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Testimonies
& Critics
Gala Chauviré - Skouratoff (1949)
With the aim of bringing new material to this pages, we want to mention particularly some performances Wladimir Skouratoff gave outside France on several occasions.
Firstly, we have obtained the original programme from a Gala that was given in 1949 with Ivette Chauvire, which we reproduce below, which expresses the following regarding these two essential Dance figures:
“Ivette Chauvire: She begings as a “petit rat” at the Opéra de Paris. She is a student to Serge Lifar, and is promoted by him in 1940 to the rank of étoile. She becomes a screen star in “La mort du cygne”, with Mia Slavenska and Janine Charrat. Serge Lifar creates “Istar” for her. Afterwards she is the main character in “Les deux pigeons”, “Le chevalier et la Damoiselle”, “Suite en Blanc”, “Mirages”, “Divertissement”, “Lac des Cygnes” and finally “Giselle”.
"She leaves the Opéra de Paris in 1945 to follow Lifar to Monte-Carlo, ahead a Company which at the time becomes the best in the world. It’s also when “Chota Roustaveli” and “Dramma per Musica” are being created and mainly performed by Ivette Chauvire and Wladimir Skouratoff”.
“These two artists travel successively to Switzerland, Portugal and London.”
“Ivette Chauvire gets back to the Opéra de Paris and with this troupe she attains a great success at the USA, Belgium, Denmark and Canada.”
“Wladimir Skouratoff, on the other hand, enters the Ballets de Paris (Roland Petit) as a danseur-étoile and travels with this Company through all Europe.”
“In september 1949 this two great artists reunite again for a tour in Switzerland and begin at present, before they depart to London, Italy and the United States, a great tournée in France.” (We must make clear that, according to Skouratoff’s own statements, this tournée was not taken to the U.S., but only to London and Italy.)
As it figures on this Gala’s programme, Skouratoff danced with Ivette Chauvire Suite Romantique (Chopin), La mort du cygne (Chopin-Lifar) and Romeo and Juliette (Tchaikowski-Lifar); and Namouna (Lalo-Lifar) with Geneviève Lespagnol.
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Chauviré and Skouratoff on a rehearsal
at the Teatro alla Scala, Milán, 1949 |
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Programme first part |
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Programme second part |
London's Festival Ballet 1960
We have obtained likewise the original programme for the performance on August 11, 1960 – which we also reproduce below – with the images of our dear Olga Ferri and Skouratoff, who at the time appeared as guest artists of that Company. The artistic director was the famous Anton Dolin.
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Programme's cover Festival Ballet 11/8/60 |
This programme states the performance of Skouratoff in “Le spectre de la Rose” (Weber-Fokine), which he shared with John Gilpin on different days of the week.
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Programme |
At the Company’s general repertory there are many other titles, from which we remark those which were danced by Skouratoff and Olga Ferri, as : Les sylphides, Bourrée Fantasque, Romeo and Juliette and mainly Giselle, which was worthy of such wonderful appraisals from the English critics. (See at this same section the article “Two Giselles – London Festival Hall, by Clement Crisp).
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W. Skouratoff with Olga Ferri in "Giselle"
at the London's Festival Ballet, 1960 |
Some time ago, Olga Ferri said to us that the London Festival Ballet’s impresario, Julian Braunsweg, on a book he wrote, stated he has never made so much money or such a big success like that of the “Giselle” version by Skouratoff-Ferri.
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Cast and guests artists |
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Programme for the rest of the season |
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