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Aldous/VIllella: Rarity. "Corsaire" 1973 clip.


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There are not many clips of Eddie out there to have an idea-(for those who didn't get to see him live)-of his dancing. I've always been an advocate for the masculine demeanor in ballet men, which seems to be less and less in vogue. Villella seems to be the perfect example of of how a guy should move and look like onstage. Take note, Russians. Here's a very unorthodox version of the PDD.

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Thanks for the link -- I haven't really seen much of Villella outside of the NYCB repertory, and this was a very interesting clip. It made me think of other dancers (like Nureyev) who seemed to attack works like these from their energy level rather than their technical details -- you can find all kinds of places in this that could be described as classically glitchy, but that have a kind of kinetic justification. I know that Villella has said he felt he lost dancing time to his stint in the merchant marine, and although I've seen examples of his work that have been much more technically refined, he had this in him as well.

Tangentially, do you know what venue this is? Are those people sitting upstage in a kind of elevated section? I'm wondering if that has anything to do with their sightlines, which seemed on the low side to me (though that could just be the camera angle)

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The venue is identified as the concert hall of the Sydney Opera House, so presumably those people are sitting in the choir loft. Judging by photographs, the hall also has a series of terraces surrounding the stage, though it doesn't have full-blown vineyard-style seating.

(To be honest, if I wanted to see this kind of movement, I would watch an athletics championship instead. I'm sorry Aldous' variation was excluded. I have a feeling I would have enjoyed it much more.)

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Gosh, I was wondering if it were somehow a stadium or rink!

It does seem to be the 2,675-seat Concert Hall - too big for ballet, IMO. The Joan Sutherland Theater seats 1507, which is more like it. Maybe there was a benefit going on, exploiting the dancers' names, and the larger space offered the possibility of more ticket sales.

It doesn't look like Villella's meat, really, and I also would have liked to have seen Aldous's variation, assuming it was given, but Villella's manner is manly enough, if not downright square, and I think I can appreciate cubanmiamiboy 's point.

Cristian, do these other clips illustrate what you mean by the decline in "masculine demeanor in ballet men"?

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I didn't realize that she'd done this kind of work outside the US, but yes, her popularity would have easily filled that large venue.

I was talking with someone in their 20s recently, about the changes in television programming I've noticed over the years, and had trouble explaining to them the idea of a variety show. There really aren't many examples in contemporary programming, unless I'm missing something?

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I didn't realize that she'd done this kind of work outside the US, but yes, her popularity would have easily filled that large venue.

I was talking with someone in their 20s recently, about the changes in television programming I've noticed over the years, and had trouble explaining to them the idea of a variety show. There really aren't many examples in contemporary programming, unless I'm missing something?

Sábado Gigante ... ? Still going strong after 50+ years ...

It runs the gamut from this guy showing Don Francisco a few new moves to this guy. And of course, a Diva or two. It's admittedly longer on half-clad women than opera stars.

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That is what I would call a rather disappointing performance, nevertheless, Cubanmiamiboy, thank you for enlightening us.

Back in the days. I was in class with Aldous at the Rambert, she was incredibly technical and I was rather envious. I used to console myself with the fact that she was so very thin and very tiny, whereas I (at 5'8'') felt like a giant and had much more to throw around, hence it was much harder for me!blushing.gif

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