The Royal Ballet

[Dale]

Dance New York (on WNYE) is showing on October 2 and 3 "The Royal Ballet," which contains "Clips from various performances by The Royal Ballet in London's Covent Garden, including Tchaikovsky's “Swan Lake” and Stravinsky's “The Firebird.”"

Can this be the old video (no longer on the market) with Fonteyn that had Firebird and Ondine? If so, get your VCRs ready

[rg]

my guess is that this can't likely be any other 'royal ballet' film, here are the credits for the full film:

The Royal Ballet 1960. ca. 135 min. : sd. color

Notes: A J. Arthur Rank presentation. Produced by Paul Czinner Productions for Poetic Films Ltd. in association with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Producer and director: Paul Czinner.

Performed by the Royal Ballet, London, starring Margot Fonteyn and Michael es.

CONTENTS: Swan lake: Act II excerpts (Valse, pas de deux, pas de quatre, rondo, and coda). Choreography: Frederick Ashton and Nikolai Sergeev after Ivanov and Petipa. Sets and costumes: Leslie Hurry. Cast: Margot Fonteyn (Odette), Michael Somes (Prince Siegfried), Bryan Ashbridge (Benno), Leslie Edwards (Von Rothbart); Ann Howard, Mavis Osborn, Clover Roope, and Antoinette Sibley (Cygnets), and corps de ballet. Firebird. Choreography: Serge Grigoriev and Lubov Tchernicheva after Mikhail Fokin. Music: Igor Stravinski. Sets and costumes: Natalia Goncharova. Cast: Margot Fonteyn (Firebird), Michael Somes (Prince Ivan), Rosemary Lindsay (The beautiful Tsarevna), Franklin White (Immortal Kostchei), and corps de Ballet -- Ondine: Acts I and II. Choreography: Frederick Ashton. Music: Hans Werner Henze. Sets and costumes: Lila de Nobili. Cast: Margot Fonteyn (Ondine), Michael Somes (Palemon), Julia Farron (Berta), Alexander Grant (Tirrenio), Leslie Edwards (Hermit), and corps de ballet -- Ondine (continued): Act III.

[Dale]

Thanks RG. I have a feeling NYE isn't going to show the whole thing, which is listed at over two hours. Ondine will probably be cut. Dance New York only goes an hour and a half. Still it's good to have and thankfully Dance New York is showing something other than the 3-5 videos that made up its rotation for the last year.

[Paul Parish]

Anybody who hasn't seen this, prepare yourselves --

it's really old-fashioned, but it's REALLY wonderful. The swans move FAST, and the White Swan is a rather quick andante, and really DANCED -- the violin solo has a beat to it, about heart-beat speed -- the lifts are only shoulder-height, the extensions are not not high, but hte whole thing is a fantastic piece of characterization within the bounds of formal classicism --

Fonteyn plays a woman who does not want to be a swan. Details of her dancing are marvellous -- her head positions, the action in th back of the neck in arabesque -- and the huge back bend in attitude, which is so dramatic in the restrained overall performance that it feels like you see her at that moment deciding to put her fate in his hands.....

Don't miss it....

[nysusan]

Wow, what incredible luck. I'd just been checking the online the video sites trying to buy a copy and it's not available anywhere. I love Fonteyn, she made me fall in love with ballet (and Swan Lake) instantly the first time I saw her Odette back in the mid sixties. Lately I'd been thinking how nice it would be to have a glimse of her Odette again (besides that Nureyev production). It's been so long since I've seen her dance that I really only remember "impressions of her as Odette - her line in arabesque, the curve of her neck and the tilt of her head. Thanks for the heads up, I will definitely set my VCR! :jump: :jump:

[atm711]

I borrowed this video from my library a couple of weeks ago---I hope they show the 'Ondine'--the shadow dance is worth the whole thing.

[Jane Simpson]

One of the things I most like is the way Fonteyn and Somes do supported pirouettes - he puts both hands on her waist to steady her and then takes away his right hand whilst she pirouettes on her own. So much more elegant and effective than the 'human corkscrew' approach!