Dancing in the Vortex

The Story of Ida Rubinstein

Vicki Woolf

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780415516204
• eBook ISBN: 9781135853075
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Dance

Paris at the turn of the century - Art Nouveau, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and the Folies Bergere.  This was the atmosphere which nurtured the artistic development of the remarkable dancer and choreographer Ida Rubinstein.This long-awaited biography gives us a unique insight into the life of a remarkable woman, responsible for a fascinating chapter of our artistic heritage. She was a chameleon, a diva, who lived many lives, overcoming the anti-Semitism of her times to enchant and captivate the highest of societies.
Untrained as a dancer, Ida Rubinstein's charisma attracted collaborators such as Debussy, Stravinsky, Ravel, Cocteau, Bakst, and Benois.

1
ST PETERSBURG

“Society is composed of two large classes: those who have more dinners than appetite and those who have more appetite than dinners.”

Nicholas Chamfort (1741–1794)

Ida Rubinstein was born on 5 October, 1885. Very little is known about her mother and father who died in a typhus epidemic when Ida was two. She and her older sister were sent to live in St Petersburg with their aunt, Madame Horwitz, a fashionable and cultivated woman. Her family was successful and wealthy, extremely unusual for Jews in Russia. The Rubinsteins were closely connected by marriage and business interests with the Raffalovich and Poliakoff families, all of whom dealt in international finance and the construction of railways. They mixed with the cream of the Russian community.

These privileged families ceased overt practice of their Judaism in their eagerness to enter into and be accepted by the elite of Russian society. They were cushioned against the anti-semitic feelings which were particularly rife during the reigns of Alexander III and Nicholas II. They adopted a lifestyle which made them indistinguishable from the Russian aristocracy of the time.

Only two years earlier (or later, as he deliberately obscured the date) Marc Chagall was born to a poor Jewish family in Vitebsk, a chief provincial town studded with Orthodox and Catholic churches as well as synagogues. “But like the rivers which in spring would burst their covering of ice and inundate the banks, so the human calm was sometimes broken! A wave of pogroms would hurl itself against the Jewish villages and then, like a storm, would pass” (Sidney Alexander). The Jews were confined to their ghettos, their Pale of Settlement. Residence or travel outside the Pale was only permitted in exceptional circumstances. They earned their livings as hotel keepers, moneylenders or in the commercial occupations; the professions were banned to them. They were disliked by landowners and peasants alike, a hatred and distrust based upon mediaeval Christian tradition; inevitably they became the convenient scapegoats when times were hard.

The poverty and hunger at the time was so acute that outside the Pale of Settlement there were many stories of Russian peasants resorting to cannibalism. The horrendous activity of the flesh eaters lasted throughout the 1890s and cases were still being reported in 1903 when butchered torsos, arms, and legs were being sold secretly deep in the Causasian woods.

Meanwhile Ida lived in a luxury that today is hard to imagine. In her Aunt’s house on the Angliskaya, the most fashionable street in St Petersburg, the child would roam the beautiful grounds, amongst the delicate scents that hung in the leaves of the apple trees, the peaches and the cherries in the orchards. Lilac, acacia and wisteria bloomed around the house; violets grew in the shade and wild strawberries ran riot on the slopes on the edge of the grounds. Grapes hung on huge vines which grew along the walls. She would watch the exotic vegetables and fruits growing in the greenhouses and dip her toes into the River Neva as it flowed at the bottom of the gardens.

The family would regularly dine on a variety of smoked and pickled fish, black oysters and all sorts of smoked meats, thirty different varieties of mushrooms and exotic candied fruits, but when her Aunt entertained there would be a feast of spectacular extravagance.

Her guests were served countless flavours of vodka and a selection of magnificent wines to accompany the meals, imported from France at such great cost that one bottle equalled the cost of living for a year for a family in the Pale. There would be rich, dark red borscht, mounds of caviar, blinis filled with more caviar, cream cheeses, puréed duck pâté; twenty different kinds of fish would be served at the same meal. Countless different types of poultry and game, stuffed smoked swan and the more popular cygnet, bear, pheasant, quail, and grouse were all put on the table. Pickles and salted cucumbers surrounded the huge platters of meats and sausages; desserts of such artistic confection as to compare with the creations of Fabergé would appear. Oranges, lemons, pears, apples, melons and grapes were displayed in huge piles on silver platters six feet in diameter and on gold platters encrusted with semi-precious stones. Everything was served by red, blue and gold-dressed servants who pampered and cossetted the guests in the ways to which they were accustomed.

Ida was given the name Lydia, which comes from Greek meaning ‘the cultured one’, but almost immediately it was shortened to Ida which, strangely enough, is not a diminutive of Lydia but comes from the Teutonic and means ‘happy’. The name comes from Mount Ida in Crete where Zeus is supposed to have been hidden. Both names seem to fit perfectly the life of this beautiful child, encompassed by the artistic and cultured talents her aunt entertained. Ida was surrounded by paintings and objects of the period. There was a massive library of thousands of books and, in her salon, the finest musicians of the day would play their most recent compositions. Apart from her sister, Ida had numerous cousins who, like all children, would make up plays, dress up, and perform in the gardens of the house. They would play hide-and-seek amongst the bushes and flowers, and race pieces of twigs down the River Neva. It was a carefree and happy time where, cushioned from the harsh realities of life beyond the Angliskaya, Ida, the birdlike child, was starting to grow into a swan.

Ida had a French governess and a Russian teacher. The formal side of her education was extensive and well-rounded. She was taught many languages simultaneously, which she was unusually quick to learn, including English, French, German and Italian. The English dancers, William Chappell and Keith Lester, both recalled Ida’s ability to speak many languages fluently. William Chappell remembered that she could also speak Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Spanish and Greek:

“We had been made aware of Madame Rubinstein’s impressive fluency in many languages because, being such a caring person, and being so polite to everyone – the dancers, the stage hands, the lighting people – she spoke to each and every one in his own language. She would always enquire after each person’s health, or that of their family, in their mother tongue.”

This young, beautiful, Jewish, strangely angular girl was in the unusual situation of being brought up in the high echelons of St Petersburg society. In this haven of sophistication she was formally educated to a level of high academic achievement. A sharp intelligence and an enquiring mind made her an excellent scholar. Her aunt, who took her responsibilities as a guardian seriously, was delighted in Ida’s academic progress. Her niece, whom she had grown to love as if she were her own child, was, happily, a great credit to her. Ida’s keenness for knowledge was matched by a fierce determination and diligence, which she used in pursuit of her goals throughout life.

Ida’s interest in ancient Greece was encouraged by the employment of a scholar to instruct her in the Greek languages, ancient and modern, as well as Greek history and classical antiquity. Her passion for the classics was to spread to French, Russian, German and English literature in which she became extremely knowledgeable. In later years she would enjoy outraging her friends by arguing that Dostoyevsky was a greater genius than Shakespeare, and infuriate them further by being able to demonstrate the academic logic of her argument.

Through air heavily scented by the exotic perfumes and Turkish cigarette smoke of her Aunt’s guests, Ida’s education roamed over vast areas and seemed particularly geared towards the arts. Madame Horwitz widened Ida’s curriculum to include the more aesthetic elements of education suitable for a young woman of Ida’s background. She was taken to all the best theatres in St Petersburg. Without intending to do so, Madam Horwitz was preparing Ida magnificently for a theatrical career.

Had she realized this, Madame Horwitz would have changed course immediately. Whilst it was quite acceptable to lionize, patronize and be entertained by theatricals, it was most definitely not acceptable to become a member of the theatrical profession itself. Madame Horwitz did not realize that she was encouraging Ida in what she, herself, would have considered a most unsuitable ambition. She even allowed the girl to have dancing, singing and drama lessons with the best teachers, most of them attached to the Imperial Theatres. From the Maryinsky Theatre Nijinsky, Kschessinskaya and Pavlova all gave dancing lessons to the rich and titled of the St Petersburg elite.

“Only dancing lessons to the wealthy made it possible for us to live and have pocket money, so society people rejoiced in engaging ballet artists as private instructors and nurtured a cultural understanding of themselves through ballet….

“Hence it was as ‘Konchensky’ that I taught the titled class in Petersburg…. I was the dancing master chosen to teach, among others, at the homes of Count Tolstoy, Princess Ourusov, the Narishskin family (which once disputed the Russian throne with the Romanovs)…. Prince Hilkov, Princess Bieposelsky, Princess Orlov, Countess Zoubov, Prince Schinsky…”

Anatole Bourman

Ida was soon delighted to find her aunt joining her private classes. Amongst the fashionable matrons of Petersburg society, dance classes were taken to help with deportment and graceful movement as well as to keep weight in check despite their sumptuous eating habits. The perfect figure was appreciated in Russia years before the health fetish and body beautiful became a religion in America. Gymnastics and athletic training were never considered elegant enough for the ladies of St Petersburg; they were much too rough and uncouth. However, ballet barre work and dancing was the perfect combination of strenuous exercise, grace and elegance of movement and weight reduction.

Madam Horwitz quickly became a devotee. After the lessons she and Ida would bathe and change and entertain their dance teacher to tea, serving it in the finest bone china cups, eating pastries, tiny cakes and honey biscuits, putting back on more weight than ever was lost. Madam Horwitz and Ida enjoyed the cultural discussions on art and literature and the backstage secrets they learned about the ballet and the theatre.

At the time it was the court that sponsored the art of dancing and advised the Imperial Ballet and its school to nurture and encourage the creative imagination and inspiration that dancing properly enbodies. The ballet became a vital part of St Peterburg society and Madam Horwitz became a regular visitor, even though she did not have her own seats. The seats at the Maryinsky Theatre were like the rarest of pearls and held only by those who had originally sponsored the art. Most had received them in a legacy and they would be passed down in the families as a most privileged possession. From a social point of view it was very useful as the same people sat in the same seats for every ballet; thus one could see at a glance if Princess Ourusov, Prince Hilkov, Countess Zoubov or Princess Orlov were present.

Performances were important social occasions. Gowns of the finest materials were worn with matching jewels. Full evening dress was essential; tuxedos would have brought severe reprobation. Tuxedos were only for the smoking room, most certainly not the theatre.

Ida was encouraged to take as many lessons as possible to equip her for the salons of the day. She was taken to the opera and ballet and afterwards to sumptuous restaurants where she would meet the principals from the theatres.

St Petersburg enjoyed several elegant, French-style Russian restaurants of which the “Cubat” was the favourite. There the patrons and the stars of the ballet would meet for luxurious dinners after the show. It was more like an exclusive club than a restaurant, every doorman and waiter not only knowing each customer by name but also his or her family history and social standing. Strangers, however persuasive, however affluent in appearance, found it virtually impossible to get into the magic inner sanctum of the Cubat. Cajoling or bribery were to no avail; there had to be a specific invitation from a regular patron.

Almnure Cubat was in charge of the Tsar’s cuisine, which lent him added prestige with Petersburg society. They danced and made merry to music by Oki-Albi, a Romanian virtuoso. Not a table was to be found without a choice of the rarest imported wines ranged on it. Mumm, Roederer, Monopole and Pommery were preferred although Mumm enjoyed the mightiest sale, for no matter how inebriated, the most capacious customer could always manage “M-M-mm-.”

The Cubat drew the brilliant parties staged for every ballerina after her success or her benefit. There the famous Svehov sat and wrote his criticisms of whatever presentations he had witnessed, and woe betide the star who tried to influence him! He had been known to sit at the same table with a premiere ballerina, laughing and joking good naturedly and chatting most amiably with her at the moment he was scribbling out a vitriolic criticism for his paper Novoye Vremia (Petersburg New Times). It was impossible to buy Svehov.

Kschessinskaya and Pavlova knew and loved the Cubat. The bills ran into thousands of roubles when they entertained or permitted themselves to be entertained. Russia adored her ballerinas passionately, and paid tribute with such a wealth of floral bouquets that trucks would have to transport the bowers of roses which engulfed a Maryinsky favourite after a first night.

A girl like Ida had to be well-versed in all aspects of life for the salons of the day and therefore be able to dance, sing and play some musical instrument. Ida excelled over the whole range of all her lessons except one: ironically, dancing. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why someone with a will as strong as Ida’s, a determination to conquer any hint of limitation, chose such a career. In order to master dancing, to tame the art, she began practising for hours in front of the huge cheval mirror in her bedroom, posing and articulating all her emotions through movement, fascinated by this exotic, angular stick insect she could see in front of her. This eventually began to irritate Madame Horwitz who forbade Ida to do any more posing. She found this to be too frivolous, too narcissistic and unbecoming in a young lady of Ida’s background and breeding. When it was discovered that Ida was still posturing and admiring herself in front of the mirror there were great family ructions. Many times Ida would be caught in some dramatic gesture by an angry aunt who would be equally dramatic in condemnation of her niece. Ida’s frustration only accentuated and magnified her interest in her own willowy body and its capacity for instilling fascination for that body in others. The time was soon to come when audiences all over Europe were to become slaves to its “fluidity and plasticity.”

At this time only Ida herself had any idea of its effect. Hers was a narcissistic pleasure which she was to indulge and be governed by for most of her life. Here was her first hurdle: she had to perfect that which did not come easily to her. Perhaps the type of dancing which she was taught was too formal, too confining for someone of her soaring imagination. To find her own style she had to experiment and constantly change, to spend hour upon hour in front of that mirror, although this was forbidden. It would take more than the wrath of Madame Horwitz to stop Ida from getting exactly what she wanted. Already, through all her studies of the Greek, an idea was beginning to germinate.

2
ANTIGONE

“The heart has reasons which reason knows not of.”

Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)

Outside the Angliskaya and the cosseted community of the highest society, Russia was on the point of revolution, ravaged by need, poverty and hunger. It was a revolution which stemmed from a Tsar whose one obsession was to invade Manchuria and Persia in order to add to his already huge empire, a Tsar whose police were always ready to arrest anyone, rich or poor, for the crime of speaking out against his regime. This was a Tsar and his court who lived the sumptuous lifestyle which only those like Ida, who experienced the excesses of Imperial Russia, could picture in its extravagance. This was a Tsar who covertly supported the Black Hundreds, an organisation of hooligans and thugs, mostly uneducated, who roamed the cities in gangs of xenophobic fervour, waylaying Jews, odd students or striking workers. At demonstrations they would create a counter-revolution, watched by the police who, out of boredom and bloodlust, would aid and abet them.

It was a time of fear, a time of terror, when the fuse of revolution was being lit. It did not take long to ignite. On “Bloody Sunday,” January 22, 1905, the Tsar’s soldiers fired on a delegation of working men who had assembled to petition the Tsar for a redress of grievances. About a thousand workers were killed in an incident which aroused the sympathy of many waverers.

At one iron plant approximately 1400 people went on strike. The strikes spread like an epidemic from machine shop to factory to building works to textile plant. All at once the employers found themselves dealing with a serious strike situation and it was too late to do anything about it. Even the small shops were coming out on strike; each day more closed. Large groups of the working class gathered together and marched for the first time, openly and defiantly, calling for all workers to join the strike. Their taunts and accusations of betraying the people of Russia were not as instrumental in gathering converts to the cause as the fervour and excitement surrounding it. They could almost smell the excitement as it spread through the crowds. The down-trodden could at last feel, even taste, power and freedom as it coursed through the hordes. Those who had never dared to question the lowliness of their station, their desperately poor and miserable way of life, suddenly began to envisage a life equal to any man, even the Tsar!

Workers of every type and in every stratum of the working community marched together in an unending show of the power of the many against the few. It has been said that Vaslav Nijinsky and Anatole Bourman were part of these marches and witnessed the shooting on Bloody Sunday. Students marched alongside dustmen, craftsmen alongside butchers, the dancers of the Maryinsky corps with the shop girls. Even streetwalkers joined in, as did the intelligentsia alongside the illiterate. The aristocracy may well have been better armed and protected but the proletariat had the numbers and the might behind them. Gradually even those who were guarding the upper echelons turned their guns ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Halftitle
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Figures
• Introduction to the Series
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword
• Prologue: Ruins Against the Sky
• 1. St Petersburg
• 2. Antigone
• 3. Salomé
• 4. Cléopâtre
• 5. Schéhérazade
• 6. Artists’ Model
• 7. St Sébastien
• 8. The Producer
• 9. War And Revolution
• 10. Cracks in the Mask
• 11. Milan
• 12. La Dame Aux Camélias
• 13. Nijinsky
• 14. The 1928 Season
• 15. Covent Garden 1931
• 16. The Paris Opera 1934
• 17. World War Two
• 18. Vence
• 19. Whispers in The Wings
• Chronology
• Principle Source
• Index