Long Lost Ballets Russes Film Footage Discovered!


Film still taken from footage discovered in the British Pathe archives. Click here to watch.

The BBC reports:

An important part of ballet history has been discovered – 30 seconds of the Ballets Russes dancing in 1928.

It is the only film ever found of one of the best known and most influential companies in dance history.

The silent black-and-white news reel was spotted wrongly labeled in the British Pathe online archive by a dance enthusiast, and then verified.

AMAZEBALLS! So exciting! This news comes to us via reader Sarah Hassan, who literally just turned in a massive article about Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes earlier today. (Apophenia in da’ HAUS.) Keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks for Sarah’s sprawling, comprehensive Coilhouse blog feature on one of the most fascinating and influential chapters in ballet’s history.

Previously en pointe on Coilhouse:

4 Responses to “Long Lost Ballets Russes Film Footage Discovered!”

  1. Vivacious G Says:

    So wonderful! Thank you so so much for posting this!

  2. Larissa Says:

    How strange…Diaghilev was so opposed to filming.
    It’s a shame it isn’t a clip showing Bakst’s costumes like the ones from Le Dieu Bleu or the sets from Scheherazade in action.

  3. s. kay mller Says:

    looking forward to reading the articles.

  4. Анна Says:

    What’s the name of the song (when they show the modern dancers dancing)?
    I know it but I can’t recall the name or the composer, bah.