Russian Dance:
Selections from the Donation of Herbert and Ruth Schimmel

Russian Special Exhibition Gallery
Feb 02, 2008 - Jul 31, 2008

The Silver Age of Russian culture, which spans the 1890s to the 1920s, saw extraordinary developments in Russian literary, musical and visual arts. This flowering of creativity also included the art of dance, which achieved unparalleled mastery in 20th century Russia. The period included legendary dancers such as Nijinksy, Karsavina, Pavlova and Spessiva, as well as innovative choreographers such as Fokine, Massine, Balanchine and Nijinska. But Russian dance of the modernist period also attracted the era’s most gifted musicians and visual artists, including Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Leon Bakst and Alexandre Benois. It was the impresario Serge Diaghilev who brought together the multiple talents of the era to create the Ballets Russes, which shocked and delighted audiences in Western Europe and the Americas.

The Herbert and Ruth Schimmel Collection at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum is a precious resource for the study of early 20th century Russian dance. Through the collection’s rare books, programs, journals, photography and artwork, scholars and the general public may reconstruct the exciting world of modernist Russian dance. This exhibition will offer a tantalizing selection of the collection’s extraordinary holdings, including original programs from the Ballets Russes and its successor, The Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo. Other gems include rare and lavishly illustrated albums commemorating outstanding Russian ballerinas; sensual stage and costume designs; portfolios of drawings devoted to Nijinsky; posters and even videos of contemporary recreations of daring Diaghilev-era ballets, including the erotic Afternoon of a Faun.

Admission:
$3.00 per person for adults who are not members of the museum. Entrance to the museum is free at all times for members, all children under 18, and Rutgers University students, faculty, and staff with a valid I.D. In addition, the first Sunday of each month will be free to all.