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Can I ask a Fokine Question?

Jamiel Devernay-Laurence
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Jamiel Devernay-Laurence

Jamiel Devernay-Laurence

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Hi All,

 

Sorry if this sparks a serious conflict... but does anyone know the official way to spell the first name of FOKINE!?

We are going to print on the BALLET NIGHTS programme on Wednesday this week, and the internet appears to be split 60/40 on this issue.

 

Thank you for any assistance!

Jamiel

www.BalletNights.com

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FionaM

FionaM

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From what I see in Russian it’s not normal for a man’s name to end in a vowel.  Surname should be Fokin.  Perhaps it was anglicised / Americanised with the extra ‘e’ to aid pronounciation.  
 

And is his first name Michael, Michel or Mikhail?  
 

I don’t think it really matters … my vote would be for Mikhail Fokine as I think that’s how it is most often portrayed in UK.  
 

I checked after saying this, and see that is how it is spelt on the ROH archives website www.rohcollections.org.uk.   Must be subliminal influence. 

Edited by FionaE
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LinMM

LinMM

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I think it’s been turned into the French version of his name so that would be Michel Fokine… and the name he was most known by …. and at that time French was also  the Diplomatic Language too……But no doubt he must have had an original Russian spelling of his name! 
 

Sim!!! 

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Amelia

Amelia

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There is an official way to spell names, recommended to publishers,
— Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michel-Fokine
Michel Fokine, original name Mikhail Mikhaylovich Fokine.
Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: Aug 18, 2023 
 
Encyclopaedia follows the spelling used at the time when Fokine was first introduced to the West and Ballet Russe continued using this spelling in its souvenir programmes:
Edited by Amelia
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Sabine0308

Sabine0308

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4 hours ago, Jamiel Devernay-Laurence said:

Hi All,

 

Sorry if this sparks a serious conflict... but does anyone know the official way to spell the first name of FOKINE!?

We are going to print on the BALLET NIGHTS programme on Wednesday this week, and the internet appears to be split 60/40 on this issue.

 

Thank you for any assistance!

Jamiel

www.BalletNights.com

I'm going to ask a Russian friend who is also a teacher for English and an arts enthusiast.

Edited by Sabine0308
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Emeralds

Emeralds

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I think the most common usage before 2000 was to go with the version he had frequently worked in the West with: Michel Fokine (French translation of his Russian name).

 

Thereafter there was a trend to use the names reflecting the person’s heritage if there were no longer alive to ask them what they prefer, so Mikhail Fokine became more commonly used. But @FionaE is correct in that it’s actually an inaccurate translation in that Fokine is French and Mikhail is translation from Russian, and meaning he has a name in two languages. There are people who name their children with names in a mishmash of two or more languages as a sign of individuality (or rebellion) nowadays but it’s actually substandard translation of the choreographer’s name. What is probably happening in the English version of the Bolshoi theatre website is that they know it’s not correct but feel that English language readers wouldn’t have a clue who “Fokin” was even if that’s the proper way to spell it. 

 

The Russian language only has a Cyrillic alphabet, so there is no Romanised writing of their names and words- it’s all transliterated, and sometimes there are different spellings. He’s never/almost never referred to as Michael Fokine in Britain, even though he did settle in the United States in 1921 and died there in 1942, so presumably he was often called Michael there. 

 

If you had never asked, Jamiel, I would probably not have minded what was printed. But now that the question has been asked, I would personally pick the version that he made his name with in the Ballets Russes and is a more consistent translation/transliteration, ie Michel Fokine. Notably Margot Fonteyn, who had worked with Tamara Karsavina who created roles in many of his ballets, always referred to him as Michel Fokine rather than Mikhail Fokine/Fokin, although she referred to Baryshnikov as Mikhail Baryshnikov.

 

Apologies if asking us has resulted in more dilemmas than one clear winner! 

Edited by Emeralds
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Scheherezade

Scheherezade

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24 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

What is probably happening ... is that they know it’s not correct but feel that English language readers wouldn’t have a clue who “Fokin” was even if that’s the proper way to spell it.

 

Or, channeling Sim earlier, there are those who might think that you were referring to something else entirely. 😉 

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Guest

Guest

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One dancer, I think either Krassovska or possibly Danilova, was known to have declared more than once, in a thick Russian accent, 'I am best Fokin ballerina,' much to her listeners' amazement!

 

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Amelia

Amelia

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1 hour ago, Darlex said:

One dancer, I think either Krassovska or possibly Danilova, was known to have declared more than once, in a thick Russian accent, 'I am best Fokin ballerina,' much to her listeners' amazement!

 

Natalya Krasovskaya continued to speak foreign languages throughout her life with a strong Russian accent, and linguistic difficulties sometimes created funny situations for her. So, performing in “Don Quixote” and hearing the French version of the pronunciation of the name “don quixote” as the English “donkey shot”, she asked with all sincerity: why was the poor donkey killed? She adored animals and always kept some kind of little dog.

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San Perregrino

San Perregrino

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Having just watched the US Open tennis these are my observations:

 

In the UK it seems common to call someone by their given name from their country of origin and to strive to achieve correct pronunciation (look at the cartwheels the BBC turn on a regular basis).

 

The French tend to translate into French and pronounce with a French accent.

 

It is not uncommon in the USA to embrace everyone as if they were American first and foremost and apply American vowel and consonant sounds to achieve sometimes curious end results. 

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Jamiel Devernay-Laurence

Jamiel Devernay-Laurence

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Thanks all for the robust discussion around the subject! I knew there was more to it that Wikipedia led me to believe!

 

I was in the studio with Melissa Hamilton today (photos coming), and it is one of the most moving and honest interpretations I have ever seen.


I am now going to print, and you can pick up a programme at the show to find out ;)



Jamiel

www.BalletNights.com

 

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