Guide to the Guide to theatre programs and ephemera regarding Ballet Rambert's tour of Australia
Rambert
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Title
- Ballet Rambert's Tour of Australia and New Zealand: programs, ephemera
- Date Range
- 1947 - 1949
- Collection Number
- Rambert
- Extent
- 37 items
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- Printed Collections
Introduction
Scope and Contents
Printed materials in the PROMPT collection include programs and printed ephemera such as brochures, leaflets, tickets, etc. Theatre programs are taken as the prime documentary evidence of a performance.
The list is based on imperfect holdings, and is updated as gaps in the Library's holdings are filled. Unless otherwise stated, all entries are based on published programs in the PROMPT collection.
Preferred Citation
Acknowledgement of use this material should refer to the Ephemera PROMPT collection.
Citation of items from this collection should include references to author's/organisation's name, date, item title, Publisher and place of publication.
Example: J.C. Williamson (Firm). & Theatre Royal (Adelaide, S.A.). 1950, Gilbert & Sullivan opera season [theatre program] : The gondoliers J. C. Williamson Ltd [Adelaide]
Related Materials
The National Library [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/] and Trove [https://trove.nla.gov.au/] hold collections with other material relating to Ballet Rambert including Oral History recordings and interviews, scrapbooks, published works, pictures, journal articles and items in Australian newspapers.
Arrangement
This list reflects the itinerary order of the tour and gives researchers the opportunity to investigate the tour programme by programme as well as the number of performances given per ballet. It identifies additional material like ephemera and reviews. The material is arranged in this order.
Biographical / Historical
Ballet Rambert (BR) is today the oldest existing dance company in England. It was founded in 1930 by Marie Rambert (MR), whose balletic lineage can be traced back to Isadora Duncan, E. Jacques-Dalcroze, S. Diaghilev, V. Nijinsky, Cecchetti and S. Astafieva. It was from these sources that she created an English ballet company with an understated style. This young, small company of thirty dancers under the personal direction of Marie Rambert arrived in Australia in October 1947 under the entrepreneur D.D. O'Connor in association with the British Council as the first major overseas company to visit Australia after World War II. The Australian public, who had been exposed in the pre-war period to a virtuosic and exuberant Russian style on a large scale, began to appreciate the smaller works presented with such realism. BR introduced a different concept of ballet to Australians -- as art and not spectacle.
Their impact was immediate and significant. Many Australians joined the company on tour, such as Cecil Bates, Ruth Boker, Charles Boyd (a former BR member), Rachel Cameron, June Florenz, Joan and Monica Halliday, Kathleen Lamb, Marita Lowden, Moira Peoples, Ann Somers (or Kathleen Gorham), Basil Truro (or Vassilie Trunoff ) including David Hunt who returned to Australia with BR and they in turn influenced future generations of dancers. Some of the Ballet Rambert dancers remained in Australia and contributed to the development of dance, these being Joyce Graeme, Brenda Hamlyn, Rex Reid and Margaret Scott. When the tour finished some of the Australians went with the company to England to further their careers, Ann Somers being one example.The tour was organised initially for six months but due to public pressure was extended to fifteen months which made Marie Rambert send home on two occasions for more ballets to cope with the demand. The repertoire included contemporary and classical works and introduced a new generation of English choreographers such as Antony Tudor, Frederick Ashton, Walter Gore and Andree Howard and Ninette de Valois. One ballet Winter night was created in Australia and had its world premiere in Melbourne giving designer Kenneth Rowell his first major success. The idea for an Australian work based on the mystic beliefs of the Aborigines, Dhoogar was presented to the company but not taken up by them.
Their itinerary included two Australian seasons interrupted by a four month tour of New Zealand. The first season of 28 weeks took in Melbourne, Broken Hill and Sydney. The second season of 18 weeks began in Brisbane then Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth. In that time they gave over 500 performances of 33 ballets, introduced 26 new English creations as well as revived several classics by Coralli & Perrot, M. Fokine, Lev Ivanov, Vaslav Nijinsky and Petipa.
For a full alphabetical repertoire please see supplementary material.
Item Descriptions
Series. 1947, 17th October 1st May 1948 First Australian Season, [28 week season], 17 October 1947 - 1 May 1948
26 itemsBallet Rambert: the tour of Australia and New Zealand, 1947-1948, 30 April 1905 - 1 May 1905 (File)
Edited by Tatlock Miller ; photographed by Alex Murray; designed and decorated by Loudon Sainthill. Sydney. 50 p. Souvenir tour programme, one copy signed by Marie Rambert.
Princess Theatre. Melbourne, 1st season [14 weeks], 17 October 1947 - 24 January 1948 (File)
Programme 1: Giselle, Soiree musicale, Gala performance, 17 October 1947 - 23 October 1947 (Item)
Cover design by Daryl Lindsay. Includes advertisement for 1st Melbourne season. Photocopy.
Programme 2: Swan Lake, Act II, Simple symphony, Jardin aux lilas, Facade (Original version), 24 October 1947 - 30 October 1947 (Item)
Cover design by Daryl Lindsay. Reviews included.
Programme 3: Les sylphides, The fugitive, The sleeping princess, Blue bird pas de deux, Peter and the wolf, 31 October 1947 - 6 November 1947 (Item)
Autographs of company in one copy. Reviews included.
Programme 4: Plaisance, The planets, Les masques, Peter and the wolf, 7 November 1947 - 13 November 1947 (Item)
Programme 5: Swan Lake, Act II, Death and the maiden, Mermaid, Gala performance, 14 November 1947 - 20 November 1947 (Item)
Reviews included. Supplement to the Argus week-end magazine, 15 Nov. 1947. D.D. O'connor Pty Ltd in association with the British Council present the celebrated Ballet Rambert direct from Mercury and Sadler's Wells Theatres, London. 1 folded sheet. Reprint.
Programme 6: Les sylphides, L'Apres-midi d'un faune, Simple symphony, Bar aux Folies-Bergere, 21 November 1947 - 27 November 1947 (Item)
Programme 8: Les sylphides, The sleeping princess. Blue bird pas de deux, Jardin aux lilas, Mr. Punch, 5 December 1947 - 11 December 1947 (Item)
Programme 9: Swan Lake, Act II, Soiree musicale, Lady into fox, Façade (Original version), 12 December 1947 - 18 December 1947 (Item)
Reviews included.
Programme 10: Plaisance, The sleeping princess. Blue bird pas de deux, Peter and the wolf, 19 December 1947 - 25 December 1947 (Item)
Reviews included.
Programme 11: Swan Lake, Act II, Peter and the wolf, Spanish divertissement, Mr. Punch, 26 December 1947 - 1 January 1948 (Item)
Reviews included.
Programme 12: Capriol suite, Spectre de la rose, The sailor's return, 2 January 1948 - 8 January 1948 (Item)
Reviews included.
Programme 13: Swan Lake, Act II, Mephisto valse, The planets, Gala performance, 9 January 1948 - 15 January 1948 (Item)
Reviews, flyers included.
Crystal Theatre. Broken Hill. [3 day season], 26 January 1948 - 28 January 1948 (File)
No programmes held.
Tivoli Theatre. Sydney. 1st season, [8 week season]., 31 January 1948 - 1 May 1948 (File)
Programme 1: Swan Lake, Act II, Lady into fox, Soiree musicale, Peter and the wolf, 28 January 1948 - 13 February 1948 (Item)
Advertisement included.