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 Firebird scale Rimsky-Korsakov created for the character Chernobog in his opera "Mlada". The Khorovod, meanwhile, uses the same folk tune Rimsky-Korsakov presented in his Sinfonietta, Op. 31. The "Firebird" has been restaged by many choreographers, including George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins (co-choreographers), Graeme Murphy, Alexei Ratmansky, and Yuri Possokhov. The ballet was revived in 1934 by Colonel Wassily de Basil's company, the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo, in a production staged in London, using the original decor and costumes from Diaghilev's company. The company subsequently performed the ballet in Australia, during the 1936–37 tour. The work was staged by George Balanchine for