{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1427917"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1427917/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2017JY4682/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2017JY4682/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2017JY4682","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1427917","accessionNumber":"S.834-2017","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"Le Bal","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Photograph of Alice Nikitina as the Lady and Anton Dolin as the Young Man in <i>Le Bal</i> performed by Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, 1929.\r\n\nLe Bal (The Ball), a modern ballet in one act and two scenes had sets and costumes designed Giorgio de Chirico, was created for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes at the Théâtre de Monte Carlo on 7 May 1929. The musical score was by Vittorio Rieti, the narrative by Boris Kochno, after a story by Count Vladimir Sologub, and it was choreographed in 1929 by George Balanchine. \r\n\nAt a ball a young man is struck by the beauty of a lady accompanied by an astrologer. After the guests are entertained by Spanish and Italian dances, the beauty is persuaded to unmask and is seen as an elderly woman who pursues the young man. After further dancing the woman, again masked, and astrologer return and together they remove their disguises. The woman successively removes two masks, changing from crone to young beauty and the astrologer is revealed as her handsome partner. The young man watches the couple leave while he faints with disappointment.\n\nNikitina learnt the role of the Woman in Paris after the ballet's creation in Monte Carlo. As she wrote in her autobiography 'Balanchine showed me a not too graceful and rather mechanical variation...as well as a pas de deux to dance with Dolin, with some very interesting and ingenious movements.' She also paid for her own version of the costume to be made from de Chirico's design which appears to have been less restrictive than the original.\r\n\n","physicalDescription":"Studio photograph of Alice Nikitina and Anton Dolin in <i>Le Bal</i>.  Nikitina stands on her left foot, en pointe, with her right leg extended and supported by Dolin.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Wilding, Dorothy","id":"A31069"},"association":{"text":"photographer","id":"x43821"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"photographic paper","id":"AAT14190"}],"techniques":[{"text":"photography","id":"AAT54225"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Photograph ","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Dance","id":"THES252984"},{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2017JY4682"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"001","id":"THES356682"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"photographs","id":"AAT46300"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1929","earliest":"1929-01-01","latest":"1929-12-31"},"association":{"text":"Photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"THM/417","id":"ARC71026"},"association":"Archive record"}],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"23.8","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"17.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"This photograph is part of a collection amassed by Norman McCann (1920-1999). McCann studied at the Royal Academy of Music in the late 1940s and went on to become an impresario and the President of the British Association of Concert Agents. He collected dance material with the intention of establishing the International Dance Museum and compiling a comprehensive Who's Who of Ballet. On his death the collection was bequeathed to the Royal Academy of Music, but it contained material outside the remit of the Royal Academy and was given by the Academy to the V&A's Theatre and Performance collection. ","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Photograph of Alice Nikitina and Anton Dolin in <i>Le Bal</i> performed by Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, 1929","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.834-2017"],"accessionNumberNum":"834","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2017,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Archive number","id":"THES54576"},"number":"THM/417"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-03-28","recordCreationDate":"2018-01-15","availableToBook":true}}