Conditions Governing Use

There are no other restrictions on personal use. Permission to publish material from the Serge Lifar ballet performance program clipping from "Les Créatures de Prométhée" must be obtained from Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Serge Lifar ballet performance program clipping from "Les Créatures de Prométhée," C0489, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Purchased by Steve Gerber from Schubertiade Music on January 26, 2010.

Processing Information

Processing completed by Amanda Brent in August 2021. EAD markup completed by Amanda Brent in August 2021. This item was formerly part of the Performing Arts Manuscript Materials collection, C0215.

Biographical Information

Serge Lifar was a Ukranian-French ballet dancer and choreographer, who is considered one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century. Born in 1905 in Ukraine. Lifar's dance career started in 1923 in France with the original Ballets Russes. Eventually Lifar made his way to the Paris Opéra Ballet as lead dancer and ballet master, and was responsible for instituting ballet performances independent of operas. During this time he also created and choreographed new ballets, including "Les Créatures de Prométhée" and "Icare."

During World War II Lifar was accused of and put on trial for being a Nazi collaborator. This resulted in him losing his position at the Paris Opéra Ballet, with George Balanchine serving as his replacement. Though Lifar did eventually return, his position with Paris Opéra Ballet continued to strain over the years and he was eventually forced to permanently resign in 1958. Lifar died in 1986 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Scope and Content

Clipping from a performance program of Ludwig van Beethoven's "Les Créatures de Prométhée" or "The Creatures of Prometheus" from December 20, 1929, choreographed by Serge Lifar and performed at the Paris Opéra Ballet. The clipping features a photo of Lifar in costume on the front and text in French on the back, which lists the name of the performance, and the dancers who performed it, including Lifar, Suzanne Lorcia, Serge Peretti, Yvette Chauviré, and others. It also includes information on the music and conductor. The front top portion of the clipping is signed by Lifar. The back top portion is also signed but is illegible.

Arrangement

This is a single item collection.

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center holds many materials on ballet and dance.

The New York Public Library, Jerome Robbins Dance Division holds the Serge Lifar letters to Serge Diaghilev.

The Serge Lifar Foundation photographic archives are housed by the Swiss Dance Archive (Collection suisse de la danse.) They also hold an image from a performance of "Les Créatures de Prométhée."

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Ballet
• Dance
• Lifar, Serge, 1905-1986