Ballets Russes The scandal caused by the premiere performance in Paris of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" has been partly attributed to the provocative aesthetic of the costumes of the Ballets Russes. Alexandre Benois had been the most influential member of The Nevsky Pickwickians and was one of the original founders (with Bakst and Diaghilev) of "Mir iskusstva". His particular interest in ballet as an art form strongly influenced Diaghilev and was seminal in the formation of the Ballets Russes. In addition, Benois contributed scenic and costume designs to several of the company's earlier productions: "Le Pavillon d'Armide", portions of "Le Festin",
The Forbidden Rite The Forbidden Rite The Forbidden Rite is a 1962 Australian TV play. It is a filmed ballet - the first ballet written in Australia exclusively for TV. On a Mediterranean island, a tourist party inspects the ruins of a shrine built to the goddess of love. "The Forbidden Rite" was composed by Robert Hughes, a music writer and arranger for the Victorian Symphony Orchestra. It is the first work commissioned for the Alfred Hill Memorial Award. The ballet was choreographed by Rex Reid. The "Sydney Morning Herald" called "The Forbidden Rite" "a triple success for composer Robert Hughes, producer William