Souvenir Programme.

An original souvenir programme from de Basil's Ballets Russes's fifth season in London, signed by 37 members of the cast, including future prima ballerina Alexandra Danilova. It is illustrated throughout with photographic portraits of the cast and crew, and includes scenery and costume designs by Joan Miró, Léon Bakst, and others. Wassily de Basil and René Blum formed the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo after the death of Diaghilev in 1929. The two split in 1936, with de Basil renaming his company Colonel W. de Basil's Ballets Russes, then the Covent Garden Russian Ballet, before eventually settling on the name the Original Ballet Russe. The year 1937 marked the final season with Leonide Massine as choreographer, and the first with Michel Fokine. Massine and de Basil had multiple disagreements, and Massine had an ongoing lawsuit against de Basil over copyright in the ballets he choreographed whilst with the company. Quarto. Illustrated throughout in monochrome with 20 colour plates tipped in. Original illustrated wrappers, spiral bound spine. Cracks to spine, wrappers a little creased and nicked. A very good copy.…