Léonide Massine

Pedro Pruna (1904-1977). Les Matelots, Scene design, 1925. Watercolor and and pastel crayon. Howard D. Rothschild Collection. Framed storage. MS Thr 414.4 (116). Bequest, 1989.

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Les Matelots

Les Matelots (The Sailors) was a collaboration of George Balanchine, Georges Auric, and Pedro Pruna. The three sailors—Spanish, American, and French—were portrayed by Leon Woizikowski, Taddeus Slavinsky, and Serge Lifar. It was in Les Matelots that Serge Lifar made his first mark as a dancer. According to Serge Grigoriev, “His youth, his good figure, and his elegant interpretation of the French sailor all made an impression; and Diaghilev was congratu­lated by his friends on his new discovery.”