Dame Alicia Markova's extra footage of Giselle

[cubanmiamiboy]

If you, like me, are fascinated with this dancer, then you will enjoy this tiny fragments too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdXElXFEO0k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ommhBSesnn4

[Bonnette]

Cristian, I share your appreciation of the two Alicias, Ms. Alonso and Ms. Markova. They were among the brightest artistic lights of my youth and it is always a thrill for me to see them, so thank you for these two clips of the sublime Dame Alicia Markova!

[cubanmiamiboy]

Cristian, I share your appreciation of the two Alicias, Ms. Alonso and Ms. Markova. They were among the brightest artistic lights of my youth and it is always a thrill for me to see them, so thank you for these two clips of the sublime Dame Alicia Markova!

My pleasure, Bonnette. Dame Markova, Sir Dolin and Youskevitch are three of the most revered names Mme Alonso always speaks about when reminiscing about her career at BT. They are a substantial part of the history and formation of Cuban ballet , for which she always insists that her Giselle was in the beginning as close as possible as Markova, which she idealizes as the paradigm of the romantic projection in dancing. Dolin was always called to refresh the Cuban version whenever she felt necessary to refresh it and go back to how it was danced back in the days-(and thanks to this collaboration, many wonderful scenes were always preserved, like the extensive encounter of the huntsmen with the Willis while throwing dice before Myrtha's appearance).

I always think Dame Markova's name hasn't been put where it really belongs in terms of importance within British-(and world)-ballet history. Perhaps the reason is that she really made the most of her career out of England, but only the fact that she was the very first vehicle used for such ballet history making as the three major Sergueev reconstructions for the Vic Wells is enough to place her all the way up.

I own many books on her career and some others written by herself, but one of the most delightful ones is "Giselle and I", a beautiful and concise recollection of anecdotes since she started dancing the role during the 30's.

I will try to hunt more snippets of her dancing...

BTW Bonnette, and a little , can you tell a little more about your recollections on the two Alicias back in the days...? I LOVE reading those stories-(hi atm711 ! )

[Bonnette]

BTW Bonnette, and a little , can you tell a little more about your recollections on the two Alicias back in the days...? I LOVE reading those stories-(hi atm711 ! )

I don't have personal stories about the two Alicias in terms of meeting or studying with them, but as an eight-or-nine-year-old ballet student I was privileged to see them dance as visiting artists with the National Ballet of Canada on tours that brought them to my hometown. Following the company's second tour, I sent a letter to Celia Franca expressing my appreciation - and, to my delight, she forwarded the relevant programmes to Ms. Markova and Ms. Alonso for personal messages and signatures, and then sent them to me; in addition, the programmes had been signed by Ms. Franca and every member of the company. Those programmes burned in a house fire ten years later and I have such sadness about that, to this day. What a gracious thing it was for those wonderful dancers to take the time to encourage a child! Thank you for bringing those memories to the forefront of consciousness today, Cristian.

[cubanmiamiboy]

[bart]

Thanks, Cristian, for another super video from ballet history.

Perhaps the reason is that she really made the most of her career out of England [ ... ]

Markova certainly committed a great deal of time to Ballet Theater, which toured more extensively in the 50s and early 50s, so I think she was well known in ballet circles. Of course, "ballet circles" were relatively small in those days. She certainly features as a great dancer in serious reviews, by David Denby and others.

I don't believe I ever saw Markova dance. However, when I was a child I certainly saw photographs of her, often with Dolin or Youskevitch, in magazines my mother had. Markova looked, in those studio photographs, like a goddess of classical grace and line. Untouchable. An icon.

That is why I love the color video, filmed on stage during performance or rehearsal, when she was 33, a very experienced dancer but far from the end of her career. In this Markova is alive ... vibrant ... human ... an actress as well as a dancer. It strikes me as being closer to what the audiences probably saw and responded to when they came to the theater. (However, the clumsy black wig is unfortunate.)

The second video, 11 years further on, shows a stiffer, more self-involved Markova. In this filming, the goddess has returned -- idealized, and somehow off-putting, to me at least. Was that the dancer? Or the director? Or is it a figment of my imagination?