May 17th, 2013
Bobby Lindgren was a born storyteller and a welcome visitor to the NCSA archives. We were always grateful for his assistance with School of Dance photograph appraisal and identification. But, most of all, we loved his stories of the legendary Russian dancers and choreographers who were the dancing partners of his youth. Bobby's career as a dancer spanned the formative years of the premiere ballet companies of America when the Russian protégés of Ballets Russes founder, Sergei Diaghilev, were having a huge impact on the style of American ballet. About a year ago, Bobby visited the archives and gave us a copy of a recent article he had written for Ballet Review (Fall, 2011, pp. 34-42). He spoke about his dear friends, Alexandra Danilova and Freddie Franklin, who are central to the story. Ironically, Freddie Franklin passed away in Manhattan less than a week before Bobby this month. Alexandra died in 1997. Only Bobby’s wife, Sonja, remains from that marvelous adventure 57 years ago.
The article is entitled “Mme Danilova’s Last Tour” and we dedicate it to the memory of Bobby and the grand old days of Ballets Russes.