Throwback Thursday and Lidia Ivanova
A mysterious figure in dance history is Lidia Ivanova. She
is the subject of a new book by Elizabeth Kendall: "Balanchine and the
Lost Muse: Revolution & the Making of a Choreographer". I haven’t read
the book yet, but it sounds fascinating.
Lidia Ivanova and George Balanchine were friends during
their early dancing days in Russia, and she performed with him in some of his
early, experimental works. The two were opposites: he was a dreamer and she was
an extrovert, but apparently the combination worked.
It is believed that the memory of her influenced his
choreography throughout his life, particularly in his famous work Serenade. In 1924, just days before
Lidia was scheduled to leave Russia on a tour with Balanchine and Alexandra
Danilova (and others), her life ended in a mysterious boating accident.
At the time, Lidia was dating a Communist officer and she
went out on a boat with four soldiers. During the trip, their boat was forcibly
struck by another boat. It is thought that Lydia was thrown under the
propellers by the impact and killed. But although the four men returned safely,
Lidia’s body was never found. Today, there are those who believe her death was
no accident. Did she know something and was silenced? It remains a mystery.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Dance History Factoid #87:
“Ballerina Lidia Ivanova died under
mysterious circumstances.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“There are two
things that change your life: either something new comes into your life, or
something new comes out of you.”
― Brendon Burchard
― Brendon Burchard
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