Marina Semyonova & Serge Lifar Rehearsing for the Ballet "Giselle" - Original Photograph

Vintage silver gelatin photograph, 1936. Stamped "Brassai. 81, Rue Du Faub St. Jacques Paris XIV..." 7 x 8.5 inches [17.5 x 21.5 cm]. In fine condition.


At the Paris Opera House, Ms. Semyonova danced the title role in “Giselle,” with Serge Lifar as her partner. It was a new interpretation of the role — “the romantic and sad image of Giselle took on a more down-to-earth quality, an acquired will and determination,” according to The International Encyclopedia of Dance — that press accounts of the time describe as, at one point, eliciting such applause that Ms. Semyonova had to repeat a solo. Lifar, however, criticized her, writing, in his 1939 book, “A History of Russian Ballet,” that Ms. Semyonova’s characterization “was completely lacking in romantic spirit.” (10676)

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Signed Photograph

Art & Design

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