Balanchine's JEU DE CARTES

[rg]

here are two random photos of balanchine's JEU DE CARTES a.k.a. POKER GAME, when it was performed by the BALLET RUSSE DE MONTE CARLO:

the one shows A. Markova & M. Platt(?) as the King and Queen of Hearts

the other shows the 'heart hand' and shows, i think, Georges Tomin as the Ace of Hearts; Mark Platt as the King of Hearts, Igor Youskevitch as the Jack of Hearts; Lubov Roudenko as the Ten of Hearts and A. Markova as the Queen of Hearts.

(for those who own the book, Markova Remembers there is a witty portrait of A.M. posed as the Queen of Hearts where she seems to have no arms and where her heart-tipped scepter is stuck in to her bodice. markova's comment/caption notes that balanchine himself devised the pose for her photo.

i'll post one foto at a time, the first being the first identified here.

[rg]

another photo of POKER GAME, as noted in my previous post.

[Paul Parish]

Wonderful images, RG, thank you....

And i think that IS Mark Platt -- he lives here, and he still looks pretty much like that in profile

[atm711]

I recall that third photo you mentioned, rg, where Markova seems to have no arms. It is a wonderful photo--is it one of Maurice Seymour's? And I also remember Mark Platt, sometimes known as Marc Platoff, and it is nice to hear that he is doing well.

[Jack Reed]

I enjoyed seeing the images, rg, thanks very much for posting them; but, in light of the remark of Markova's you quote, to the effect that Balanchine posed her armlessly for another photo, do we know what relation the pictures you posted have to the actual stage choreography?

[rg]

i don't have a clue; i added the markova quote about the armless look b/c she thought it needed explaining.

i have no idea whence cometh the poses of the two stills i posted.