From Alexandra Danilova'a memoir:
“I wanted so much to dance [Ballet Imperial], but I didn’t; this second time he appointed Mary Ellen Moylan the leading lady. I was hurt that he didn’t give it to me. ‘Don’t be upset,’ he said. ‘I will do for you a beautiful ballet, Mozartiana.’ And he did. Mozartiana was pearls of pure dancing, a long strand of beautiful steps strung together by the music, Tchaikovsky’s orchestra of four pieces by Mozart. The choreography was very classical, rather coquettish, but there was no sex in this ballet, only the interpretation of the music.
“Balanchine had choreographed this music before, for his company Les Ballets 1933 in Paris, and he choreographed it again later, for the New York City Ballet. But I think ours was the best version. Ours was more vivace than the first one, which was rather triste, to fit the mood of Paris at the time—la tristesse was in the air. In that first version, in the opening, which was set to the “Prayer” music, two men dressed in black with plumes on their heads, came out carrying two poles on their shoulders, and on the poles was hanging a girl, all dressed in white, covered with tulle. They were a funeral procession, like the ones you could see in Paris at that time—a lonely coffin, covered with a veil and driven through the streets by two horses with plumes on their heads. All this, I remember had a certain morbid expression to it; the music in this first section throbbed like a toothache.
Danilova and Franklin on tour in Japan with the Festival Ballet. Photos by Jutaro Kanemoto.
Found in Danilova's personal collection at the Library of Congress.
“The Ballet Russe version opened with the Gigue instead, danced by a boy wearing an eighteenth-century costume more or less the same as the one the boy wears in Mozartiana today, at the New York City Ballet, with one difference—the boy in ours wore a tricorne, which I miss, because it immediately transported you to the right period. The costumes Bébé Bérard designed for our Mozartiana were marvelous, very decorative. It was always a success because it had such a distinctive style.
“The Prayer was danced by Lubov Rostova. Diaghilev believed that in his company there should be at least one beautiful woman, and he would present her. In this variation, Balanchine presented Lubov--she bourréed by herself.
“Then came the Minuet, for six girls. They wore long scarves of tulle, attached to their headpieces and again to their hands, that floated beautifully when they moved their arms. Mozartiana was a very dressy ballet, and this section in particular was very formal, because the minuet is a rather pompous dance.
“These first three sections were short. Then Freddie Franklin and I came out. I was dressed all in white, with a white plume on my head We danced, then disappeared to change costumes for the adagio. When we returned, I was all in black, with a green wreath in my hair. The adagio was set to a violin solo, and it was always exciting, full of unusual movements that Balanchine never repeated. This was not a standard adagio; the steps were delicate, very light, and not uniformly legato there was some allegro in it. There were développés with turns and twists, small lifts, a little jumping. My part was technically difficult, with everything on the toes."
Danilova and Franklin on tour in Japan with the Festival Ballet. Photos by Jutaro Kanemoto.
Found in Danilova's personal collection at the Library of Congress.
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