1949 ENAMEL BALLERINA Empress BALLET brooch

This is quite a historical piece of jewelry from the 40-50’s. The post-war ballet boom had reached its peak and was about to start declining - but at the start of the year ballet was still sufficiently popular for programs to be presented in huge arenas and temporary theatres. To satisfy the huge demand to see the stars these galas were held at the Empress Hall, For those of you who know nothing about Festival Ballet, the story starts with a few concert performances given by Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin who were back in England after the Second World War. In January 1949 they were appearing before audiences of 6,000 at the Empress Hall, Earl’s Court with, amongst others, Sara Luzita, Joyce Lyndon, Angela Ellis, Robert Harrold and a small corps de ballet from the Cone-Ripman School. Markova and Dolin appeared, with a small company, at the Empress Hall, Earl's Court - an ice-rink holding 10,000 people. The programs included their most famous party pieces - the Dying Swan for her and Bolero for him. Three 'Nijinsky Galas' were held at the Empress Hall, to raise money for the century's most famous dancer: despite the large numbers of stars appearing, the venture made an overall loss of £1500. Raissa Struchkova, who died in Moscow on May 2 aged 79, was one of the greatest of Bolshoi ballerinas, renowned as much for her thrilling pas de deux with her husband as for her immaculately refined classical lyricism. Although doomed to play second fiddle in posterity to the Bolshoi's lustrous prima ballerina Galina Ulanova, Raissa Struchkova possessed an earthier, more direct personality that conquered the public on her first appearance in London, at the Empress Hall, Earls Court, in 1954. This pin is 2 1/3" long and has a brass and enamel ballerina with Empress Hall on the bottom. If you are a ballet collector then you know this is quite the rare piece and has a wonderful history behind it!