Searching for Balanchine's Tarantella

[frill58]

Hi,

I'm new to this site. Hope you forgive any errors.

our 15 yr old granddaughter is a serious ballet student in NY. She was in the summer ballet program run by NYSSA in Saratoga, NY. Many nights each week the students attended the NYC Ballet at SPAC. One of the ballets she thoroughly enjoyed was Tarantella performed by Megan Fairchild & partner.

I am looking to purchase a DVD or any type of copy of the Balanchine Tarantella in any version--either the original in 1964 or a later performance.

Your assistance in locating this for our granddaughter is gratefully acknowledged.

thanks,

Bill

[Phaedra392]

I don't think there's a version available anywhere, at least not commercially. I could be wrong, but I watch very carefully for any new Balanchine tapes, and I don't think this one has ever been released. I'm sorry. Being a Balanchine fan can be frustrating for a collector of taped performances.

Edited to add: Your granddaughter may not be able to own a tape of this piece, but she may be able to view a tape at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts, whose Dance Collection has a huge archive of tapes going back decades that she can view anytime.

[rg]

TARANTELLA was telecast, to the best of my knowledge, in europe in a version filmed in germany for a series of films that balanchine intensely disliked.

baryshnikov danced it on BARYSHNIKOV AT THE WHITE house (opposite patricia mcbride - who first danced the role) but neither this US telecast nor the german film was released commercially.

as noted above there are no doubt several versions available in the NY public library for the performing arts/dance collection.

good luck.

[kfw]

frill58, you can find a substantial excerpt of Tarantella as danced by Villella and McBride on "Man Who Dances," the 1968 TV show about Villella. It's available on VHS, but the last I looked it was a very expensive purchase for individuals as opposed to institutions.