Léonide Massine was a dancer, choreographer, and one of the key figures of the "Russian Seasons". Born in 1896 in Moscow, he studied at the Moscow Theatrical School, where he was noticed by Sergei Diaghilev and invited to join his troupe. From 1914, Léonide Massine performed in Diaghilev's "Ballets Russes", and after the departure of Vaslav Nijinsky, he became its principal choreographer and leading dancer. An important milestone of this period was the premiere of the ballet "Parade" (1917) to music by Erik Satie, (libretto by Jean Cocteau, costumes and scenery by Pablo Picasso). After leaving Sergei Diaghilev's enterprise in 1920, Léonide Massine continued his career with the "Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo". It was here that he created the world's first symphonic ballet, "Les Présages" (1933), to Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony, as well as "Fantastic Symphony" (1936) to the music of Hector Berlioz. Later, the artist worked in leading European theatres, including Covent Garden in London, the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen and La Scala in Milan. He also appeared in several films, the most famous of which are "The Red Shoes" (1948) and "The Tales of Hoffmann" (1951). In the online collection of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum, you can find sketches by Natalia Goncharova for Leonid Massine’s unrealized ballet "Liturgy", as well as photographs of the artist in various roles.