1987: La Esmeralda, Fracci as Kschessinskaya

[cubanmiamiboy]

From the Youtube uploader...

"ESMERALDA, with Carla Fracci as Matilde Kschessinska and Stephen Jeffries as Nicolas Legat.

In 1987 a two-part television programme called The Ballerinas featured Carla Fracci with some of the top male dancers of the period in a series of reconstructions, putting various ballets and their interpretors in an historical context. Fracci was an amazingly youthful 51 when she danced these extracts."

Enjoy!

[Pamela Moberg]

Thanks, Cristian, we did enjoy! Reminds me that I have this in my archives somewhere. Remember also that I first had it as a video, then transferred it to DVD. I think the actual dancing style is correct, not sure, but it could have looked something like this at the old Czarist Maryinski. But the goat, well behaved by the way, it is so cute. Kschessinska actually had a pet goat.

[cubanmiamiboy]

My pleasure, Pamela. Fracci would had been DEFINITELY a favorite of mine would I had had the chance to be around her time. She does have this strong ankle/feet/knee quality I'm obsessed with in ballerinas, which gives them such great center and an unmistakable "a terre" work signature. No fussy, twiggy arms here...no silly Vogue-like posing but instead a facto real Prima who really knows how to nail her pointes. (Those sautes on pointe were TO DIE FOR...if the YT poster is right, and she was 51 at this time, then I can't imagine what the young starlets of today who can't make it thru the similar sequence in Giselle would say about it...)

I always think Mme. K. was one of that kind too...don't you think...?

[Quiggin]

Thanks for posting that, Cristian. The accents – visual as well as musical – are extraordinary. Very direct and seemingly unembellished – and charming.

And it looks as though some of the artifacts of photography and film (varying speed of the camera) have been incorporated into the reconstruction