Dancing in the Vortex
The Story of Ida Rubinstein
Choreography and Dance Studies Series

Paris at the turn of the century - Art Nouveau, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and the Folies Bergere. This was the atmosphere which nurtured the artistic development of the remarkable dancer and choreographer Ida Rubinstein.This long-awaited biography gives us a unique insight into the life of a remarkable woman, responsible for a fascinating chapter of our artistic heritage. She was a chameleon, a diva, who lived many lives, overcoming the anti-Semitism of her times to enchant and captivate the highest of societies.<br>Untrained as a dancer, Ida Rubinstein's charisma attracted collaborators such as Debussy, Stravinsky, Ravel, Cocteau, Bakst, and Benois.

Introduction to the Series. List of Plates. Acknowledgements. Foreword. Prologue: Ruins against the Sky. 1 St Petersburg. 2 Antigone. 3 Salome. 4 Cleopatre. 5 Scheherazade. 6 Artists' Model. 7 St Sebastien. 8 The Producer. 9 War and Revelution. 10 Cracks in the Mask. 11 Milan. 12 La Dame aux Camelias. 13 Nijinsky. 14 The 1928 Season. 15 Covent Garden 1931. 16 The Paris Opera 1934. 17 World War Two. 18 Vence. 19 Whispers in the Wings. Chronology. Principal Sources. Index.

Vicki Woolf