LONDON (REUTERS)- Russian dance impresario Sergei Diaghilev once sat down to dinner with Pablo Picasso, James Joyce, Marcel Proust and Igor Stravinsky. For many, his name is the least familiar amid the roll-call of early 20th century artistic greats, but a major exhibition at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum seeks to explain why Diaghilev deserved his seat at the table. “It is curious organising an exhibition when you know that your central figure is much less well known than many of the people around him,” said Jane Pritchard, curator of the show which opens on Saturday. “Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes 1909-1929” is made up of three sections which provide the backdrop for the famous dance company to burst on to the European cultural scene, explain how it operated and showcase a wide range of costumes and designs used