THEATRE; AUDIENCE; DANCERS PERFORM PART OF BALLET; VARIOUS SHOTS..COSTUMES AND SETS AUCTIONED (NATSOF).




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Background: COSTUMES AND SETS ONCE USED BY THE FAMED DIAGHILEV AND DE BASIL BALLET COMPANIES, WERE SEEN IN LONDON YESTERDAY (FRIDAY), WHEN THEY WERE AUCTIONED AT LONDON'S THEATRE ROYAL, IN DRURY LANE, BY SOTHERBY'S. SOME OF THE COSTUMES WERE ORIGINALLY WORN BY SUCH FAMOUS PERFORMERS AS NIJINSKY AND TOUMANOVA.

THE SALE, WHICH WAS ARRANGED ON BEHALF OF THE RUSSIAN BALLET COMPANY LTD., REALISED GBP30,000 STERLING. THE PROCEEDS ARE TO BE DEVOTED TO THE TRAINING OF YOUNG DANCERS AND THE ASSISTANCE OF SURVIVING ARTISTS OF THE DIAGHILEV AND DE BASIL BALLET COMPANIES.

HIGHEST PRICE OF THE DAY WAS GBP6,500 STERLING, PAID FOR A BACKCLOTH MADE BY MAURICE UTRILLO FOR BALANCHINE'S PRODUCTION "BARABAU". IT WAS BOUGHT ON BEHALF OF THE LONDON MUSEUM OF PERFORMING ARTS.

A NUMBER OF COSTUMES WERE BOUGHT BY MR BENGT HAGER, DIRECTOR OF THE SWEDISH DANCE MUSEUM IN STOCKHOLM. HE HAD BID GBP2,200 STERLING FOR NIJINSKY'S COSTUME AS THE PRINCE IN "LE LAC DES CYGNES" BEFORE IT WAS WITHDRAWN.

GAILY STRIPED WOOLLEN TIGHTS, DESIGNED BY JOAN MIRO FOR "JEUX D'ENFANTS", AND ONCE WORN BY TOUMANOVA, REALISED GBP920 STERLING, THE HIGHEST PRICE PAID FOR A COSTUME. THEY ALSO WENT TO THE LONDON MUSEUM OF PERFORMING ARTS.

MANY OF THE COSTUMES WERE MODELLED BY DANCERS FROM THE LONDON FESTIVAL BALLET.

ALTHOUGH 145 LOTS WERE LISTED ON THE CATALOGUE, 41 OF THEM WERE WITHDRAWN AFTER FAILING TO REACH THEIR RESERVE. THESE INCLUDED MANY COSTUMES AND TWO DECORS FOR THE FIRST PRODUCTION OUTSIDE OF RUSSIA OF "LAC DES CYGNES".