LIB579
Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes
Igor Stravinsky; Maurice Ravel; Claude Debussy; Michel Fokine; Vaslav Nijinsky; Leonide Massine; Nicholas Roerich; Pablo Picasso; Henri Matisse: these are just a few of the brilliant composers, choreographers and artists who gathered around the Russian-born impresario Sergei Diaghilev (1872-1929) to form the Ballets Russes. This itinerant company dominated European culture during the years 1909-1929 and changed forever the development of music, dance and art. In telling this story of one man's creative vision that transformed the artistic world, we will encounter some of the most beloved ballets of the 20th century, from The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring, to Daphnis and Chloe and beyond.
This course is offered in person.
A $50 discount is available during check-out for adults 55+.
Overview
Location: Vancouver
Duration: 6 weeks
Tuition: $180 plus GST
Can be applied to:
Liberal Arts for 55+ Certificate
Upcoming Offerings
- Tue, Sep 8, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Tue, Sep 15, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Tue, Sep 22, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Tue, Sep 29, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Tue, Oct 6, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Tue, Oct 13, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
Course outline
- Week 1
1909-1910: Le Pavillon d'Armide, Polovtsian Dances, Les Sylphides, Scheherazade, The Firebird - Week 2
1911-1912: Le Spectre de la Rose, Petrushka, The Afternoon of a Faun, Daphnis and Chloe - Week 3
1913-1914: Jeux, The Rite of Spring, Josephs Legende - Week 4
1917-1919: Parade, The Three-Cornered Hat, The Song of the Nightingale, Pulcinella - Week 5
1920-1923: Chout, The Wedding, Les Biches, Le train bleu - Week 6
1924-1929: Le pas d'acier, Apollo, The Prodigal Son
What you will learn
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- Appreciate the creative vision of impresario Sergei Diaghilev
- Recognize the dominance of the Ballet Russes company on European culture and the artistic world in the early 20th century
- Identify leading cultural icons involved with the Ballet Russes movement
- Appreciate the many beloved ballets created during this period
How you will learn
- Lectures
- Participation in discussions
- Supplementary resources accessed through Canvas
- Reflective essay (applicable only to certificate students)
Learning Materials
No textbook is required. We will provide all course materials online.
Technical Requirements
Handouts and other course resources will be available on Canvas, SFU’s online learning system.
To access the resources, you should be comfortable with:
- Using everyday software such as browsers, email and social media
- Navigating a website by clicking on links and finding pages in a menu
- Downloading and opening PDF documents