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Suzanne Farrell


blizzardqueen

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I am not quite sure what you mean.  I have Fonteyn's autobiography, and I felt it was evasive.  (she didn't have too much to say about Lambert or Petit).  Does this mean I thought her dancing was evasive? 

No. While it has been many years since I read it, I was referring to a writing style (not content) that reflected the same warmth, graciousness, modesty and feminine vulnerability of Dame Margot's dancing style. Perhaps discretion is another trait that she possessed.

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Carbro, I agree with you about Fonteyn's autobiography. And in the documentary about her, when she talks about herself, it also seems very much like her dancing to me.

Suzanne Farrell is one of my favorite dancers, even though I didn't see much of her dancing live. But what I saw made a great impression on me. In 1968 I saw her with Arthur Mitchell in Metastaseis and Pithoprakta, and I'm afraid I barely have any recollection of Mitchell because I was so amazed by Farrell. Her follow-through in movement was beautiful. I think she expressed herself through her body, so I didn't find her lacking in expressiveness.

She did one amazing technical feat that I'm sure must have been partially improvised because I can't imagine anyone duplicating it. She did a triple en dehors pique turn (step-up or lame duck turn) with her working leg behind the knee. Now, picture this: staying up on pointe, she finished the turn with a developpe efface devant with breathtaking suspension (gasp from the audience) and -- still without coming off pointe -- pulled the working leg around to behind her supporing foot for a soutenu turn with two revolutions (bigger gasp from the audience). The last part of it had a sort of wild, unplanned look and was very exciting!

I love the excerpts of her dancing in Elusive Muse and wish they were longer. I think I'll go watch the excerpts from Meditation right now, in fact.

Edited by djb
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Oh, right...the fringed bikini. I saw this performance on a "field trip" when my class spent the weekend in NYC. I remember one of my male friends was very taken with that costume.

I kind of wish she hadn't been so bewitching, because that was the only time I saw Arthur Mitchell live; I thought he looked wonderful in the filmd excerpts I saw of him as Puck.

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Guest TootsiePop

I think I am sort of late for this topic but I just wanted to say that I am another Suzanne Farrell admirer. I just finished reading her autobiography, Holding on to the Air (and I could actually read it for school!) I was very impressed with all the details of her life. I unfortunately never got to see her dance live, but I saw a movie of her dancing "Tzigane" which is sooo amazing :wink::) I am hoping to find more video's of her dancing.

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Alexandra posted a Kennedy Center press release concerning auditions for "Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell," which mentioned an Emmy award Farrell won in 1985. It was for "Eight by Adler," choreographed by Paul Mejia to the songs of Richard Adler from "Pajama Game" and "Damn Yankees." In Holding on to the Air, Suzanne says Paul's choreography was easy on her hip, which was seriously bothering her at the time. I forget what I was doing in 1985, but for some reason I missed this telecast, and have not seen it to this day. Does anyone remember seeing it? Is there a tape out there somewhere? :wink:

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While searching for something else entirely I came across an interview with Suzanne Farrell made in Dec. 1990. It's a blessedly long and insightful interview.

Some of you may have already read it but if you have not:

www.achievement.org.

enter suzanne farrell interview into search

click on faroint-1

It also has some black and white photos that I've never seen before.

What a fearless, wise and wonderful woman Miss Farrell is!

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