Descriptive Summary
Important Information for Researchers
Historical Background
Bibliography
Collection Scope and Content Summary
Collection Arrangement
Processing Note
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Royal Danish Ballet photograph album on the premiere of
Giselle
Date: 1946
Collection Number: MS-P072
Creator:
Kongelige Danske ballet
Extent:
0.9 linear feet
(1 box and 1 oversized folder)
Languages: The collection is in Danish.
Repository:
University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives.
Irvine, California 92623-9557
Abstract: The collection comprises a photograph album created by the Royal Danish Ballet and presented to visiting Russian choreographer
Alexandre Volinine. The album commemorates the company's premiere of
Giselle on November 10-11, 1946, staged in Copenhagen by Volinine.
Giselle, featuring the company's principle ballerina, Margot Lander, was one of the company's most successful runs of the decade.
Important Information for Researchers
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the University of California. Copyrights are retained by the creators of the records and their
heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Preferred Citation
Royal Danish Ballet photograph album on the premiere of
Giselle. MS-P072. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
Acquisition Information
Acquired in 2007.
Processing History
Processed by Cyndi Shein, 2007.
Historical Background
The Royal Danish Ballet evolved from Danish theater and traces its roots to the 1748 opening of Denmark's Royal Theatre in
Copenhagen. The ballet company experienced its greatest success and growth under the direction of three noteworthy masters,
Vicenzo Galeotti (1775-1816), Auguste Bournonville (1830-1877), and Harald Lander (1932-1951). Galeotti increased the number
of dancers in the company, introduced Denmark to an international repertory, developed native dancers and composers, and staged
popular ballets. Bournonville's reign is often called the "Golden Age." He was the principle male dancer until 1848 and
built a rich and diverse repertory. A century later, Harald Lander revived and modernized the faltering company. During
the 1930s and 1940s he nurtured and showcased talented dancers such as Margot Lander and Borge Ralov and brought in internationally
acclaimed choreographers such as the Russian Alexandre Volinine.
Giselle, staged by Volinine in 1946, was one of the Royal Danish Ballet's most successful runs of the decade. The ballet featured
lead dancers Margot Lander and Borge Ralov. Lander danced the title role and her performance earned her the Teaterpokalen
great performance trophy awarded by the dance critics of Copenhagen.
Bibliography
Aschengreen, E. "Royal Danish Ballet."
The International Encyclopedia of Dance. Ed. Selma Jeanne Cohen and the Dance Perspectives Foundation. Oxford University Press, 2003.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The collection comprises a photograph album created by the Royal Danish Ballet and presented to visiting Russian choreographer,
Alexandre Volinine. The album commemorates the company's premiere of
Giselle on November 10-11, 1946, which was staged in Copenhagen by Volinine. It is inscribed to Volinine and signed on behalf of
the Chief of the Royal Theatre by Hennings Rahde (secretary) and S. Bertholdt (head administrator). The first photograph
is a portrait of the company with Volinine, signed by the photographer, [Rigmor] Mydtskov. All other photographs are of the
dancers during the performance. Inserted in the album were duplicate photographs and a Kongelige Teatre (Royal Theatre) house
program for the 1946-47 season. Also included are two broadsides advertising the 1946 performances of the Royal Danish Ballet,
one of them inscribed from the dance master, Harald Lander, to Volinine.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged by type of material.
Processing Note
During processing, the duplicate photographs, house program, and broadsides were removed and stored separately for preservation
purposes.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Giselle (Choreographic work) -- Archives.
Giselle (Choreographic work) -- Photographs.
Kogelige Danske ballet -- Archives.
Kogelige Danske ballet -- Photographs.
Volinin, Aleksandr Emel'ianovich, 1882-1955 -- Archives.
Lander, Margot, 1910-1961.
Genres and Formats of Materials
Photographic prints -- 20th century.
Photograph albums -- 20th century.
Dance programs -- 20th century.
Broadsides -- 20th century.
Occupations
Ballet dancers.
Contributors
Kogelige Danske ballet
Mydtskov, Rigmor, 1925- -- photographer
Volinin, Aleksandr Emel'ianovich, 1882-1955
No online items
