In 1909 Serge de Diaghilev (1872-1929) mounted the Saison Russe in Paris, later known as Ballets Russes.
At a period of vicious and brutal anti-semitism in Russia, Diaghilev never displayed any prejudice and indeed sought out many Jews as his closest collaborators. He worked with the philanthropist Baron de Gunzberg as the Ballet's treasurer. In Paris his entrepreneur was Gabriel Astruc, son of a Rabbi, who raised funds from French-Jewish bankers. Within Ballets Russes two of his greatest stars were Jewish dancers: Pavlova (whose father was Jewish) and Ida Rubinstein. His most famous and important Jewish colleague was the great designer Leon (Rosenberg) Bakst.
Charles Spencer is the author of the first independent monograph on Leon Bakst, and recently also 'Bakst in Greece', as well as 'The World of Serge Diaghilev'. He received a scholarship under the Anglo-Russian Cultural Exchange in 1974, the first of three study visits to Russia, which included a lecture at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. Especially for the Spiro Ark, he will present the story of Diaghilev in the following series of lectures:

19th century Russian Art--the Slavophil Movement (15 October)
Diaghilev's 'World of Art' group (22 October)
The emergence of Leon Bakst (29 October)
The Ballets Russes 1909-1929 (5 November)