Marianna Tcherkassky’s Ballet Costume

Object Details

referenced

American Ballet Theatre

Ishimoto, May

Description (Brief)

This gossamer ballet tutu was worn by ballerina Marianna Tcherkassky in productions at New York’s American Ballet Theatre. The costume was designed and made by May Ishimoto, the wardrobe mistress for ABT. Tcherkassky, a Washington, D. C. native of Russian and Japanese ancestry, was acclaimed for her performances in the title role of Adolph Adam’s ballet Giselle and was paired frequently with Mikail Baryshnikov, most notably in the ABT production of Tschaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. The costume consists of a blue silk tutu and white crinoline. The pale blue silk bodice has peasant-style criss-cross lacing across the front with blue velvet ribbon. Lace and embroidery trim the skirt’s edge and the costume has short puffed sleeves with velvet trim.

Description

This gossamer romantique style ballet costume was worn by ballerina Marianna Tcherkassky in a production of "Giselle" at New York’s American Ballet Theatre in 1976.

The long style tutu was designed and made by May Ishimoto, who was the costume mistress of the American Ballet Theater from 19 -1990. . The costume, designed in the French Basque peasant style, has a pale blue silk boned bodice with blue velvet ribbons in a criss cross lacing across the front, a sweetheart neckline and a low pointed waist. . The short puffy sleeves are made from sheer silk and both sleeves and neckline are edged in lace, embroidery and velvet trim.. The full gathered skirt has a wide lace border with metallic thread accents and the underskirt has a full white crinoline with layers of stiff netting.

May's successful career with the Washington School of Ballet, the New York City Ballet and the American Ballet theatre was not without heartache and hardships. Born in Hanford California , one of ten children born to Japanese emigrants, May's early years were

filled with trials and tribulations. A first generation Japanese American , May did not follow the traditional path that included an arranged marriage and life as a housewife and mother. Instead she moved to Los Angeles and attended the Frank WIggins School of and studied dressmaking and tailoring in hopes of becoming a costume maker for the movie industry But this would all drastically change when the Japanese boned Pearl Harbor and the United States declared war on Japan. May, along with her entire family, were forced to destroy all remnants of their Japanese culture, and shortly thereafter were moved into an internment camp-Camp Jerome in Arkansas. It was at this camp that May met her future husband, Paul Ishimoto. In June 1944, just a few months after her marriage, she and her husband moved to Washington, D.C. when Paul was offered a job with the Office of Strategic Services.

Marianna Tcherkassky, a D. C. native of Russian and Japanese ancestry, was trained at the Washington School of Ballet and joined the American Ballet Theater in 1970 at the age of seventeen. She made her debut with the ABT dancing the lead role in Adolph Adams ballet "Giselle" opposite Mikhail Baryshnikov. These two are best known for their performances in The Nutcracker, both on stage and in the movies. .This ballet is a romantic but tragic love story of a poor French peasant girl who dies of a broken heart and comes back as a spirit.. This is one of ballets most demanding and difficult repertoires that combines a mastery of classical ballet technique with an artistic insight into the drama and emotion necessary for this role. Mariana was known for her delicate footwork and lyrical movements and classic technique . Marianna is now retired and is arianna is retired and ballet mistress for the Pittsburgh Ballet..

During the Cold war era,of the 20th C, culture and the arts were dominated by world politics.. Restrictive policies enforced by the Kremlin left artists, authors, and dancers without any control of their professional careers. Longing for artistic and individual freedoms, Russian artists took great risks to flee Russia and move to America, where their artistic sensibilities and individual expressions could be nurtured and developed. One of the first to defect was Mikhail Baryshnikov, a principal dancer with the Kirov Ballet. He danced as a principal with the American Ballet Theater and later became its artistic director from 1980-1989. His athleticism and powerful form ushered in a new appreciation of ballet.

Location

Currently not on view

1980

1976

ID Number

2007.0015.01

accession number

2007.0015

catalog number

2007.0015.01

Object Name

Ballet Costume

Measurements

overall: 36 in x 30 in; 91.44 cm x 76.2 cm

See more items in

Culture and the Arts: Entertainment

National Museum of American History

Subject

Dancers

Dancing

Record ID

nmah_1328694

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b4-6935-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa