Villella videos?

[silvy]

Are any ballet or ballet excerpts in which Edward Villela is seen dancing? I have just finished reading his autobiography and I am most curious to see him dancing.

Thanks a lot

silvy

[rg]

EDWARD VILLELLA, A MAN WHO DANCES - a television documentary and portrait of villella - was once released but i don't know that it still is.

the film of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM was released on video in the UK but was then withdrawn.

villella appears on a telecast from the CBC of balanchine's DIVERTIMENTO BRILLANTE - from GLINKAIANA - (but i know of no plans to release this).

there was also a program called something like BALLET WITH EDWARD VILLELLA but i don't think it' s been released commercially.

There was a one-hour NUTCRACKER with villella and patricia mcbride and which was shown on tv (harald kreutzberg is the drosselmeyer figure) but this too is not necessarily available commercially - there is a nutcracker pas de deux w/ villella and verdy on a tape once released by kultur/white star, called A TRIP TO CHRISTMAS (the bell telephone hour) but i don't know if it's still available.

villella isn't eager, it would seem, to have films of him in the public domain, there is nothing of him in the PBS 2-part biography of balanchine, by his own choice.

[Marga]

there was also a program called something like BALLET WITH EDWARD VILLELLA but i don't think it' s been released commercially.

I believe that's the 16mm reel that I bought on ebay about 2 years ago. A friend, whose company does such things, transferred it to a VHS tape for me (at a cost of $150), so I do have a viewable version. That doesn't help you, silvy, but others who are interested may come upon such a find on ebay sometime, as I did. I have a second reel of Villella as well (also purchased on ebay, but I don't know what it is, perhaps it's the same one!), but, due to the cost, have not had it put on VHS tape. I guess I'll have to find someone who still owns a working 16mm projector in order to view it.

Fortunately, I saw Villella dance countless times during my balletgoing days in the 60s. He was my favourite danseur.

[rg]

of the films i forgot there is:

PULCINELLA filmed in berlin in '73, shown intitially on european tv but not i don't believe in the states and certainly not commercially released, so far.

ditto, from the same '73 film project: TARANTELLA

he dances 'candycane' in a 90 film of balanchine's NUTCRACKER on a television prog called Playhouse 90 - but again, not released commercially so far.

the NYPL has a number of private and archive films that include vilellella's dancing, some are 'closed' but those that are open, of course need to be viewed on the premises.

[Pamela Moberg]

I possess two DVD's with Villella introducing programs, New York City Ballet and a Balanchine Celebration. But I would really love to have something where he is dancing himself.

[Dale]

I purchased the "A Trip to Christmas" mentioned earlier from Amazon for 12 cents (plus $2 shipping). It's new and I'm always happy to watch the old Bell Telephone Hour broadcasts. The nypl and Museum of Broadcasting list this Nutcracker pas de deux as being choreographed by Balanchine. Frankly, nypl and MBT have been wrong on these things and the choreography not only doesn't resemble what we know as the pas de deux by Balanchine or the clip of that ballet shown in an earlier form in the show "Let's Take a Trip." So, doesn't anybody know who did the honors? If it wasn't something Balanchine was known to whip up for these TV shows, my guess is it's by Villella.

Anyway, for anybody who wants some footage of Villella, it's a very nice watch. Despite the concrete floors and the really horrible costumes, Villella's magic shines through.

[rg]

my sense is that the choreography for the pas de deux around the time that villella and verdy dance on A TRIP TO XMAS is the 'standard' then-current version of ivanov's choreography as it was passed along through the ballet russe rep.

[Marga]

Ebay has another copy up for bids of the 16mm reel that I mentioned in my post above. No one has bid yet and the auction starts at $16. It has just been put up for bids and ends on August 7th.

16mm Ballet with Edward Villella

[printscess]

EDWARD VILLELLA, A MAN WHO DANCES - a television documentary and portrait of villella - was once released but i don't know that it still is.

the film of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM was released on video in the UK but was then withdrawn.

villella appears on a telecast from the CBC of balanchine's DIVERTIMENTO BRILLANTE - from GLINKAIANA - (but i know of no plans to release this).

there was also a program called something like BALLET WITH EDWARD VILLELLA but i don't think it' s been released commercially.

There was a one-hour NUTCRACKER with villella and patricia mcbride and which was shown on tv (harald kreutzberg is the drosselmeyer figure) but this too is not necessarily available commercially - there is a nutcracker pas de deux w/ villella and verdy on a tape once released by kultur/white star, called A TRIP TO CHRISTMAS (the bell telephone hour) but i don't know if it's still available.

villella isn't eager, it would seem, to have films of him in the public domain, there is nothing of him in the PBS 2-part biography of balanchine, by his own choice.

I am not sure that he isn't eager to have films of him in the public domain, but rather that the Balanchine Trust does not usually make recordings available. They really don't allow the taping of the ballets for anything but properity and teaching the next generation of dancers. If I am wrong about this let me know but I think that is the case.

[carbro]

At a 1994 event featuring Barbara Horgan, administrator of the Balanchine Trust, when an audience member asked about the dearth of Villella's dancing in the Balanchine biography, and she said it was at his own request. Sad.

[Dale]

At a Museum of Television and Radio, Villella, who used to do a lot of dancing on TV via the Ed Sullivan Show, Bell Telephone Hour etc... (available to watch at NYPL), said much of that dancing took place on concrete floors in cramped studios with ungodly hot lights. Those conditions might be the reason why he declined. However, VAI owns the DVD rights to the Bell Telephone Hour and some arts shows on CBC and they got Tallchief and D'Amboise to agree to releases, maybe they'll get Villella to change his mind.

In that same panel, Villella said he would love if MCB could be on PBS. He saw it as a great showcase for the company he is so proud of AND a great marketing tool. Suzanne Farrell, also on the panel, agreed.

[Jack Reed]

Dale, I'm not clear on what Farrell agreed with. That television is a great marketing tool, or that she would love it if MCB went on television?

(Personally, I'd love to see either or both their companies on TV, if it were done well, of course.)

[Dale]

Dale, I'm not clear on what Farrell agreed with. That television is a great marketing tool, or that she would love it if MCB went on television?

(Personally, I'd love to see either or both their companies on TV, if it were done well, of course.)

I'm sorry I wasn't clear. Farrell thought TV, specifically the idea of having the company one is AD of on TV, was a great marketing tool. Although, she had complimentary things to say about MCB as well.

[garybruce]

Dale, I'm not clear on what Farrell agreed with. That television is a great marketing tool, or that she would love it if MCB went on television?

(Personally, I'd love to see either or both their companies on TV, if it were done well, of course.)

I'm sorry I wasn't clear. Farrell thought TV, specifically the idea of having the company one is AD of on TV, was a great marketing tool. Although, she had complimentary things to say about MCB as well.

I just found Villella in Nutcracker from 1965 in a DVD, on Amazon.com. It says the release date was 2008.

[papeetepatrick]

I just found Villella in Nutcracker from 1965 in a DVD, on Amazon.com. It says the release date was 2008.

Wow, I thought that one was unavailable. Can't believe it, that's got to be the old one with McBride that was the intro to ballet for some of us. I've been wanting to see it again for years. Very good news there, thanks, I am going to try to get one.

[Jack Reed]

Some further details, not only of casting, but also of music (some from "The Sleeping Beauty") and choreography (Petipa, Ivanov, and Kurt Jacob are credited) and even a few "user reviews" from 2002 and 2003 from IMDB:

http://amazon.imdb.com/title/tt0221445/

http://amazon.imdb.com/title/tt0221445/usercomments

That Eddie Albert's narration runs throughout makes me hesitate, as it's the other Eddie in the cast I'm interested in. Nevertheless...