1913 Video of E. Geltzer and V. Tikhomirov

[carbro]

Fascinating glimpse at what a Bolshoi "chiffon gown" ballet looked like about a hundred years ago. La Geltzer was the first to dance Odette-Odile in the US, if I remember correctly, and also (per Wikipedia) the first ballet dancer to receive the title of "People's Artist of Russia".

[leonid17]

Fascinating glimpse at what a Bolshoi "chiffon gown" ballet looked like about a hundred years ago. La Geltzer was the first to dance Odette-Odile in the US, if I remember correctly, and also (per Wikipedia) the first ballet dancer to receive the title of "People's Artist of Russia".

I do not think it gives a really good impression of either dancers abilities as to be filmed at this time (like early films of Pavlova) the lens were fixed and the performing area was approximatel 12 to 16 feet wide with choreography and technical execution suffering as a result. In this case perhaps, the dancers unused to being filmed and on a stage that cramped their movements, the acting appears too big and therefore looks at times somewhat affected or mannered.

Geltzer and Tikhomirov did dance in London in 1911 after Geltzer had appeared in America (1910-1911) as the youtube poster intimated. Both dancers were born in 1876.

Thank you for posting carbro as I had only seen these dancers on film without music added and I am glad to have watched it.

[carbro]

In this case perhaps, the dancers unused to being filmed and on a stage that cramped their movements, the acting appears too big and therefore looks at times somewhat affected or mannered.

That's one theory, but I actually had the opposite reaction. The dancers were accustomed to acting big in order to communicate to the furthest reaches of the highest balcony in live performance. I suspect that they did not scale down to accommodate the intimacy of the camera, which exaggerated the impact. It was a new medium, so they couldn't predict what it would look like, and retakes probably would have been prohibitively expensive.

[bart]

Carbro, I really appreciate your comment that:

It was a new medium, so they couldn't predict what it would look like ...

This may be a reason for the strange tentativeness of the dancing at the opening of the piece. (Both dancers seem to grow more comfortable as they piece progresses.) In contrast, almost everyone nowadays seems to forget the camera, becoming a professional (or a ham) as soon as they hear the word "Action."

By the way, number of interesting posts about this cllp are included in an earlier thread devoted to the "Glory of the Bolshoi" dvd).

http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.p...mp;#entry189896

[dirac]

In this case perhaps, the dancers unused to being filmed and on a stage that cramped their movements, the acting appears too big and therefore looks at times somewhat affected or mannered.

That's one theory, but I actually had the opposite reaction. The dancers were accustomed to acting big in order to communicate to the furthest reaches of the highest balcony in live performance. I suspect that they did not scale down to accommodate the intimacy of the camera, which exaggerated the impact. It was a new medium, so they couldn't predict what it would look like, and retakes probably would have been prohibitively expensive.

True. Stage performers being filmed around the same time had the same difficulty toning it down for the intimacy of the camera. However, it's not all due to that. Acting and performing conventions change over time and probably this pair would look somewhat affected to modern eyes no matter what. Geltzer doesn't look so bad but Tikhomirov....

[cubanmiamiboy]

Both Geltzer and Tikhomirov were 37 y.o at the time this clip was filmed. From the next link's picture,taken in 1905, one can see that both, but specially Tikhomirov, were heavier here than 8 years before.

Ekaterina Geltzer and Vassily Tikhomirov with corps de ballet in Alexander Gorsky's revival of the Minkus/Saint-Léon Le Poisson doré. Moscow, circa 1905

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...er_Scene_-1.jpg