Colonel W. de Basil

Colonel W. de Basil (born 1888, Kaunas, Lithuania, Russian Empire—died July 27, 1951, Paris) was a Russian impresario who in 1932 became codirector with René Blum of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. He lost the celebrated premier danseur Léonide Massine and several other dancers to Blum, who, with a U.S. sponsoring agency (World Art), reorganized the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo with Massine as director. De Basil then formed a troupe with dancers who did not go over to Massine and called it the Original Ballet Russe, managing it until it dispersed (1948).