Original Program - "S. Hurok, presents, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo; Season 1938-1939"

Signed in pencil by ten performers associated with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo on a few pages (see below). Original publisher's multicolored pictorial paper wrappers with staple binding. Color illustration on front cover shows concept art of a male performer standing on one leg in a graceful pose and a figure in the purple background that is half-human and half-serpent. No date, circa 1939. 9 1/2" x 12" x 1/4." Unpaginated, all pages, complete (except for possibly one page missing toward front, opposite page with portrait illustration of Boris Kochno. One page may have tipped-in printed text on paper ("Universal Art, Inc.") that may conceal original text beneath it. Pages are very clean and intact but have light age toning, occasional marks and smudges, small stains at page gutters, and slight wear to extremities. Covers are clean and intact overall but have wrinkling and general wear at edges and corners, light rubbing, and occasional small marks or stains (some are on spine). A Very Good copy. This is a program for the 1938-1939 season of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo was one of the successors to Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo. The latter was directed by Wassily de Basil with Rene Blum as its artistic director, but the two parted ways in 1936. This split resulted in Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo separating into two different ballet companies with one owned by de Basil and the other, by Blum. De Basil's successive company became known as the Original Ballet Russe. Blum's company was Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo was active until 1968. For the 1938-1939 season of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, S. Hurok was the impresario, Leonide Massine was the artistic director, and Efrem Kurtz was the musical director. This program has several features such as brief printed commentary about the current ballet season and the ballet industry in general, synopses of ballets, advertisements for a variety of businesses and products, black-and-white portrait illustrations of performers and leading figures in the industry, and color illustrations of ballet concept art. This copy notably features several autographs in pencil on a few pages in the program. On the title page are the signatures of "George Gaber, [sic] tympanist," "Samuel Koza, Trumpet," "Rosella Hightower," "Dorothy Etheridge," and "Lubov Rostova." Center spread with ballet concept art illustrations is signed in pencil by "Robert Irwin." Four performers has signed in pencil next to their black-and-white portrait illustrations: "Marc Platoff," "Roland Guerard," "Milada Mladova," and "Marina Franca." A black-and-white group photo illustration toward the back has a pencil inscription, but it is unclear if this is a signature from a Ballet Russe member.…