Australia Dancing - Lutte eternelle

Lutte eternelle

Ferguson, Colin [?]: George Skibine and Nina Verchinina with dancers from the Original Ballet Russe in 'Lutte eternelle' , 1940

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The world premiere of Igor Schwezoff's ballet La Lutte eternelle, or The Eternal Struggle, was staged in Sydney at the Theatre Royal on 29 July 1940, during the third Australian tour of the Ballets Russes.

Having left Soviet Russia in the late 1920s, Schwezoff travelled widely, briefly running ballet schools in Amsterdam and London. He joined de Basil's Ballets Russes in 1939 as a soloist and worked with the company for two years. Lutte eternelle was the first of his works to be danced by the de Basil company. This one act ballet was a revision of an earlier work by Schwezoff that was originally staged in Amsterdam by the performing group from his ballet school. Both the earlier production and Lutte eternelle were well received by both critics and the public alike.

Lutte eternelle was described by critics as being 'symphonic in character'. Influenced by Massine's Les Presages and Symphonie fantastique, Schwezoff's ballet illustrated his originality and flair. One critic went so far as to call Lutte eternelle 'a work of wholly perfect dancing in which splendid movement is guided by great music'. Schwezoff's choreography was set to Schumann's Etudes symphoniques, orchestrated for the production by the Hungarian conductor Antal Dorati. Lutte eternelle's theme of 'man's progress towards an ideal beyond worldly things' was explored through allegory: key roles in the ballet included Truth, Illusion, Beauty and Will.

Kathleen and Florence Martin, sisters from Melbourne, designed the scenery and costumes for Lutte eternelle. The sisters' work on the production was praised by the press as being a 'first-class success' which carried through the symbolism of Schwezoff's choreography. The costumes were executed by Olga Larose, the company's wardrobe mistress, and the scenery by G. Upward.

The Australian staging of Lutte eternelle featured Georges Skibine in the role of Man, while Nina Verchinina, whose own work, Etude, also debuted during the third tour, performed the part of Woman. Tamara Toumanova danced the role of Illusion with Sono Osato featuring as Beauty, Marina Svetlova as Truth, and Borislav Runanine as Will.

Bibliography:

Kathrine Sorley Walker, De Basil's Ballets Russes (London: Hutchinson, 1982)

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Articles - New York Public Library Dance Collection
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