Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Processing History
Processing Note
Historical Background
Collection Scope and Content Summary
Collection Arrangement
Bibliography
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
Title: Royal Danish Ballet photograph album on the premiere of
Giselle
Creator:
Kongelige Danske ballet
Identifier/Call Number: MS.P.072
Physical Description:
0.9 Linear Feet
(1 box and 1 oversized folder)
Date (inclusive): 1956
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.
Language of Material:
Danish .
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. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information
about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder
descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Acquisition Information
Acquired in 2007.
Processing History
Processed by Cyndi Shein, 2007.
Processing Note
During processing, the duplicate photographs, house program, and broadsides were removed
and stored separately for preservation purposes.
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.
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.
Aschengreen, E. "Royal Danish Ballet."
The International
Encyclopedia of Dance.
Ed. Selma Jeanne Cohen and the Dance Perspectives
Foundation. Oxford University Press, 2003.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Broadsides -- 20th century.
Photograph albums -- 20th century.
Photographic prints -- 20th century.
Dance cards
Ballet dancers.
Giselle (Choreographic work) -- Photographs.
Giselle (Choreographic work) -- Archives.
Lander, Margot
Mydtskov, Rigmor
Volinin, Aleksandr Emel'ianovich -- Archives
Kongelige Danske ballet -- Photographs
Kongelige Danske ballet -- Archives