s production of the 4-act Swan Lake, featuring Lynne Golding and Henry Danton, and presented by Joyce Graeme, who had remained in Australia after touring here with the Rambert Ballet Company in the late 1940s. Margaret Scott (later Dame Margaret), Sally Gilmour and Rex Reid (originally from Adelaide) also stayed—to create more links and connections with both Borovansky and later, the fledgling Australian Ballet Company.
Capriccio Italien ballet. Photo by Jean Stewart.
When Peggy van Praagh arrived from the UK to take over the company after Boro’s death in 1959, there was concern about the Cecchetti system she favoured, along with London styles and influences. The company made its mark, however, and really consolidated itself, once it had toured abroad in the mid 1960s.
The Australian Ballet Company—1962-63 season. Photo by W.T. Baxter.
The Australian Ballet Company—1965 season—corps de ballet
Thanks to the late Barry Kitcher, whose 2001 biography From Gaolbird to Lyrebird has been a constant source of information—and delight—we each received a printout of the promotional flyer for the launch of The Australian Ballet in November 1962. Barry had indicated on the sheet just how many ex-Boro Company members were involved—they are predominant! Also ‘on show’—a whole table laid out with photos and ephemera relating to the Borovansky era—including a program for the Company’s first professional season in Melbourne in August 1944. This material was brought along by Ballet Society members and ex-dancers present in the audience.
Borovansky Australian Ballet Company—1944
Author’s collection
Borovansky Australian Ballet Company—1946
Author’s collection
In 1980 Marilyn Jones, then Artistic Director of TAB, presented a tribute to Borovansky at the Palais Theatre and the Sydney Opera House. Ballets included Pineapple Poll, Graduation Ball and Scheherazade—in this last ballet the Shah Sharyar, King of India and China, was danced by Joseph Janusaitis, here with us tonight. Also in the audience at the Ballet Centre, along with several other former members of Boro’s company, we were delighted to see and hear from Garth Welch. Sitting close by were Audrey Nicholls, Adrienne Orsay, Joan Boler and Barbara Langley. Garth joined the Company in 1954 and went on to dance with and choreograph for The Australian Ballet and the Sydney Dance Company. Audrey’s career was also touched on, and her partnership with Eve King and the ballet school they subsequently ran with teachers including Martin Rubinstein, Lynne Golding and Alison Lee.
Garth Welch and Marilyn Jones. Photo by Sydney Morning Herald.
Eve King and Audrey Nicholls—1955 program
Author’s collection
The evening ended with several questions from the audience, along with mentions of others connected with both the Borovansky and Australian Ballet Companies, and with the Australian Ballet School created in 1964—Bruce and Bernice Morrow, Noel Smith and Bill Akers, Paul Grinwis and David Lichine, Robert Pomie and Kathleen Gorham—to mention a mere few.
Kathleen Gorham and Robert Pomie. Photo by Evening Post, Wellington.
Borovansky Ballet Company—1954-55 season program
A huge thank you to the Ballet Society’s President, Sara Reece and to Blazenka and Lee for an evening that could easily have gone on and on—indefinitely. More please! —there is so much material out there and so many of us are so very, very eager to both view it, to hear about it, and to stir up so many precious memories.
Audience at the talk. Photo courtesy of The Ballet Society Victoria.
