Obituary: Virginia Donaldson - press representative for New York City Ballet - Obituary

Dance Magazine, Jan, 1997 by Ann Barzel

Virginia Donaldson, who headed the New York City Ballet press office for many years, died in Chicago on March 21, 1996. Hers was a profession geared to attract audiences to attend events, and it was logical that there was a large assemblage at the memorial service in Chicago on April 3. Among the eulogies and reminiscences was the story she never published-her unique introduction to press-agentry.

In her teens Virginia was a student at the Chicago school of Merriel Abbott, which included on its staff Mme. Elizabetta Kovriguine. Virginia adored the exotic Russian teacher, and, because this teacher was friendless and unaccustomed to life in Chicago, the teenager made herself useful in many ways, such as taking her shopping. When transportation was needed, Virginia had her understanding father drive the Russian and her sculptor husband to any part of the city.

Mme. Kovriguine, who, as Elizabeth Gluck, had been with the Diaghilev Ballet from 1909 to 1991, had many friends in the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in its early days. When that company danced in Chicago, she had many ballet visitors, among them her former Paris pupil, Tatiana (Tanya) Orlova. The annual Chicago engagement of Ballet Russe was during the Christmas holidays, and Tanya Orlova's mother came to be with her. In the Kovriguine apartment, Virgina struck up an acquaintance with Tanya and, always accommodating, piloted the dancer's Russian mother around town. Some time later, Tanya Orlova married Leonide Massine, and soon there were baby Tanya and son Lorca. When the Massines were in Chicago with Ballet Russe, Virginia solved their babysitter problem by taking the two toddlers to the spacious Donaldson home, where her arts-oriented parents found it delightful to have children around for Christmas.

Meanwhile, Virginia, having been graduated from high school and having spent a season dancing in an elaborate lakeside pageant, improvised a profession in the arts by working at the Civic Opera House in several capacities for the opera management and for a prominent tenant of the building, the impresario Harry Zelzer. She hand-addressed mailing lists, stuffed envelopes, and distributed window cards that advertised musical and dance events. As a well-connected employee on the premises, she attended performances of opera, ballet, and various concerts. When, in 1951, the then-named Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet (now Birmingham Royal Ballet) performed in the opera house, Virginia was delegated to assist the company's director, Peggy van Praagh, and they became good friends.

After the ballet season, business was slack at the opera house, and Virginia flew to New York for a ten-day holiday to see Broadway shows. On a sunny day, walking along Fifty-seventh Street, she came upon van Praagh and, stopping with her for coffee and a chat, learned that the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet was to leave for London the following week in a chartered plane. Van Praagh said that there would be a number of empty seats on the plane and urged Virginia to come to London with the company, transportation free. Footloose, Virginia telephoned her mother to mail her passport special delivery. All went as planned.

In London, strolling on a sunny April day, the Chicagoan met an old friend, Tanya Massine. There were warm greetings, and, over a cup of coffee, Tanya enthusiastically urged, "We're leaving for France. Come with us. You'll love April in Paris."

So Virginia went with the Massines and enjoyed Paris. After some weeks, they described the beauty of their island, one of the Isole dei Galli in the Gulf of Salerno, near the village of Positano, and insisted that she come with them for a visit. She could hardly resist such an invitation. The island was delightful for a couple of weeks, but Virgina began to be bored. An escape appeared at hand. Leonide Massine was planning an elaborate ballet-pageant, Laudes evangelii, to be presented in a cathedral in Florence. A committee of producers came to the island to discuss the event with Massine. One of them observed that there should be international publicity. Why couldn't the young American lady - who they assumed was Massine's assistant - work on that - Virginia found the suggestion an agreeable relief from her boredom, and promptly left for Rome. There she tackeled the tough correspondents at the offices of the International News Service. There were no urgent world stories breaking, and the American INS journalists found it delightful to have Virginia around. She overheld one say, "Let's give the little American girl a break."

They did. They took note of all her material, and there were extensive stories and pictures of Massine's ballet-pageant in Life add Time magazines. The grateful producers of the event offered Virginia a scholarship at an Italian-English university. She was tempted, and stayed in Italy for several months, taking English-language courses in Italian art and music.

Early in 1953 two years after leaving Chicago for a ten-day holiday in New York, Virginia Donaldson came home, a sophisticated young lady who had been to London, Paris, Naples, Rome, and Florence. She resumed work at the Civic Opera House. A representative of the Serge Denham-directed Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo came to arrange details for an engagement. He learned that it was Virginia Donaldson who had managed to get that great publicity for Massine in Italy, and he offered her the job of advance press agent for Ballet Russe. That involved traveling ahead of the company, visiting each city in which the Company was to perform. There she would make contacts with all types of media-telling them about the company, arranging interviews, and leaving photos and press releases.