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Alexandra Danilova's 1955 "Mademoiselle Fifi".


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It basically is an 18 minute film from Canadian TV. Maule and Jasinsky play a father and son vying for the same irresistible Parisian coquette, Mlle. Fifi, played by the 50-something Danilova. The men discover that they both have been partnering Fifi and get into a competition. The men mostly do partnering and steps that could be performed by any ballet student. Danilova is of a certain age but still has charm and shapely legs and her dancing has "perfume". The whole thing seems to be a condensed budget rehash of "Gaité Parisienne" with just three dancers and a basic boudoir set. This was available on a VAI VHS release that is out of print. I found a copy at the New York Public Library.

It is very slight as choreography but gives a nice little snapshot of Danilova at the end of her career.

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NYPL dance coll. cat. credits:

Mademoiselle Fifi [videorecording] / Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ; directed by Pierre Mercure ; choreography by Zachary Solov ; music by Théodore de Lajarte. Fort Lee, N.J. : Video Artists International, 1993, c1955. (18 min.) : sd., b&w

Originally telecast live by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on the program L'heure du concert on January 25, 1955.

Decor, Pierre Delanoe ; lighting, Michel Duhamel.

Alexandra Danilova (Mademoiselle Fifi, the coquette), Roman Jasinsky (the father), Michael Maule (the son).

Guest conductor: Désiré Defauw.

Credits in French; spoken introduction in French and English.

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John Clifford has posted this 13 minute film of Mademoiselle Fifi (Alexandra Danilova) from 1955. Danilova would have been about 52 at the time of the filming. It doesn't look like the male danseur is credited.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgF6OXTSCao

 

"Mlle Fifi is meant to be no more than a vehicle for its star, Alexandra Danilova; its corny but acceptable story shows her as a circus artiste receiving the favours of two suitors—who happen to be father and son. Mme. Danilova twinkled, bounced, ogled and ripped away with the part in a manner to turn any twenty-year-old danseuse green with envy of her precision, timing and subtlety of gesture. Michael Maule and Anton Dolin played the rake and the roué with verve; only Zachary Solov's choreography lacked both precision and decision, so that tree episode turned out to be a novel but tasteless interpretation of the droit de seigneur."
—A.V. Coton from a 1955 review

Edited by pherank
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