A fascinating article from the archive of the Times newspaper. Western Theatre Ballet went on to become Scottish National Ballet:

On This Day - The Times, April 29, 1961
MME KARSAVINA RETURNS TO PRODUCE A BALLET
The great Russian ballerina Tamara Karsavina returned to the West End at the age of 76 to oversee the Western Theatre Ballet’s production of Carnaval. Karsavina, a contemporary of Pavlova and Nijinsky, was regarded as the finest of all the Diaghilev ballerinas. When she finished her career as a dancer, Karsavina passed her skills on to her favourite pupil, Margot Fonteyn. Karsavina died in 1978, aged 93.


MME Tamara Karsavina, the original Columbine in the 1910 Diaghilev production of Fokine’s Carnaval, has been producing this ballet in London during the last few days for the Western Theatre Ballet. The company hopes to have the production, complete with a new set and costumes after the original Bakst designs, ready for performance during its provincial tour next month.
Carnaval, set to Schumann’s Piano Suite, is one of thee Fokine classics. It has been performed in this country by the Royal Ballet, by the now defunct International Ballet, and by the Ballet Rambert (with whom Mme Karsavina once danced Columbine), as well as by various visiting companies from abroad, but it has now been out of the repertory of all the British companies for several years.

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Judging from photos, Karsavina was (IMHO) one of the world's most beautiful women as well as being one of the world's most glorious dancers. I seem to remember some criticism a few years ago that the Royal Ballet failed to draw upon her unique experience in coaching or mounting productions, during Karsavina's long retirement in London. Anyone know if that was the case?

Good to hear from you Nino. Hope everything's going well.

I have a memory (but when you get to my age!!!) that Monica Mason describes how the RB dancers had exceptional value from Karsavina in her coaching for "Firebord" and "Les Biches".