Ballets Russes

The Ballets Russes (French for “Russian Ballets”) was a famous dance company founded in Moscow in 1909 by the Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev.

But what you may not know is that the Ballets Russes were also known for their outrageous costumes and scandalous behavior offstage.

Their ballets often involved bizarre and nonsensical storylines that left audiences scratching their heads. One infamous performance, titled “The Rite of Spring,” was so bizarre and avant-garde that it caused a near-riot in the audience.

And let’s not forget their costumes. The Ballets Russes were famous for their outrageous outfit choices, from feathers to fur to spandex. One famous costume designer, Leon Bakst, even outfitted the male dancers in revealing silk tights that left little to the imagination.

Offstage, the Ballets Russes were known for their wild parties and scandalous affairs. Diaghilev was openly gay at a time when homosexuality was illegal in many countries, and he had a string of lovers over the years.

The dancers themselves were no strangers to scandal either. Vaslav Nijinsky, one of the company’s star dancers, famously ran off and married a wealthy Hungarian countess, causing a scandal in the press.

But despite their outrageous behavior, the Ballets Russes were also responsible for revolutionizing dance and introducing audiences to new forms of music and art. They collaborated with famous composers like Igor Stravinsky and helped launch the careers of many dancers who would go on to become legends in their own right.

So the next time you see a ballet performance or hear about the Ballets Russes, remember that this famous dance company was much more than just people in tights jumping around onstage. They were a group of talented and boundary-breaking artists who knew how to throw one hell of a party.