Dance critic Rupert Christiansen presents this sweeping, impeccably researched history of the Ballets Russes and its founder Serge Diaghilev's dream of bringing Russian culture to the West. The explosive color combinations, androgynous choreography and experimental sounds were called "barbaric" by the Parisian press, but its radical style was a phenomenon, usurping traditional ballet and causing a "Russian Revolution" in 20th century art and culture.