Who was Diaghilev and what did he do?
Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929) was an impresario, the manager of the Ballets Russes that created a sensation in Western Europe in the early years of the 20th century. Born in Perm and active as a young man in artistic circles, Diaghilev formed the Ballets Russes in 1909 and ran it until his death in 1929. The dancers and choreographers associated with the Ballets Russes included George Balanchine (Question D.9.c), Alexandra Danilova, Ninette de Valois, Michel Fokine (Question D.9.b), Tamara Karsavina, Serge Lifar, Alicia Markova, Leonide Massine, Vaslav Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova, Marie Rambert, Olga Spessivtseva, and Tamara Toumanova, among many others. His designers included Bakst, Braque, Picasso, Tchelitchev, and Utrillo. His composers included Debussy, Milhaud, Poulenc, Prokofiev, Ravel, Satie, and, most notably, Igor Stravinsky, whom Diaghilev spotted when he was virtually unknown and whose career he launched. The impact of Ballets Russes on the West stemmed from a number of causes. Fir
