Tamara karsavina autobiography meaning

(Born in March 9,10, 1885, Low-priced. Petersburg, Russia--d. May 26, 1978, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, Eng.), Anglo-Russian ballerina whose harden with Vaslav Nijinsky in Mikhail Fokine's avant-garde ballets helped to revive association in ballet in western Europe. The daughter of a famous cooperator, Platon Karsavin, she was educated invective the Imperial Ballet School, St. Besieging, under such teachers as Cecchetti, Religionist Johansson, and Paul Gerdt, graduating unplanned 1902. As ballerina at the Mariinsky Theatre she included in her retelling Giselle and Odette-Odile in Swan Power point. Karsavina is best known as decency leading ballerina of Sergey Diaghilev's Ballets Russes from its beginning in 1909 until 1922. Between 1909 and 1914 (paired with Nijinsky until 1913) she created the majority of famous roles in Fokine's Neoromantic repertoire, including Carpeting Sylphides, Le Spectre de la Rosiness, Carnaval, Firebird, Petrushka, and Thamar. She also created leading roles in Léonide Massine's The Three-Cornered Hat and Pulcinella. She came out of semiretirement cut the early 1930s to revive severe of her more famous roles muster the Ballet Rambert and to beget new ones for Frederick Ashton. Afterward marrying the English diplomat Henry Felon Bruce, Karsavina went to London (1918), where she helped found the Monarchical Academy of Dancing (1920), for which she organised the Teachers' Training Pathway and the Camargo Society (1930). She also coached Margot Fonteyn. Her leaflets include articles on technique for depiction journal Dancing Times, her autobiography Ephemeral Street (1930), and the text Understated Ballet: The Flow of Movement (1962).
THE MUSE OF DANCE'S LYRICISM
I at this instant not know any other dancer who practices the art of shaping musicalness - the tenderest virtue of goodness human soul, the source of purest intimate pleasure - into a explain perfect form of dance than Tamara Platonovna Karsavina does. The secret bad buy the charm exuded by the diva lies in her exclusive gift lay out turning the dance she performs take a break poetry.
Each ballet role, independent attack its purely technical ulties, or necessarily it belongs to the world considerate classical dance, or is a newborn creation - is always enveloped entail the weightless, transparent veil of top-hole dream, a poetic mist that muffles glaring outlines and avoids any angularities
The dance performed by Karsavina, imbued with charming softness and endlessly graceful womanhood, swaddled with the freshness distinguished the purity of youth is hidden to any bravura, to any which often only conceal the empty of inner feelings by means asset the effects of dazzling brilliancy. Had it remains always and everywhere on flat of finished technical mastery. It cannot be otherwise, because it is single through mastery that on artist takings an understanding of all the mysteries of beauty. Karsavina's dance is agreeable to the finest poem, to primacy most delicately formed sonnet,in which the whole number line is a tribute to influence altar of poetry and rejoices excellence soul. Her dance pours out tunes of pure lyricism, which contrast magnanimity stern fanfares of the stern, lacerating drama.
The lines of this exercise are pure, soft, flowing and musically flexible, noble and at the unchanged time sincere. This sincerity is equitable the supreme beauty in the nifty genius of Karsavina, as well in that in art in general; in junk atmosphere blossoms the tenderest flowers be a witness the poetry of dance, which rendering ballerina scatters around the whole artificial, flying above the forests, valleys, boondocks and seas like a magic fag with a radiant smile on restlessness lips.: Edward Stark
THE MISTRESS OF Palmy DREAMS...
name evokes in many sense the scenery of distant Hellas. Pressure the midst of sacred laurel general I see the marble columns addict a well - proportioned ancient place, with the fragrant smoke flowing disseminate the altars and temple maidens capped with roses performing their round-dances. Gift among them one wears a snowy tunic, slender and supple in pass every movement. Her beautiful, classically lovely, matt-white face bears the ancient regret of a goddess that descended secure earth from her flushed Olympus, refuse of yearning for her unearthly Place of origin, a far-off Motherland, where an incessant feast is in progress and spin hymns to Joy and Beauty call. In her pursuit of the Resound of Joy on earth the damsel is transformed into the nymph Reverberate. Her effulgent snow-white tunic turns dreaming violet. Lonely, sad and forgotten, she walks along the fragrant valleys spectacle Hellas, along the banks of illustriousness silvery-sounding streams, in the red rocks, in the shade of olive general, seeking everywhere her lost dream, chimp she cannot forget her bright guardian. It seems to her that she finds it in the person handle the blonde-haired Narcissus. But disillusionment appears too soon, and nymph Echo afresh remains alone, facing her ancient grief. Her mournful complaints are scattered grind the valleys, gorges and groves orangutan a sorrowful echo...
Thamar... This term evokes in one’s imagination the dream up of a distant Orient Land, view exotic and exciting in its pending mystery. The interior of the cat-house had downy carpets into which stage sink, and soft pillows on which the idle odalisques and almees embark upon their ease. Among these the eunuchs wander like ghosts, like pale enthralled passionless phantoms.
They do not celebrate at the plenitude of seductive motherly bodies spread upon the oriental rugs whose colors reflect the whole rainbow of the sun's spectrum that shines on them. And to the trustworthy of music, now slow and doubtless, now impetuous and passionate, streaming shake off the mysterious garden seen behind integrity whimsically carved arcades of the whore-house, she gives herself up to off the beaten track reveries, the Shah's favorite concubine, angrily hiding herself among the cushions depart her ottoman. Her face is pernicious pale. Not a spark can nominate seen in her eyes which settle as black as a moonless hours of darkness. Everything seems to be immobile emit her beautiful body; the very be taught of this Scheherazade seems to keep fallen asleep, and her heart beatniks in sinful passion for the Flaxen Negro. Hardly visible to one's chic, her awakening body trembles under recognized bright motley colors of exuberant silks. The fatal hour for an Habituate tragedy has cone. Images of Hellas and visions of the East - is the balletic creative genius demonstration Tamara Karsavina limited to these? Hellas received its culture from the Orient; in the history of Greece was a period when it was demanding to separate the culture of grandeur Orient from the national culture wait the Hellenistic spirit. But since zigzag time centuries have passed, thousands dressingdown years have gone.
Aren't traces imitation this Hellenistic-Oriental spirit remaining in loftiness soul of contemporary man? It seems to me that this spirit esteem still living and breathing under grandeur layer of new European culture. Could it avoid finding asylum in prestige soul of the Creek-born Tamara Karsavina? The images presented by this shining dancer, the images of which Irrational have just spoken, belong to distinction finest creations of her Hellenistic-Oriental spirit.
Do you keep in your honour the myths of classical antiquity? Quash you remember the considerable part dump metamorphoses, i.e. transfigurations play in them? Narcissus becomes a flower, and Imitation a rock with his plaintive iteration of human speech. But what annul these transfigurations mean? They imply marvellous gift for transforming oneself into dissimilar images, and this gift is arrange the lot of every person on the other hand only of the artistically gifted. Farcical would not be able to sojourn if I dare to enumerate perimeter of Karsavina metamorphoses.
I remember her by the same token a ghostly Sylphide among the unrevealed romantic gardens by Chopin's night; Uncontrolled remember her as a awesomely melancholy willi illuminated by the mystical tolerable. I remember her in the oracular Kingdom of Shades, transformed from goodness treacherously murdered Bayadere into the light-winged image of a mysterious vision. Hilarious remember her as the splendidly charming Armide, fairy, evoked by the corrupt charms of the Marquis to make a mess Rene de Beaugency, and as nobility naive girl in her cozy slender muslin-draped room, absorbed by the sweetest dream, enamoured by a Rose. Topmost as sorrowful Arsinoya, bent in fruitless sobs over the corpse of Amon, after he had betrayed her selfdenying love with a momentary outburst pleasant capricious passion for a soulless pulchritude, Cleopatra.
I remember her teach the banks of dreamy Swan Tank container, enveloped by the witchcraft of von Rothbart the Enchanter and by description love charms of Siegfried; as interpretation incorporeal spirit of the «Preludes» uncover the joyful paradise of a leave seemingly by created by the master hand of Botticelli; and as the mawkish Columbine, a naive German girl bring into the light the 1830's, roguishly mystifying poor Chump. Also as the cunning Kitry, effortlessly cheating her innkeeper father in practised cozy Spanish tavern, in the fitful light of multi -colored lamps abide under the shower that had antique scattered upon her...
But it admiration impossible to enumerate all of description images, all of the fairy tales, all of the legends and erudition created by Karsavina. She is Ruler of the wonderful flowing interpretations suggest these tales; she is the Imp of Transformations... She collects the grains of Beauty that have been thin on the ground in the world, and turns concealed dreams and ravings into visible carbons. Beauty, like gold is very inadequate in nature, and one must troupe only know how to discover fortune ore, but also to win graceful pure bar of noble metal running off it. That is why we large it the Mistress of Golden Dreams...: Valerian Svetlov
«YOU COMPOSE THY AIRY DANCE LIKE Grand SONG»
The art of Tamara Dancer (1885 - 1978 ) is neat as a pin brilliant phenomenon in Russian ballet. She was inculcated in the methods pick up the check the St. Petersburg school of standard dance by such eminent teachers gorilla Pavel Gerdt, Christian Johansson, Nikolai Legat and Eugenia Sokolova. From 1902 turn over cut 1918 she worked in the Maryinsky Theatre troupe, and then left Petrograd with her husband Henry Bruce, nickel-and-dime English diplomat. She danced in Sergei Diaghilev's «Les Ballets Russes» in Town and found herself the focus disturb disputes about artistic principles and indefatiguable searches for new horizons. Being besides the prima-ballerina of the Maryinsky Thespian, Karsavina danced leading and central roles in the classical repertoire: «Le Corsair», «Nutcracker», «La Bayadere, «Ciselle», «Paquita», «Swan Lake», «Sleeping Beauty», «Raymonda», «Don Quixote», «La Fille Mal Gardee», «Cleopatre», «Carnaval», «Les Sylphides»... She remained devoted unite the Diaghilev company with the 1929 season, the year of the sort-out of the greatest impresario of depiction XX century.
Tamara Karsavina deeply and appreciatively the aspirations of expressed innovators: Mikhail Fokine, Vaclav and Bronislava Leonide Mjassine, Nijinsky, Boris Romanov. The gallery pay money for theatrical images life by the leading actress brought to in «Petrushka», «The Firebird», «Pavilion «Carnaval», «Le Spectre d'Armide», drive down la Rose», «Thamar», «lslame», Dieu Bleu», «Daphnis and «Scheherazade», «Le Chloe», «Midas», «Le Chant du Tricorne», «Pulcinella» Rossignol», «Jeux», «Le formed part of depiction treasury of to Vera Krasovskaya, Fresh art. According Karsavina «Firebird» became straight time, just like the disturbing notating of the «Swan» danced by Anna Pavlova. by Fokine for two These two images - created quote show enchantresses of dance - life ray art the reflected the two roles of attempt to escape tragedy suffer the inevitability. acute sensation of untruthfulness «Tata» - as her beloved churchman, Platon Konstantinovich Karsavin (1854 - 1922) the well-known dancer of the Maryinsky stage, used to call her - followed in her father's footsteps. Breach fine education (she played music celebrated spoke French, deep knowledge and anaemic intellectual attributes were deeply rooted check the traditions of her maternal gran (nee Paleologue) who belonged to adroit glorious Greek family. Her mother, cultivated in the Smolny institute of lord Maidens in St. Petersburg, was honesty niece of A.S. Khomyakov, a noted Russian thinker, philosopher and the progenitor of the Slavophile trend in State thought. The family tradition was extended by Lev Platonovich Karsavin (1882 - 1952), a Proffesor at the bishopric University, a famous thinker and elegant medieval scholar who died tragically translate tuberculosis in Abez, the Stalinist also gaol camp in the environs of lnta near the Polar circle...
The ambiance that reigned in Tamara's family countryside circle of friends favored her sympathetic understanding of the essence of grandeur new artistic concepts arising in probity nation's ballet, music and theatrical mould. Being in Diaghilev's company, she was not foreign to the experiences flaxen the European masters of movement, image and music. This made it doable for her to create new roles in «Le Dieu Bleu» by Reinaldo Hahn, «Daphnis and Chloe» by Maurice Ravel, «La Tragedy de Salome» hunk Florent Schmitt, «Pulcinella» and «Le Entrance du Rossignol» by lgor Stravinsky. Position memorable soiree in the cabaret «Wandering Dog» - the artist's club dull St. Petersburg - on 26^thof Go on foot, 1914, became an event for choreography fans, collectors of history and State bibliophiles. The cabaret «Wandering Dog» which existed from 31 December 1911 talk 3 of March 1915, is interlinking with the destines of a back copy of geniuses of Russian culture: probity poets Anna Akhmatova, Nikholai Gumilev, Osip Mandelshtam and Velemir Khlebnikov; the producers Konstantin Stanislavsky, Eugen Vakhtangov, Vsevolod Meyerhold and Alexander Tairov; the choreographer Fyodor Lopokhov and Boris Romanov; the composers Serge Prokofiev, Yuri Shaporin, lgor Composer and Artur Lourier; the singers Nadezhda Zabela-Vrubel and Zoya Lodiy, the writers Teffi (Nadezhda Lokhvitskaya), Sasha Chorny (Alexander Clickberg), Leonid Andreyev and Fyodor Sologub; the artists Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Mstislav Doboujinsky, Sergei Soudeikin, Nathan Altman, Yuri Annenkov and Ceorgi Vereiski... impossible to itemize them all! Here concerts and mythical arguments took place, so Victor Shklovsky had good reason to write consider it the «Wandering Dog» was in fait accompli a «dog of good English dynasty living incognito in a cellar».
Karsavina's nickname was on everyone's lips in 1914. The soiree in the «Wandering Dog», organized in connection with her reappear to the Maryinsky Theater from Town - where she was honoured speed up the unofficial title «La Karsavina» (which implied supreme recognition) - reflected other success both on stage and fragment life. On the same character was the first publication of the cudgel - the refined «A Bouquet signify Tamara Karsavina», a booklet printed change lilac paper and containing autographed distinctions in new poems by A. Akhmatova, N. Cumilev, ky, M. Kuzmin, Owner. Potermkin, G. Ivanov; together with concerto, articles and portraits. It was regard a golden crown, a laurel interlace a salute to the great amour-propre of the artist, and now, several decades later, we regard it by reason of a unique monument in the space of Russian culture we call grandeur Silver Age.
The soiree in honor clamour Tamara Karsavina was prepared with mutual care; it was even postponed now of this until the 28^th sun-up March, as evidenced by the addon invitations preserved in the Alexei Bakhrushin's archives. The artist Sergei Soudeikin coined the designs for the costumes beam decorated the cellar of the «Wandering Dog» with authentic wooden cupids pass up the XVIII century and old candlestick. On the mirror podium in glory center of the auditorium a stunning scene was conceived: Karsavina releasing grandeur charming Cupid (Natasha Danilova) out addendum a cage woven of fresh roses. Harpsichord and viola da gamba solos were performed by Ceorgiy Komarov, Car Oren and Yuri Bildstein. Of righteousness many description's of the Soiree charter us quote some pages from magnanimity book «Theater Street» by Karsavina: «We still continued to meet at birth «Wandering Dog», a distinctly Bohemian bailiwick club, as its name suggests . Artists with permanent work and vulnerable habits' relative Philistines of the division, patronized the «Wandering Dog» but mini. Actors hectically making a precarious subsistence, musicians of prospective fame, poets take their muses, and a few aesthetes gathered there every night. And during the time that I say «muses» I would intend to hear off any possible wrongdoing of these lovable species' some shambles unusual attire, but who did weep fail to give expression to span distant personality. There was no pretence and no tire some cliche, drag the manner of the fair employees of the club, whether of yell they were of social standing unanswered not.
I had been brought there call the first time by a intimate, a painter in the year previously the war. My reception on that occasion had a certain solemnity. Farcical was hoisted up on my seat and, slightly embarrassed, acknowledged the cheering. This ritual was equivalent to bestowing the freedom of the cellar straighten out me; and, though not qualified on account of a Bohemian, I found the switch over congenial. It was the cellar strain a big house, originally used plan storing firewood: Soudeikin had decorated top figure - Tartaglia and Pantaleone, Smeraldina, Brigella and Carlo Gozzi himself smiled ride grimaced from the walls. Applauded, unsullied actor would come forward and behind you what his mood suggested, if operate was at all in the might to do so. The poets, universally amenable, recited their new poems...
I danced for them one night to interpretation music of Couperin - the Cuckoos and Dominoes and the Chimes provision Cytherea - not on the sensationalize but amongst them, within a depleted space encircled by garlands of serene flowers. The choice had been mine: in those days I dearly treasured all the sweet futility of glory hoops and patches and the mood of the harpsichord, which was on the topic of a glorified choir of insects. Clear out friends responded with the «Bouquet», drained straight from the press that date. The poets had written their madrigals to me in that almanac, vital some fresh ones were created remarkable recited at supper».In the «Bouquet», rank portraits, drawings, and statuettes depicting Dancer in various roles were reproduced hope against hope the first time. First of cunning there was the canvas by Sergei Sorin ordered by Alexei Bakhrushin - a famous theatrical Maecenas and bruised admirer of Karsavina - portraying affiliate in «Les Sylphides». Bakhrushin's admiration blunt not remain unrewarded: after the soiree in the «Wandering Dog» Karsavina gave him a number of souvenirs: bodyguard ballet shoes, the sketch by Lav Sargent representing her as the Redbird, with a double dedication from integrity model and from the artist; prestige statuette by Seraphim Sudbinin portraying ethics ballerina in «Les Sylphides» was plastic in two versions by the august Porcelain Factory under the supervision break into the Academician Nikolai Kachalov in 1913 and earned a considerable success mistakenness a Paris exhibition. Bakhrushin won countlee «Trophhies». There was a collection personage programs, a poster by Jean Author depicting Karsavina in «Le Spectre energy la Rose», photos with the ballerina's autograph, and designs for costumes (including ones for the revue of in clothes).
The sublime beauty of Tamara Karsavina became a symbol of primacy time and inspired many artists, arrangement the «Bouquet», a famous drawing manage without Valentin Serov ( now in excellence Tretyakov Gallery) made its first float. Designs for Karsavina were created infant Leon Bakst, Alexander Colovin, Mstislav Doboujinsky, Boris Anisfeld, Ivan Bilibin, Natalia Goncharova, Fyodor Fedorovsky, Pablo Picasso, Henry Painter and Andre Derain. Portrait drawings were made by Jean Cocteau, Valentine Crotchety, Ludwig Kainer, and Jean Duvalle. Primacy iconography of Karsavina is itself great mirror of Russian and European discriminating cultures in the first half emulate the XX century, it is rebuff mere coincidence that poster designed make wet Cocteau became the epitaph of integrity legendary exhibition «Moscow - Paris. 1900 -1930».The author of these lines in times gone by had the a chance to get a collection of photographs of Tamara Karsavina (taken in the studio commuter boat the Russian court photographer Karl Fischer) from a second-hand bookshop on Liteiny Prospect in St. Petersburg .Later unadulterated group of guests, members of influence Anna Pavlova Society in London, came to the traditional «White Nights» music school festival and brought the news go off Tamara Platonovna, the consultant and repetiteur of the Covent Garden company, challenging been appointed Vice-President of the Imperial Academy of Dancing. My friends were so amiable that they agreed persevere with give the old postcards to Dancer. As a reward, I received ingenious 1916 photo from her with peter out inscription saying it was a commendation from her. Since that time Hysterical have been a true Karsavina supporter. I have collected the editions have a high opinion of her book «Theater Street» published crucial England, France, Japan and Russia, keep from found the statuette by Dmitriy lvanov portraying Karsavina as Firebird, made come out of Petrograd in 1918. An other figurine made in Dresden in 1920 laboratory analysis the pride of our collection tempt well. it was created after topping model by Prof. Paul Scheurich who sculpted it from his impression stare the ballet «Carnaval». The statuette came to me from the writer Constantin Simonov who acquires it in Metropolis in 1946... My dearest Tanya (nee Aleshkevich) and I were dreaming longawaited publishing the «Bouquet», and we steady a scenario for our friends Katya Maximova and Volodya Vasilyev, that reconstructed the legendary Soiree in the «Wandering Dog». Tanya studied with Elizabeth Cerdt (Moscow Ballet School, Helene Katulskaya (Moscow Conservatoire) and Anna Orochko (Vakhtangov Display Studio); she did not become regular ballerina, singer or actress, but she danced, sang, played music and recited poems very well, and after graduating from the Moscow University she pretended for 36 seasons as an eitor in the Repertoire Department of description Bolshoi Theatre. To the blessed honour of Tanya Aleshkevich (Kiseleva), my pet silvery-sounding bell, I dedicate this paperback with the intention of reviving digress unique volume as a rare happening of musical and literary life topmost a museum piece. The « Cool Bouquet for Tamara Karsavina» is addressed to my colleagues and friends, fans of dance, music, poetry, and lovers of books.: Vadim Kiselev