Ballets RussesBallets Russes

Fame, glamour, ego, politics, money, war, love, and dance: essential elements that made up more than fifty years in the lives of a group of revolutionary artists. This is the story of an extraordinary merger of Russian, American, European, and Latin American dancers who collaborated with composers, choreographers, and designers to transform the face of ballet for generations to come. The film maps the company's Diaghilev-era beginnings in turn-of-the-century Paris to its halcyon days in the 1930s and '40s--when the Ballets Russes toured America and the world, astonishing audiences with artistry never before seen--to its demise in the 1950s and '60s when rising costs, rocketing egos, outside competition, and internal mismanagement ultimately brought this revered company to its knees. Infused with juicy anecdotal interviews from many of the company's glamorous stars, this is a brief yet fascinating history of a groundbreaking company.