AN ARTISTIC REVOLUTION PHENOMENON: DIAGHILEV’S BALLET RUSSES

The Ballet Russes (1909-1929) was the revolutionary Russian ballet company under the direction of Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929). The Ballet Russes took an important role as a new art form as rarely taking the old traditions. Before the Ballet Russes, the costumes were nearly uniformity. Not only costumes and scenery newly designed but the music was composed as a new music by commissioned composers such as Stravinsky, Debussy and Ravel. The ballet technique was limited as well. The revolutionary choreographs of Ballet Russes’, such as Fokine and Nijinsky were employed and they no longer limited body movements in dance. The choreographers extended those innovations and brought their modern spirit to large ensemble productions. Ballet Russes wasn’t just a new type and level of ballet performances that surpassed contemporary European ballet, but also a unique artistic phenomenon that shaped the development of Western European in the 20th century. The legacy left by Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes still has an influence on modern ballet companies today.