‘La Baker’ in Voilà, 1933

Teddy Piaz ~ Josephine Baker and her pet cheetah, Chiquita. Cover of the former French weekly magazine Voila, nº 137, Nov. 4th, 1933. | src Flickr
Teddy Piaz (Studio Piaz) ~ Josephine Baker and her pet cheetah, Chiquita. Voila, nº 137, Nov. 4th, 1933. | src Flickr

Vera Shabshay, 1925

Vera Kagan-Shabshay, Moscow, 1925. Family Archive, Israel. Photographer’s or studio’s stamp and date (25) | src The Museum of Russian Art, Israel. From the exhibition: Choreographer Vera Shabshay: Forgotten “Amazon of the Avant-Garde” (2008)

Vera Shabshay in «Aleph»

Vera Shabshay (also Shabshai, Shabashai or Shabshaj) (1905-1988) in the Dance of the Slave. From the ballet “Aleph”, choreographed and produced by Vera Shabshay, Moscow, season 1930-1931. Costume by N.P. Lamanova and N.S. Iznar | src The Museum of Russian Art in Israel on Fb / המוזיאון לאמנות רוסית

From 1926 to 1934, Vera Shabshai (1905 – 1988) created about a hundred miniatures ballets, mainly on Jewish themes, to the music of composers from the Society of Jewish Music. These choreographic numbers, combined into suites on a specific theme, made up the extensive repertoire of “Evenings of Jewish Dance” and “Evenings of Jewish Ballet and Pantomime” organized by Shabshai in the seasons of 1929-1930 and 1930-1931.

The most popular piece of these ballets was the Jewish pantomime-ballet “Aleph”, in which she said she wanted to express through plastic means various moments of Jewish history from antiquity to the present day. It consisted of six pats or cycles: “Jewish Bas-reliefs”, “Mourning dances”, “Jews in Spain”, “Shtetl dances” and the pantomime “ Smena / Change”.

Jewish Tango, Moscow, 1929

Jewish Tango, Moscow, 1929. Music by Leo Gardi. Choreography by Vera Shabshay. From the exhibition Choreographer Vera Shabshay: Forgotten “Amazon of the Avant-Garde” (2008) | src The Museum of Russian Art, Israel

Dancer in long dress by Michaelis

Margaret Michaelis (1902-1985) ~ No title [Female dancer in long dress, arms extended], 1940s | src NGA
Margaret Michaelis (1902-1985) ~ No title [Female dancer in long dress, leaping with arms raised], Sydney, 1940s. | src NGA
Margaret Michaelis (1902-1985) ~ No title [Female dancer in long dress, stepping forward], 1940s | src NGA

Austrian landscapes by Michaelis

Margaret Michaelis (1902-1985) ~ No title [Road with two lines of trees], Austria, ca. 1920-1925 | src NGA
Margaret Michaelis (1902-1985) ~ No title [Silhouetted figure standing in front of bare trees], Austria, 1920s | src NGA