koskoff

I transcribed this from tape to 3 DVDs (6 hours of video) a few years ago. The quality isn't great but, given its extraordinary historical and informational value, I would be interested in providing copies assuming there is no copyright problems. I have searched for years and can not find that it is commercially available anywhere.

The original question was posted in 2003 and it may be that this reply is much too late.

koskoff, did you miss Post #6, on the previous page?

Oops, sure did! Thanks for the pointer!

Bart, what you say at the end of your first post makes it look like the Kent-Villella discussion was in the Winter 2006 issue of Dance View but it's not in mine, even though the page numbers run consecutively (i.e., nothing appears to have been omitted). This item must be pretty tasty. Would you tell us where you saw it, please?

I hugely enjoyed Pardo's review - or, actually, enjoyed what she brought back of what I saw of Programs I and II, which says a lot about her powers of evocation, which sometimes need very few words: "Seay occupies a phrase fully and musically." She's writing about Seay in Source, but her phrase applies more widely, I think. Yes, yes, she does, she does! And when I read something liike that, I put down the magazine until all the fragmentary flash-backs have subsided, and I can read on without being deprived of them. So, unlike Pardo, I'm never surprised when I see Deay's name on the cast sheet, but I certainly do perk up.

On the other hand, some gremlin saw fit to repeat the caption for the picture on p. 19 under the one on p. 21, which is not of Catoya and Penteado in La Source, obviously, but of Catoya - and who else? - in The Quick-Step. Can we fill in the names of the other four dancers clearly seen here?

Jack, the dancer on the right in the photo on page 21 is Alexander Dufaur and I believe the dancer on the far left is Bruce Thornton. I'm checking on the three in the middle and will post what I find out.

"Marguerite and Armand" was the first ballet I saw and I still love it You're right -- it is part of the Nureyev video-biography "I Am a Dancer." Try a search on Amazon for it -- I don't know whether this has made it to DVD or not. Others may be able to be more helpful.

As nysusan pointed out, "Marguerite and Armand" was also aired on A & E's "Stage" in 1994 as part of "Fonteyn and Nureyev: The Perfect Partnership" Copies can found on the web at www.cduniverse.com and other web sites. Kultur produced the videotape.

I taped the original six hours of Margot Fonteyn's "Magic of Dance" series when it aired on PBS in the early 1980s and am in the process of transferring the six segments to DVD. The result is a little grainy after all these years but is absolutely worth watching. Besides lots of history and background some dances including "Marguerite and Armand" with Nureyev and the Royal Ballet (a very different staging from the above) and "La Spectre de la Rose" with Baryshnikov are shown full length. I've searched at length on the web to see if the original tapes or DVDs are available of this series and suspect that I may be one of the few people to have it. I would be interested to know if anyone else has been able to find this series.

I attended the opening night in Miami (I had volunteered to help with the Opening Night reception hosted by H.I.H. Princess Thi-Nga) and both the Friday and Saturday evening performances in Broward.

All of the performances of the Donizetti Variations delighted me. Mary Carmen Catoya was enchanting. Renato Penteado performed in Miami and on Friday in Broward. His technical skills are superb. At the Saturday evening peformance Katia Carranza and Mikhail Ilyin danced the principal roles. Mikhail was excellent. Katia was very good but I had been spoiled by Mary Camen. Jeanette Delgado (Miami and Friday night in Broward) danced with an enthusiasm and energy which seemed to raise the efforts of the other ladies. (The Saturday evening performance in Broward didn't have quite the same energy or precision without her.) The performances of Marc Spielberger, Didier Bramaz and Jeremy Cox were wonderfully crisp, strong and precise.

I should add that I love the choreography of Bournonville. (The program notes predominantly refer to the Italian influence but I feel they fail to sufficiently acknowedge the strong Bournonville style which permeates the work.) The equality of the male and female roles, the costumes, and the more grounded style of the dancing (Bournonville's influence) were a sheer delight to watch.

Prodigal Son (I only saw the two Broward perfomances) was extremely well done. Sadly I never saw Edward dance this role so cannot make the comparison. I did hear others who had seen him say he was incomparable. However, both Luis Serrano (Friday) and Renato Penteado (Saturday) performed with passion, sincerity, and skill and tears came to my eyes at the end of both performances. Jennifer Kronenberg as the Siren was simply without equal. There simply aren't words to describe her incredible skill and grace. I leave it to you to attempt the description after you've seen her. Andrea Spiridonakos danced the Siren on Saturday evening and was quite up to the role but, like Mary Carmen before Katia, she had a tough act to follow.

Quick Step - Unspeakable Jazz Must Go is simply a romp! Again Mary Carmen (Kiki) steals the show for me. Carlos Guerra (the Poet), Luis Serrano (the Suitor) were excellent. Marc Spielberger and Jeremy Cox (the Two Young Women) were uproariously funny and the audience gave them the acknowledgement they deserved. The entire cast performs this work with such energy and enjoyment that you can't resist smiling, laughing, tapping your feet and thrilling to every moment.

I could easily continue but, by the time I finish, you will have missed next week's shows.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Eric

It may be ridiculous to respond to a post that's over a year old but...

I taped this when it was originally shown (circa 1984) and just finished watching it again. The bad news is that my tape has about had it. The good news is that it is being re-released on DVD by WGBH <shopthirteen.org> on July 26, 2005.

As of April 21 (and I believe finalized)

Program I

Donizetti Variations

Prodigal Son

THE QUICK-STEP: Unspeakable Jazz Must Go

Program II

La Source

Push Comes to Shove

Western Symphony

Program III

Dances at a Gathering

Ballet Imperial

Program IV

Serenade

Funny Papers

Symphony in C

What has most impressed me over the 9 years I have been attending the MCB's performances has been the extraordinary work of the corps. Shortly before I moved to Florida I saw the Kirov, Bolshoi, Royal Danish, and other leading companies in what must have been the single most incredible dance season in Washington, D.C. The first time I saw MCB, the uniformity of the corps impressed me and I have to echo Bart's comment "impeccably in sync." I saw Program IV three times, once in Miami and twice in Fort Lauderdale. Every performance of Ballet Imperial left me (and others with whom I spoke afterward) speechless. There are simply no words in our language to describe the overwhelming impact and joy of these performances.

I've often wondered if Edward's Villella's avoidance of a "star system" doesn't contribute in large measure to this. The dancers in this company are so supportive of each other. They applaud in the wings as those on stage perform and as they exit. There seems to be a closeness that would be difficult to maintain in the more competitive environment of other companies.

Another highlight for me was Trey McIntyre's Reassuring Effects... I found the movements striking and novel and well suited to the Dvorak score. Impressive was the company's ability to master such a different movement vocabulary. Similarly, I am enjoying the added dimension that other choreographies bring to the company's neo-classical background.