On 24th January 1937, Nicolai Legat passed
away in a quiet backwater of Kensington. He occupied a fine
house with a spacious studio at 46 Colet Gardens. Today, Colet
Gardens is no longer quiet since it became one of the main
motorways leading to the west. There is a blue plaque in his memory. His name means very
little in the present thriving world of ballet, but in his day,
he had his moment of glory, and in the annals of ballet history
his fame is recorded.
Legat's ancestry of German and
Swedish stock had always been associated with fairgrounds and
theatres. They proved themselves very clever as designers and
machinists of magical effects, which eventually brought them to
Russia.
Nicolai’s parents were both dancers
and father Gustave taught in the Bolshoi school. Nicolai has
recorded some lively accounts of his childhood in old Moscow,
but when the family moved to St. Petersburg, life became
harder. From the family of seven children, four were sent to
the Imperial Theatre School, to learn ballet.
Nicolai and his brother Sergei, who were
inseparable, became pupils of the great master, Chistian
Johansson, a Swedish Professor who had a hand in creating a
remarkable line of dancers which included Pavlova, Karsavina
and Nijinsky.
The Legat brothers were stocky fellows with
powerful physiques; they had a great zest for life, revelled in
feats of physical strength, and quickly established themselves
as leading dancers. Together, they also developed a remarkable
gift for caricature, and their album of ballerinas and dancers
of the Imperial Ballet became much prized. Today it is very
rare.
In the prime of life, the brothers scored a
striking success with their first choreographic work, the
ballet Fairy Doll. They worked together in perfect harmony
until a tragic circumstance severed their lives. In the
political uprising in St. Petersburg in 1905 the Imperial
Ballet went on strike, and for the first time, Nicolai and
Sergei found themselves on opposite sides of the conflict.
After a drinking bout, Sergei committed suicide.
