107. Dances for Sir Oswald Stoll's Variety Shows 1931
George Balanchine
Performance Type
Concert Works
See Also
Note
In addition to these works documented from programs of Sir Oswald Stoll’s variety shows at the London Coliseum (February 16- March 21) and Alhambra (April 6-May 30), reviews and conversations with dancers identify the following: Tango (Sonne and Briggs); Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumble Bee (Gregorova, Sonne, Gaya); can-can from Offenbach’s Orphée aux Enfers for a corps of girls in front of the curtain; a short jazz number for four women to the recorded music of Jack Hilton and His Dance Orchestra, performed in front of the curtain; an ensemble number to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture; a pas de deux for Briggs and Betty Scorer to Lord Berners’ Scottish Rhapsody; and a ‘futuristic Scottish-American reel’ for a group. Mention is made of the ‘Balanchine Girls . . .dancing to the strains of modern foxtrots and later to Borodin’s Nocturne.’ Publicity material suggests that costumes were designed by Hedley Briggs and scenery by Frederick Stafford, but Natasha Gregorova remembered that Barbara Karinska was also involved with costuming. Dennis Stoll (son of Sir Oswald) conducted some of the performances. Balanchine’s group of sixteen women (Hedley Briggs was the single male performer) was variously billed as the Balanchine Ballet, Balanchine’s Girls, Balanchine’s Sixteen Novelty Dancers, George Balanchine’s Sixteen Delightful Dancers, and 16 Delightful Balanchine Girls 16.

Balanchine, Elizabeth Baron [Betty Scorer], Natasha Gregorova Cookson, Alicia Markova, Doris Sonne Toye, Barbara Newman, and brief reviews in Era and The Performer.