This book began with an article about the Ballets Russes that I hoped to write but never did, so the first people I want to thank won’t have any idea why: Charlotte Sinclair of Vogue; Elinor Hughes and Tim Morley, who, promoting the Diaghilev exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2010, encouraged my growing interest in Nijinsky even though I couldn’t find anyone to commission me to write about him; and Deirdre Fernand, who unwittingly gave me the final push when she suggested that despite my being neither a dance critic nor a dancer, writing a book about ballet need not be an impossible dream.
Many people helped and advised me while I worked on the book. I am grateful to the staffs of the British Library; the library of the Victoria and Albert Museum and its Theatre Collection at Blythe House; Bob Kosovsky and Amy Schwegel of the New York Public Library, music and dance divisions respectively; Tom Clark; Fiona Porter; Pieter Symonds and Arike Oke of the Rambert Ballet Company and Ann Stewart, whom I met through them, as well as Marc Farah, for putting me in touch with Pieter in the first place. Nuala Herbert gave me a valuable insight into the Rite of Spring and Pell Mountain lent me Russian books that I could not have seen elsewhere. My father, John Moore, stepfather, Josh Miller, and Lady Bateman read the book in draft and supplied me with important corrections.
Living in Simon and Lucy Harrison’s house while I wrote the book gave me the gift of a study with a door I could close behind me. And Haydee Dullas ensured that I never worried about my children when I was thinking about Nijinsky. Most of all, though, I am indebted to my husband, whose unfailing love and support make everything possible; work is the least of it.
Grateful thanks are due to Andrew Franklin, Daniel Crewe, Penny Daniel, Valentina Zanca and everyone at else Profile Books as well as Jane Robertson, who negotiated my typescript, and with all of whom it has been a delight to work at every stage. Pryor Dodge of the Dodge Collection, and Dr Hans-Michael Shäfer of the Neumeier Foundation provided most of the exquisite photographs and drawings which illuminate the book. Andrew Kidd has been (as expected) the best of agents: I hope there will be many more projects like this in our future together.
One of the greatest pleasures of this book was working again with the late Peter Carson, who commissioned it and continued to edit and support it even after retiring. I count myself immensely privileged to have been one of his writers.