garybruce

After reading Villella's and Kirkland's autobiographies consecutively this past month, what struck me was that both agreed on Balanchine's main faults--he used company classes as laboratories for his choreography rather than as warm-up sessions, which caused them physical damage, and he did not provide much in the way of explanation to his principal dancers on how to dance his ballets, which forced them to seek outside counsel.

His evaluation of dancers as non-thinking instruments of his intellect in itself must be demoralizing to work with on a daily basis. So Villella and Kirkland sought out other teachers for class and coaches for artistic development--just to find a way of dancing choreography they were told had no meaning.

As for Kirkland's crack-up with drugs, I found it not untypical of people whose talents aren't supported by a tough enough psyche in dealing with the on-going stress of high profile jobs. I've known brilliant engineers, scientists, marketers and others whose talents could not deal with the daily challenge of performing at their peak without a mistake. They, too, resorted to alcohol and other drugs to get through their career, and many didn't. In short, I didn't find her collapse into anexoria and drug addiction isolated to the ballet world.

It can't be bad quality in all cases, because he went to the Walter Reade and let a more-then-usually select audience see it anyway. It certainly seems if it can be shown in a theater, re-mastered, it could be shown in a DVD, and canbelto has already said how good he looks in MND, so maybe he'll make exception for this one. But even the theater showing goes back to 2004. Someone did mention it might go to DVD, but I don't know if Villella's desire to suppress all of these means this one can't either. I wonder how this Little Drummer Boy one managed to sneak through, though. I can't imagine he wanted that, and with that easily available, the policy is a pretty strange sort of vanity--because even that one is worth looking at, and yet as a number, it couldn't be more corny. I'm sure many of the others are not.

Not just the Little Drummer Boy but the segment from The Odd Couple, which I'll see this week when I receive Year Four of the comedy series (the episode is called Last Tango in Newark). If memory serves, he does a solo lasting 3-5 minutes.

I managed to locate two clips of Villella dancing on TV shows--one is on You Tube dated 1969, when he danced for three minutes on the Perry Como Christmas show (type in Perry Commo and Hollywood Palace). The other is when he danced on The Odd Couple in 1973, fourth season, second episode, entitled, "Last Tango in Newark." The segment is not on You Tube but part of the DVD set of the comedy series.

Otherwise, we must make do with our memories.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM in its only existing version, on video, re-mastered and color-corrected

Now that is tantalizing. The print I've seen is terribly washed out.

From

http://www.filmlinc.com/archive/wrt/progra...midsummer04.htm

it would seem they've done a good job re-saturating the color, although the resolution of course is not great. Still, one could spend quite a while meditating on the frame given at the site....

Which means that one day perhaps we'll all be able to buy it on DVD!

I have DVDs of both of these versions.One by the Australian ballet with Pavane , Heathcote and Horsman, and the other by the Bolshoi with Moukhamedov and Bessmertnova. Whilst there is great dancing in both versions - I really disliked the ballet itself - depressing and brutal. The Bolshoi version gloomy and the Seregi version episodic. Can anyone tell me what i should look for to make me understand both versions better.

You're missing the best version, made in 1977 on film (available on DVD) with Vladimir Valisiev as Spartacus, a younger Bessmertnova, and Maris Liepa as Crassus, the latter giving one of the great ballet performances of the century (I'm not being hyperbolic). I'm surprised no one here recommended it to you.

As for understanding the ballet, realize the Soviets made this as a piece of political propaganda, using the Spartacus led revolt of gladiators and slaves against the Imperial Roman State as an allegory of blah, blah... Everything follows from that concept.

Finally watched the POB production. It's beautiful but cold--perhaps due to camera work that kept cutting in Act II to 45 degree perspective shots, squishing the Willis. On top of which, the director was switching camera angles so often that I never gained an organic perspective of the action. For example, the director kept alternating "you're on-stage" shots with these long and middle distance views. And I found the dancing overall to be unexciting.

I always forget about this book until this thread is revived.

I think all of my anxiety is focused on Robert Caro's progress on the volume about Lyndon Johnson's presidency.

I think you've misplaced your anxiety

Some of the editorial members of BT might want to invest time in discovering what happened to this given the prominence of subject and writer.

I recently tried to learn from the publisher's site whether they'd named a new pub date. Nada. I did not send an inquiry, but anyone so motivated could.

Carbro, I just found "Ballet and Balanchine" by Arlene Croce being offered for sale at $50 on two Australian websites--www.chaos.com and www.holisticpage.com.au. Pub date is listed on both sites as March 15, 2008. But I could find it nowhere else...

This sounds bizarre, especially because no publisher is listed on either site for the book. What are they offering for sale?

And what happened finally with it? I cannot find it...

Some of the editorial members of BT might want to invest time in discovering what happened to this given the prominence of subject and writer.

Speaking of Mr. B, I emailed the Trust to see whether they plan on having the two videos of Balanchine in Celebration turned into DVD's.

I found this film disappointing. I loved the production, but Laeticia Pujol is for me very technically weak in Act 2.

Not entirely off point, does anyone know what happened to the filmed version of Giselle with Fonteyn and Nureyev by the BBC in 1962? Kavanaugh in her book claims that the BBC filmed them in studio, and three Act II excerpts from this taping can be found on You Tube and in the video bio of Fonteyn, totaling 8 minutes+. I found the excerpts to be superb and can imagine what the complete Fonteyn-Nureyev version is probably like--if only it would be released. I cannot understand at this point what legal objections could remain to a commercial release.

So i just finished it, and man...was it great to swallow...i practically devoured it!...

What a great character..

Terrific recommendation. I put in an order and am only sorry to see it's 200 pages long. It sounds like she had a dramatic life--from Russia to Europe to the US.

ABT telecast a Dance in America program, listed below, but as with numerous Dance in America telecasts it has not been released commercially. A Tudor evening with American Ballet Theatre (documentary, Dark Elegies, and Jardin aux Lilas)...

I received the following reply from PBS in response to my email suggesting they turn this into a commercial DVD in time for the Tudor Centennial this autumn.

"Your suggestion to release GREAT PERFORMANCES - DANCE IN AMERICA: A TUDOR EVENING on DVD has been noted in a report to the appropriate staff for their review."

Hopefully, someone in authority will say, "why didn't I think of that!" Given the lack of Tudor work available on any visual medium, I have high hopes this will come to pass.

(1) Is this the 152-minute version filmed in 1974?

(2) Are the sound and picture qualities of this DVD good or just acceptable, please?

To answer your first question, Katalina, my DVD cover states it is the 152 minute version filmed in 1974.

I cannot answer your second as I have not yet viewed it.

ROMEO AND JULIET would be a major undertaking (and expenditure) to get back on stage.

it hasn't been done anywhere, complete, in years.

After reading up on Tudor a bit more, I returned to your comments in regards to his Romeo and Juliet, given that Tudor's version of RJ comes to just one act. What could generate a major investment of resources in a one act ballet?

Another video that would be nice to be released on dvd: the complete Pillar of Fire with Sallie Wilson (from a mid seventies ABT doc - ABT a close up? something like that)

Chris, you might propose that to WNET/PBS as well--it's obviously significantly less costly to covert film or video to digital than to start from scratch if the original film is in good shape. Not to mention showing the documentary and all three ballets again during the October celebration and offering a DVD of all four pieces during a membership drive. Here goes another email...

The Swedish documentary done on Tudor is available on DVD:

http://www.dancehorizons.com/store/product...1127&cID=11

Thanks, Dale--just placed an order for it.

ABT telecast a Dance in America program, listed below, but as with numerous Dance in America telecasts it has not been released commercially.

Bless your memory (or PC database) for that information, RG. I have emailed PBS/WNET and asked them to consider turning that 1990 Evening with ABT (Tudor documentary plus performances of Dark Elegies and Jardin aux Lilas) into a commercial DVD--to tie in with the ABT program at City Center in October.

Can other BT members try and do likewise?

I see that ABT is having a two week tribute to Tudor ballets this October at New York City Center, though not all of them--mostly Lilac Garden, Leaves are Fading, and Pillar of Fire. They're not going to perform Dark Elegies, for reasons unknown. So I looked for it on Google and found nothing--ditto for You Tube.

All I could find of Tudor's entire output was Lilac Garden on an ABT DVD and a pas de deux from Leaves on another ABT DVD.

Perhaps ABT will put the entire Leaves are Fading and Pillar of Fire on DVD from their work at City Center. (Crosses fingers)

But why McKenzie would schedule Tharp and Balanchine to run along the Tudor works at City Center instead of more Tudor is beyond me, especially Dark Elegies and Romeo and Juliet.

Arrived yesterday, not yet opened:

Running time 111 minutes

I'll report back as soon as I get the chance to watch it! ...

Have you had a look at it? Inquiring minds want to know...

Bournonville has proven hard to kill off, although they've tried to through neglect and bad productions over the decades I think he'll make it until his next birthday. He's become an Issue now. If they really kill him, people will be cross. It's like burning the "Mona Lisa."

My disregard for mime as drama is that, from what I've seen of it, it's second rate when compared with the spoken word, and in classical ballets is rarely designed to support dance choreography. In my experience, ballet mime is usually executed poorly and is inadequate to what the story requires for conveying meaning (La Fille would be the exception, but then, it's an early ballet and the mime is thoroughly integrated into the choreography).

So...now you've piqued my curiosity to see Napoli again.

I'm afraid you'll find A Folktale equally lopsided. But if the Bournonville mime is done well and with musicality it can be a very refined thing. Maybe one can compare the mime with the recitatives in the operas (the passages where the singing is closer to speaking and where the story is brought forward more speedily than in the arias): In the first place you find them a bit boring, but after a time you realize how much delicacy can be put into them, it's just more low-key than the real dancing. ... Have you tried "La Sylphide"? It's available on dvd in a RDB production from the late eighties, and it's a very good one indeed!

I've just ordered the RDB La Sylphide on DVD and look forward to seeing it. It's still interesting that the Danes have Napoli and Sylphide on DVD but not A Folk Tale--even with their Queen's personal involvement in the ballet's production!

Your advise about mime is well taken. I just have to adjust my frame of reference--as I did when first encountering Balanchine's works, which happen to "leave out" story, plot, set design and frequently costumes.

I believe that if you are looking for classical ballet you would be disappointed.

There are not much dancing in "A folk tale", what I recall is some folk dance in act one, solo by Hilda (Silja Schanorff) in act two and a Pas de sept, with Johan Kobborg, in act three.

But it is a very entertaining ballet...

More about A folk tale HERE

A short video HERE

Many thanks for the description and the links. I wasn't aware that the Danes have a different take on what constitutes ballet. It appears they rank mime acting as more valuable than classical dance within a larger theatrical concept, something Diaghilev brought to the West and encompassing in equal measure costumes, set design, music, mime, and dancing.

The old Hans Brenaa version was televised in 1977. The "Queen's version" was televised twice in 1992 and 1993. None of these are available on video/DVD, even in Denmark, as far as I know, and, unfortunately, I doubt that they will be. It is one of the pillars of the repertory. Both Fokine and Balanchine, who worked in Copenhagen, are said to have admired it.

Given all that admiration, Alexandra, why wouldn't the Danes want it on video to promote the ballet, their company and Danish achievement in the arts? I've always been fascinated by the refusal to film the best works out of purist notions (you can't properly put a three-dimensional work in a two-dimensional form), marketing (if the public sees the movie they won't go to the theater) or elitism (only balletomanes should see it and they'll go the theater).

I saw the Danes perform Napoli at Lincoln Center in 1986 and was disappointed--two acts of mime and one act of dance. I thought its dance architecture to be lopsided and non-classical. Is Folk Tale more classical in style?

Has the Royal Danish Ballet ever filmed their version of A Folk Tale? I've heard it to be one of the pillars of their repertoire, but am unable to locate anything on video.

I went to Wikipedia to look up Marius Petipa's bio and found the last sentence of the detailed article to be:

"Currently the scholar and ballet historian Roland John Wiley is working on a full biography of Marius Petipa."

Is this news to anyone here?