At the beginning of the twentieth century, for the whole 18 years, Diaghilev’s Russian Ballet was based in the Principality of Monaco, where new dance creations and projects were born. In the period from 1911 to 1920. Diaghilev was the initiator of such productions as “The Phantom of the Rose”, “Narcissus”, “Wedding”, “Cats” and “Ball”, which fundamentally changed the world of dance.
However, the most outstanding achievement of the Russian theater and art figure was the fact that in a fairly short time he managed to bring together a galaxy of outstanding people such as Igor Stravinsky, Leon Bakst, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Vaclav Nijinsky, George de Chirico, Anna Pavlova, Serge Lifar, George Balanchine, Misia Sert and even ... Gabrielle Chanel.
The meeting of Mademoiselle Chanel with Diaghilev was for her a turning point in life. A person with a strong character, a brilliant theater and art figure, entrepreneur, authoritative and respected organizer of cultural events, became one of her mentors. It remains unclear whether Coco Chanel could have found her true calling in life without him or not.
In 1919, when working together on Stravinsky’s ballet, The Rite of Spring, a long and lasting friendship and partnership began between Diaghilev and Chanel. In 1924, Coco Chanel made costume design for the Nizhinsky ballet Blue Express. Its premiere took place in January 1925, however, due to the ban on photography by Sergei Diaghilev, costumes "from Chanel" the general public did not see.
The fact that these photos were absent inspired the designer and photographer Karl Lagerfeld to create a film dedicated to the celebration of the centenary of the Russian Seasons and the history of acquaintances and meetings of Sergei Diaghilev and Gabrielle Chanel with friends. As part of the Monaco Dance Forum festival, Lagerfeld and the Chanel Fashion House, supporting the Vaclav Nijinsky Prize since its inception in 2000, also presented a new film to Prince Monte Carlo, a philanthropist and patron of art and culture.
