"Tchaikovsky enjoyed the rehearsals for Swan Lake which began at the Bolshoi. He wrote to his brother, 'If you only knew how funny it is to watch the ballet master composing dances to the sound of one violin with the most profound and inspired air. It made me envious to look at the dancers, smiling at the imagined audience and relishing the opportunity to jump and whirl, fulfilling their 'sacred duty' as they did so.' "
—Balanchine's Tchaikovsky by Solomon Volkov (affiliate link)
To complement this story of Tchaikovsky watching rehearsals of the first production of Swan Lake in 1877, I thought I would share these photos of NYCB in rehearsals for Swan Lake at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles in 1953. The scenery by Cecil Beaton is visible. The last two photos were publicity photos of NYCB's arrival in LA.
Maria Tallchief and Andre Eglevsky in rehearsals at the Greek Theater.
Photos by Edward Clark, 1953.
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