Demidov, Alexander The Russian Ballet: Past & Present.

Translated from the Russian by Guy Daniels.

Moscow, London, The Novosti Press Agency, Adam and Charles Black, [1978].
4to, 245 pp., ill.

In original boards and pictorial dust jacket.
Near very good condition, very light wear to dj, owner mark to first free endpaper.

Second edition, first British edition.
In the annotation, this book is described as the first comprehensive survey of Soviet ballet, past and present, to be published in the West. Significantly, the book does not focus solely on the classic theatres, such as the Bolshoi and Kirov (now Mariinsky), but also highlights the emerging and growing dance troupes in Estonia, Ukraine, Siberia, and other republics within the Soviet Union. It includes descriptions (and rare interviews) of all the major figures—dancers, choreographers, teachers, and designers—active in Soviet ballet at the time, such as Nadezhda Pavlova, Maya Plisetskaya, Yuri Grigorovich, Irina Kolpakova, Natalia Bessmertnova, Alexander Gorsky, and Yuri Vladimirov. The album features more than 140 photographs that showcase principal dancers and capture scenes from some of the greatest Russian ballet productions of recent years.
The book was written by Soviet ballet historian, theater critic, and director Alexander Demidov (1944–1990). It was originally written in Russian, translated into English, and published for the first time by Doubleday Publishing House (USA) in 1977, but it was never released in its original Russian version.