Ballets
In 1992, Jazz at Lincoln Center and New York City Ballet commissioned the famous jazz musician Wynton Marsalis to compose music for a new ballet by choreographer Peter Martins, Ballet Master in Chief of the NYCB. The film shows the preparation and the perfomance of the ballet.
Giselle is the quintessential Romantic ballet. Its title role, one of the most technically demanding and emotionally challenging in the classical repertory, is here danced by Alina Cojocaru, partnered by Johan Kobborg as Count Albrecht. This tale of the transcendental power of love over death is evocatively portrayed through Peter Wright's sensitive staging and John Macfarlane's designs, which beautifully contrast the human and supernatural worlds.
Bonus features :
- Illustrated synopsis
Bonus features :
- Illustrated synopsis
The ICA Classics Legacy series presents a collection of historic performances by some of the world's greatest artists. These performances are released on video for the first time, incorporating rare archive footage that has been expertly and lovingly restored.
These two exceptional studio performances represent some of the earliest filmed dance material from the BBC archives. Les Sylphides , introduced by Tamara Karsavina, one of the founders of modern British ballet, and the 1958 performance of Giselle both feature stellar international casts embodying a bygone era.
These two exceptional studio performances represent some of the earliest filmed dance material from the BBC archives. Les Sylphides , introduced by Tamara Karsavina, one of the founders of modern British ballet, and the 1958 performance of Giselle both feature stellar international casts embodying a bygone era.
For the American dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey (1931–1989) dance is an international art which discloses itself to all people because it doesn't require any spoken language. Everywhere that the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre appeared, the audiences greeted the harmonic beauty, the dynamic movements and the dance-like expression of the soloists with great enthusiasm.
Ailey choreographed 79 ballets and developed his own style using modern dance, jazz and classical ballet. His pieces relate amusing and earnest stories of the black inhabitants of North America. His choreographs are an expression of their deep faith as well as their grace, their sorrow and their joy of living. And of course they have a special energy and sensuality because Ailey mainly choreographed his pieces to "black" music by using elements of blues, spirituals, jazz and soul.
Ailey choreographed 79 ballets and developed his own style using modern dance, jazz and classical ballet. His pieces relate amusing and earnest stories of the black inhabitants of North America. His choreographs are an expression of their deep faith as well as their grace, their sorrow and their joy of living. And of course they have a special energy and sensuality because Ailey mainly choreographed his pieces to "black" music by using elements of blues, spirituals, jazz and soul.
George Balanchine and the Paris Opera always enjoyed a special relationship after Jacques Rouche, the then administrator, offered the young choreographer the post of ballet master in 1929. Balanchine declined the job, but he created several ballets for the company and came to the Palais Garnier regularly to oversee his works. In 2000, seventeen years after his death, a rare and precious ballet arrived at the Paris Opera: Jewels , a work first performed by the New York City Ballet in 1967. This alluring, abstract ballet, a triptych in which each piece sparkles with the brilliance of a precious stone, is a lyric tribute to women and to the capital cities of the great dance schools. Couturier, painter and craftsman Christian Lacroix created the glorious costumes and sets which, together with the outstanding performances of the dancers and the sensitive musical direction of Paul Connelly, results in a celebration of sumptuous splendour.
Bonus features:
- George Balanchine forever - A film by Reiner E. Moritz, including interviews with Barbara Horgan, chairman of the Balanchine Foundation, Brigitte Lefevre, director of Ballet de L'Opera, designer Christian Lacroix and star dancers Laetitia Pujol, Clairemarie Osta, Aurelie Dupont, Agnes Letestu and Marie-Agnes Gillot
Bonus features:
- George Balanchine forever - A film by Reiner E. Moritz, including interviews with Barbara Horgan, chairman of the Balanchine Foundation, Brigitte Lefevre, director of Ballet de L'Opera, designer Christian Lacroix and star dancers Laetitia Pujol, Clairemarie Osta, Aurelie Dupont, Agnes Letestu and Marie-Agnes Gillot
Based on the Alexandre Dumas novel that also inspired the stories of Verdi's La Traviata and Hollywood's Moulin Rouge , John Neumeier creates a riveting dance drama around the famous woman of lore, La Dame aux camelias . The passionate tale of Marguerite Gautier and Armand Duval unfolds ingeniously through a drama-within-a-drama as they meet at the theatre during a performance of Manon Lescaut . So begin their romantic adventures in Paris, brought to life by Neumeier's intense and refined choreographic language. Chopin's ravishing music highlights this exceptional neo-classical ballet, featuring the star dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet. This lavish production, filmed live at the Palais Garnier, is all about love, passion, danger and glorious dancing from one of the best ballet companies in the world.
Bonus features
- Illustrated synopsis
- Flashback on the Lady of the Camellias - a documentary by Reiner E. Moritz and Stephane Loison
Bonus features
- Illustrated synopsis
- Flashback on the Lady of the Camellias - a documentary by Reiner E. Moritz and Stephane Loison
Cursive II is a masterpiece by Lin Hwai-min, choreographer of the highly acclaimed Moon Water and Bamboo Dream . Inspired by the aesthetics of Chinese calligraphy, this work is both commanding and seductive. The superb Cloud Gate dancers, trained in meditation, Chi-Kung and martial arts, touch you with original movements, fierce as striking thunder or soft as flowing ink on rice paper. The complexity of energy is further enhanced by the music of John Cage, while the blown-up images of 'ice crackles' from Sung porcelain shimmer with delicate beauty. This production exquisitely filmed by dance expert Ross MacGibbon captures the meditative aura of the dance. It excites. It mesmerizes. You can never turn away an eye for one second.
Bonus features:
- Dragon Flying and Phoenix Dancing - an introduction to Cursive II with Lin Hwai-min
- Floating on the ground - a documentary by Reiner E. Moritz, portraying Lin Hwai-min, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan and Cursive II in the context of the company’s history, including interviews with the choreographer, dancers and creative crew.
Bonus features:
- Dragon Flying and Phoenix Dancing - an introduction to Cursive II with Lin Hwai-min
- Floating on the ground - a documentary by Reiner E. Moritz, portraying Lin Hwai-min, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan and Cursive II in the context of the company’s history, including interviews with the choreographer, dancers and creative crew.
The Dance Theatre of Harlem's birthplace was in a disused garage in Harlem, a black district of New York. Arthur Mitchell, the founder who still acts as its artistic director, set up the ballet school with the aim of giving black dancers the opportunity of sound training, as their skin color meant that they often encountered difficulties finding employment with existing companies which consisted mainly of white dancers. Since its humble beginnings in 1969 – it was founded shortly after the murder of Martin Luther King – the Dance Theatre of Harlem has attained worldwide status. Today, its repertoire is a representative cross section from the history of artistic dancing. Alongside classics of the Russian school such as Swan Lake and Sheherazade , successful neoclassical ballets from the years following the First World War as well as works by contemporary choreographers are shown.
Léo Delibes was 30 years old when he achieved his critical breakthrough in France's musical metropolis. Having made his debut with the music for the ballet La Source (The Source), he was immediately entrusted with the commission of writing a ballet that would fill an entire evening performance; the result was Coppélia . The scenery for this fairy-tale piece was designed by Charles Nuitter, and the story was taken from E.T.A. Hoffmann's Der Sandmann (The Sandman).
In 1994 the Opéra National de Lyon performed Coppélia under the choreography of Maguy Martin. The set was designed by Renaud Gaulot, costumes by Montserrat Casanova, with lighting by Jørgen S. Johannessen. Kent Nagano conducted the orchestra of the Opéra National.
In 1994 the Opéra National de Lyon performed Coppélia under the choreography of Maguy Martin. The set was designed by Renaud Gaulot, costumes by Montserrat Casanova, with lighting by Jørgen S. Johannessen. Kent Nagano conducted the orchestra of the Opéra National.
Premiered by the Opera De Paris in 1870, and inspired by the fantastical writings of E.T.A. Hoffmann, Coppélia tells the story of a young man who becomes besotted with an exquisite automaton and is finally brought to his senses by his fiancée. In their production from the magnificent Palais Garnier, choreographer Patrice Bart in his final production and designer Ezio Toffolutti explore the story's darker side while doing full justice to the exuberance and elegance of Delibes' glorious score.
Darcey Bussell and Roberto Bolle star in Frederick Ashton's Sylvia , restored to the splendour of its elegant and opulent three-act form for the 75th anniversary celebrations of The Royal Ballet. Taken from Greek mythology, it tells the story of Sylvia, loved by Aminta, abducted by Orion and eventually rescued by Eros.
Ashton was inspired by the music of Leo Delibes to create such great choreographic sequences as the famous Act 3 pas de deux and the mischievous role of Eros, one of the delightful, darkly comic characterisations for which Ashton became known and loved. Sylvia is a wonderful showcase for virtuosity, invention and classical beauty, the epitome of Ashton style in stage settings of great detail and painterly perfection.
Ashton was inspired by the music of Leo Delibes to create such great choreographic sequences as the famous Act 3 pas de deux and the mischievous role of Eros, one of the delightful, darkly comic characterisations for which Ashton became known and loved. Sylvia is a wonderful showcase for virtuosity, invention and classical beauty, the epitome of Ashton style in stage settings of great detail and painterly perfection.
Divine Dancers is an exclusive dance event with some of the leading ballet stars of our time including Charles Jude, Daniil Simkin, Igor Zelensky, Delphine Baey and the exceptional young Russian dancer Polina Semyonova - acclaimed principal soloist of the Berlin State Ballet. Recorded in the sumptuous ambience of the Prague State Opera, the performances combine classical ballet pieces with modern and contemporary choreography. The Dancers present their favourite classical and modern pieces by choreographers like George Balanchine, Marius Petipa, Jose Limon and Kenneth MacMillan, former director of The Royal Ballet London. The stars dance to music by Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, Purcell, Gershwin, Weill and Jacques Brel. One highlight of the gala is The Moor's Pavane (1949) danced to music by Henry Purcell, which lasts a good 20 minutes: This expressive one-act ballet is Jose Limon's most important and most successful ballet and one of the best known works of the American modern dance repertoire.
The 7th Symphony by Beethoven is often referred to as a 'dance symphony' and was described by Wagner as a 'grand apotheosis of the dance', but van Schayk hears in the music the voice of an almost obsessive idealism. Beethoven wrote the his Symphony No. 7 between 1812 and 1813, the last years of the Napoleonic Wars, and the choreographer feels that it expresses the composer's ecstatic longing to reach the sublime future he was convinced lay ahead at the end of the dark period of the war.
A great admirer of George Balanchine, Hans van Manen was once told that Beethoven was one of the few composers whose work was impossible to choreograph. Van Manen rose to the challenge, creating Grosse Fuge to Beethoven's String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 133 (Grosse Fuge) and the Cavatina from String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 130. The resulting work is an abstract ballet on van Manen's favourite theme - the tension and relationships between human beings. He once said, "As soon as I place two people in an empty room I express a mood or a relationship."
With a good deal of ironic and sometimes sarcastic humour, eroticism and aggression between man and women are expressed in the Piano Variations choreographed on Prokofiev's Sarcasms Op. 17, to Satie's Gnossiennes Nos. 1,...
A great admirer of George Balanchine, Hans van Manen was once told that Beethoven was one of the few composers whose work was impossible to choreograph. Van Manen rose to the challenge, creating Grosse Fuge to Beethoven's String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 133 (Grosse Fuge) and the Cavatina from String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 130. The resulting work is an abstract ballet on van Manen's favourite theme - the tension and relationships between human beings. He once said, "As soon as I place two people in an empty room I express a mood or a relationship."
With a good deal of ironic and sometimes sarcastic humour, eroticism and aggression between man and women are expressed in the Piano Variations choreographed on Prokofiev's Sarcasms Op. 17, to Satie's Gnossiennes Nos. 1,...
Miyako Yoshida dances the title role originally created for Margot Fonteyn in the hauntingly beautiful underwater world of Ondine , vividly brought to life by The Royal Ballet. Frederick Ashton's shimmering choreography, Lila de Nobili's impressionistic designs and Hans Werner Henze's specially commissioned, vibrant and inventive score, memorably combine to evoke the many moods and colours of the sea.
Bonus features :
- The making of Ondine - an interview with Hans Werner Henze
Bonus features :
- The making of Ondine - an interview with Hans Werner Henze
Ever since its triumphant premiere in 1960, Frederick Ashton's La Fille mal gardee has been treasured as one of his happiest creations – his artistic tribute to nature, and an expression of his feelings for his beloved Suffolk countryside.
Marianela Nunez and Carlos Acosta perfectly portray the young lovers Lise and Colas, determined to thwart the plans of Widow Simone to marry off her wayward daughter to Alain, the simple son of wealthy Farmer Thomas.
Osbert Lancaster's colourful, picture-book designs, along with Ferdinand Herold's tuneful score, arranged by John Lanchbery, provide the perfect setting for Ashton's blissfully bucolic ballet, complete with haywain, pony, maypole and ribbons, a cockrel and his chickens and, of course, the famous clog dance, here wonderfully led by William Tuckett as the irascible but lovable Widow Simone.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis.
Marianela Nunez and Carlos Acosta perfectly portray the young lovers Lise and Colas, determined to thwart the plans of Widow Simone to marry off her wayward daughter to Alain, the simple son of wealthy Farmer Thomas.
Osbert Lancaster's colourful, picture-book designs, along with Ferdinand Herold's tuneful score, arranged by John Lanchbery, provide the perfect setting for Ashton's blissfully bucolic ballet, complete with haywain, pony, maypole and ribbons, a cockrel and his chickens and, of course, the famous clog dance, here wonderfully led by William Tuckett as the irascible but lovable Widow Simone.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis.
Not just in insider circles, the Russian Kirov Ballet of St. Petersburg is considered one of the world's leading ballet ensembles. On this DVD video the troupe finally presents a representative sampling of their extensive repertoire. Like a string of pearls, one highlight follows another. The music ranges from Frederic Chopin and Igor Stravinsky's "Petruschka" to Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings," famous for its part in the foreboding film "Platoon." For an excellent overview of the work of the famous Kirov Ballet and ballet itself, this DVD is a must-have.
Exactly 20 years separate Jiri Kylian's solo Silent Cries and his black-and-white film, Car Men , made in 2006 in collaboration with the Dutch filmmaker, Boris Paval Cone. What unites the two works is the sheer expressiveness of the dance on the one hand, and the distinctive facial gestures and body language of the dancer Sabine Kupferberg on the other. Kupferberg is the one who pulls the strings in Car Men , victim and plotter in equal measure, prepared at all times to stand up to life's problems – as well as to her three co-actors Escamillo, Don Jose and Micaela – with humour and enigmatic wit. And so at the end of Kylian's unusual, slapstick-like tragicomedy, she simply abandons her three colleagues, self-assured and incorrigible – just like her role model Carmen.
These two ballets by John Cranko are early examples of the choreographer's theatrical ingenuity. Created for the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, which later became the Royal Ballet, Pineapple Poll is a light hearted frolic. Lady and the Fool is a bittersweet satire on the plight of society's outcasts with La Capricciosa danced by Svetlana Beriosova in the year she became Prima Ballerina at Sadler's Wells. Both ballets are rare studio performances from the BBC's earliest television archives and are released here for the first time on video.
The ICA Classics Legacy series presents a collection of historic performances by some of the world's greatest artists. These performances are released on video for the first time, incorporating rare archive footage that has been expertly and lovingly restored.
The ICA Classics Legacy series presents a collection of historic performances by some of the world's greatest artists. These performances are released on video for the first time, incorporating rare archive footage that has been expertly and lovingly restored.
MacMillan's vision has been vital in shaping The Royal Ballet's style and repertory, and what better way to appreciate his art than with this rare chance to experience three contrasting works in a single performance. Abstract, dramatic, humorous – this programme gives a wonderfully varied introduction not just to MacMillan's work but to the beauty and dramatic power of ballet itself. Concerto , to Shostakovich's Second Piano Concerto , contrasts moments of exuberance and elegiac reflection. The Judas Tree places a single woman among 13 men to enact a harrowing event that is recognizably contemporary but with biblical overtones. Elite Syncopations completes the programme with a sparkling evocation of a dance hall that brings ragtime rhythms to the dance, and a ragtime band to the stage.
Bonus features :
- Introductions by Deborah Macmillan
Bonus features :
- Introductions by Deborah Macmillan
The Royal Ballet presents a stellar cast in Kenneth MacMillan's ballet, filmed in 1994 for the BBC, with John Lanchbery's sumptuous scoring of music by Franz Liszt. The dramatic soundscape is matched by MacMillan's penetrating interpretation of the events.
Edward Watson dances the role of Crown Prince Rudolf in Kenneth MacMillan's compelling ballet, depicting the final years of Rudolf's life. A relentless downward spiral of political intrigue, drugs and murder culminates in a suicide pact between Rudolf and his 17-year-old mistress. Mary Vetsera (Mara Galeazzi), at the royal hunting lodge known as Mayerling .
Bonus features:
- Costumes
- Principals in rehearsal
Bonus features:
- Costumes
- Principals in rehearsal
The diversity of Wayne McGregor's astonishing talent is demonstrated through Chroma , Infra and Limen , each created for The Royal Ballet, for whom he is resident choreographer. Intimate yet universal, light yet dark, frenetic yet lyrical, McGregor pursues his passion for exploring the inner workings of the human body and mind, his many-layered and beautiful dances providing visual, sensual and kinaesthetic stimulus for the viewer.
Natalia Makarova's version of La Bayadére , based on the original 1877 creation by the great master of Russian classical ballet, Marius Petipa has become the standard since the famous Kirov Company made it popular worldwide.
The plot around the dancing shades or “bayaderès“ has aroused erotic fantasies ever since Goethe paid tribute to what he imagined were Indian temple dancers with his ballad, Der Gott und die Bajadere , written in 1797. Ideas of dancing and singing beauties from the Hindu Kush have since overwhelmed European stages and influenced the perspective on Asia.
This was certainly true of Bayaderka , originally a ballet in four acts and seven tableaux with a concluding apotheosis that received its first performance at St Petersburg's Maryinsky Theatre in January 1877. The composer was Ludwig (Léon) Minkus (1826–1917) and the choreographer the then fifty-nine-year-old French ballet master, Marius Petipa, who by the late 1870s was at the very peak of his reputation as Russia's leading choreographer.
La Bayadère tells of a series of typically Romantic conflicts presented in an ancient Indian setting: love and jealousy, intrigue, murder and revenge. In the final climax, the temple dancer Nikiya and Solor, her warrior lover, are...
The plot around the dancing shades or “bayaderès“ has aroused erotic fantasies ever since Goethe paid tribute to what he imagined were Indian temple dancers with his ballad, Der Gott und die Bajadere , written in 1797. Ideas of dancing and singing beauties from the Hindu Kush have since overwhelmed European stages and influenced the perspective on Asia.
This was certainly true of Bayaderka , originally a ballet in four acts and seven tableaux with a concluding apotheosis that received its first performance at St Petersburg's Maryinsky Theatre in January 1877. The composer was Ludwig (Léon) Minkus (1826–1917) and the choreographer the then fifty-nine-year-old French ballet master, Marius Petipa, who by the late 1870s was at the very peak of his reputation as Russia's leading choreographer.
La Bayadère tells of a series of typically Romantic conflicts presented in an ancient Indian setting: love and jealousy, intrigue, murder and revenge. In the final climax, the temple dancer Nikiya and Solor, her warrior lover, are...
Marius Petipa's exotic ballet, set in legendary India, is a story of love, death and vengeful judgement. Natalia Makarova's sumptuous recreation of Petipa's choreography, with atmospheric sets by Pier Luigi Samaritani and beautiful costumes by Yolanda Sonnabend, stars Tamara Rojo as the Bayadère (temple dancer) Nikiya, Carlos Acosta as Solor, and Marianela Nuñez as Gamzatti whose alluring presence challenges Solor's love for Nikiya.
Legendary Canadian artist Joni Mitchell in collaboration with internationally acclaimed choreographer Jean Grand-Mâitre of the Alberta Ballet Company created The Fiddle and The Drum , a special ballet that speaks volumes of Joni Mitchell's life-long concerns about environmental neglect and the warring nature of mankind. It is a celebration of the profoundly humanistic questions and testimonies that are expressed so poetically by Joni Mitchell, a world-renowned poet.
Caravaggio, born Michelangelo Merisi, has entered history due to his paintings of dramatic intensity. Caravaggio used to venture the threshold beyond the pale throughout his life. He was seen for admiration of his work and harsh opposition towards his extraordinary realism in painting human beings. Due to his passionate personality, he encountered more than several conflicts with people around him, sponsors, and the law. One of his foremost artistic twists was the extreme contrast between brightness and darkness, light and shadow.
Mauro Bigonzetti is one of the leading choreographers of the Italian ballet who freed himself from the predominance of mainly classical opera companies in the 80's. He created his choreographies mainly for the Aterballetto in Reggio Emilia that helped him to fame and worldwide attention. "When I think of Caravaggio, I think of the artist and the human being at the same time. These are the two sides of the human existence that interest me in particular. The relations of these two worlds are the inspiration for this work: the inner world on the one hand – and how it evolves artistically on the other."
Mauro Bigonzetti has developed the piece Caravaggio in collaboration with the Staatsballett Berlin.
Mauro Bigonzetti is one of the leading choreographers of the Italian ballet who freed himself from the predominance of mainly classical opera companies in the 80's. He created his choreographies mainly for the Aterballetto in Reggio Emilia that helped him to fame and worldwide attention. "When I think of Caravaggio, I think of the artist and the human being at the same time. These are the two sides of the human existence that interest me in particular. The relations of these two worlds are the inspiration for this work: the inner world on the one hand – and how it evolves artistically on the other."
Mauro Bigonzetti has developed the piece Caravaggio in collaboration with the Staatsballett Berlin.
Uwe Scholz, ballet director in Leipzig, was hailed as one of the most brilliant choreographic minds of his generation when he died in November 2004 at the early age of 45. His ballet The Great Mass is one of the most impressive works of this important neoclassical Choreographer - a requiem, a choreographic revelation and certainly his grand legacy to the Leipzig ballet. The full length Choreography, here recorded at the Leipzig Opera in a performance in June 2005, takes its name from Mozart's famous unfinished Mass in C minor . It absorbs the structure of the liturgy of the mass and adds other works by Mozart as well as passages of Gregorian chant, and sequences from contemporary music by Gyorgy Kurtag, Thomas Jahn and Arvo Part and readings of poems by Paul Celan. Internationally famous soloists from the Leipzig Ballet, among them Kiyoko Kimura, Christoph Bohm and Oksana Kulchytska, take on the leading roles and the staging proves the ensemble to be one of the best ballet companies worldwide.
Sinfonietta
Czech-born Kylián was inspired by the beautiful music of his compatriot, Janáček, to create this fluid, spacious, romantic ballet which has become a milestone in contemporary choreography. The forceful fanfares of Janáček's music are matched by a ceaselessly energetic and exuberant display of movement, creating and image which carries through the composer's intention of evoking the spirit of the "modern, free Czech".
Symphony in D
In Symphony in D Kylián demonstrates his remarkable ability to create a highly inventive and graceful ballet which is, at the same time, extremely funny. Set to Haydn's Symphony No.101, "The Clock" and Symphony No. 73, "The Chase" , it is an affectionate send-up of classical ballet poses and is performed with great wit and style by the Nederlands Dans Theater.
Stamping Ground
Stamping Ground is a unique and original ballet, inspired by Kylián's experience of Aboriginal culture and dance, which led him to seek out the universal qualities that underlie both modern ballet and a style of dancing that has survived in Australia for over 40,000 years. Stamping is the most important element in Aboriginal dance. Each tribe has its own way of dancing and his own Stamping Ground . In his ballet, Kylián...
Czech-born Kylián was inspired by the beautiful music of his compatriot, Janáček, to create this fluid, spacious, romantic ballet which has become a milestone in contemporary choreography. The forceful fanfares of Janáček's music are matched by a ceaselessly energetic and exuberant display of movement, creating and image which carries through the composer's intention of evoking the spirit of the "modern, free Czech".
Symphony in D
In Symphony in D Kylián demonstrates his remarkable ability to create a highly inventive and graceful ballet which is, at the same time, extremely funny. Set to Haydn's Symphony No.101, "The Clock" and Symphony No. 73, "The Chase" , it is an affectionate send-up of classical ballet poses and is performed with great wit and style by the Nederlands Dans Theater.
Stamping Ground
Stamping Ground is a unique and original ballet, inspired by Kylián's experience of Aboriginal culture and dance, which led him to seek out the universal qualities that underlie both modern ballet and a style of dancing that has survived in Australia for over 40,000 years. Stamping is the most important element in Aboriginal dance. Each tribe has its own way of dancing and his own Stamping Ground . In his ballet, Kylián...
This double bill from one of the world's leading choreographers offers two of his major works, danced by the Ballet de l'opera de Paris. The dreamlike Songe de Medee , with music by Mauro Lanza and freely based on the Greek myth of Medea, explores a woman's soul, portraying her, paradoxically, as a tender loving mother and a tormented victim who sacrifices everything, including her children, for love. MC14/22 (Ceci est mon corps) is a meeting of the spiritual and the carnal, drawing on St. Mark's version of The Last Supper in the Bible: 'Take, eat: this is my body'. Created for twelve male dancers, Preljocaj's 'Apostles of Movement', and with soundscapes by Tedd Zahmal, this powerfully sensual and passionate work is a hymn to the male body, stripped down to its deepest reality, juxtaposing the glorification of strength and the condemnation of force.
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Angelin Preljocaj, Mauro Lanza and Brigitte Lefevre, director of Ballet de L'Opera
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Angelin Preljocaj, Mauro Lanza and Brigitte Lefevre, director of Ballet de L'Opera
Rudolf Nureyev's colourful, "movie-star" version of Prokofiev's Cinderella retains the classic Perrault story but sets it in America during the difficult years of the Great Depression in the 1930s and 1940s. Agnes Letestu stars as Cinderella who, living with her alcoholic father, tyrannical stepmother and two spiteful stepsisters, dreams of escape and stardom in Hollywood. After a promising screen-test during which The Film Star, suavely portrayed by Jose Martinez, falls head over heels in love with her, she is fearful that her new-found happiness is too good to be true and will vanish with her youth. Fortunately, her magical protector (in the form of The Producer) and her lover move heaven and earth for a 'happily ever after' ending. This is Paris Opera Ballet at its very best.
Bonus features:
- Documentary: Cinderella goes to Hollywood
- Illustrated Synopsis.
Bonus features:
- Documentary: Cinderella goes to Hollywood
- Illustrated Synopsis.
These two ballet recordings, based on the music of the French composer Maurice Ravel and the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, are recommended to every child, youth and adult whose heart and mind are open for a musical and dancing encounter with the world of fairy tales. Both of them are about a small boy and his dealings with nature. Despite their similarities, the two works are fundamentally different. It is the difference between the two which makes this combination so appealing. They differ in content, the structure of the plot, the type of composition and the treatment of orchestral instruments, on the one hand. On the other, the means used by the Nederlands Dans Theater and the Royal Ballet School to realize the material make L'enfant et les sortilèges and Peter and the Wolf two entirely unique works.
L'enfant et les sortilèges presents a fantastic ballet fairy tale rich in witty inspirations in dance, costume and stage design with the choreography and design of Jiří Kylián's and the pioneering Parisian opera allusion under Lorin Maazel. This production was awarded several prizes. And rightly so, for nary any other ballet has ever been met with such enthusiasm and amusement while deeply touching its audiences.
L'enfant et les sortilèges presents a fantastic ballet fairy tale rich in witty inspirations in dance, costume and stage design with the choreography and design of Jiří Kylián's and the pioneering Parisian opera allusion under Lorin Maazel. This production was awarded several prizes. And rightly so, for nary any other ballet has ever been met with such enthusiasm and amusement while deeply touching its audiences.
Peter and the Wolf , Prokofiev's musical fairy tale, has been delighting children since 1936. Nearly 60 years later, in 1995, the young choreographer Matthew Hart created a witty choreographed version for the Royal Ballet School with designs by Ian Spurling. Described as 'an utterly delightful ballet and a perfect showcase for the younger students,' by the Royal Ballet's Director, Monica Mason, it was staged again in 2010.
Uwe Scholz, former ballet director in Leipzig, was hailed as one of the most brilliant choreographic minds of his generation and he was certainly one of the most important German choreographers when he died in November 2004 at the early age of 45. The fragile-looking man, who had enjoyed a full dance and musical education from childhood, took up his first position as a choreographer with Marcia Haydée in Stuttgart when he was 22. He saw himself as a mixture between his teacher John Cranko and the influential George Balanchine, and the well over one hundred magically beautiful and extraordinarily musical choreographies that he created for houses such as the Opera in Vienna, La Scala, Zurich and Leipzig owe much to neoclassicism. This recording focuses on the two interpretations of Le Sacre du Printemps that he created for "his" Leipzig Ballet, the company that he led to international fame from 1991 to his untimely death. The evening opens with a legendary solo interpretation, danced by Giovanni di Palma to Stravinsky's own adaptation for two pianos of his impressive The Rite of Spring . Often seen as Scholz's autobiographical legacy, this choreography shows a dancer's loneliness and despair in heartbreaking images. An emotive ensemble interpretation to the original...
Lewis Carroll's ever-popular story provides the basis for Christopher Wheeldon's spectacular new work, starring Royal Ballet Principal Lauren Cuthbertson. Captivating designs by Bob Crowley, an engaging and passionate score by Joby Talbot, and Wheeldon's breathtaking choreography combine to produce, in the words of The Times, "spectacular family entertainment brought to life with enormous theatrical verve."
Exceptional studio productions from the late 1950s, all three of the Tchaikovsky ballet performances featured on this video are released for the first time. The perfect partners, Margot Fonteyn and Michael Somes give stunning performances with Fonteyn at her most beguiling as Aurora in Sleeping Beauty – the ballet in which she and the Sadler's Wells ballet made their historic American debut in 1949.
The ICA Classics Legacy series presents a collection of historic performances by some of the world's greatest artists. These performances are released on DVD for the first time, incorporating rare archive footage that has been expertly and lovingly restored.
The ICA Classics Legacy series presents a collection of historic performances by some of the world's greatest artists. These performances are released on DVD for the first time, incorporating rare archive footage that has been expertly and lovingly restored.
This all-time ballet favourite, in which young Clara is swept into a fantasy adventure when one of her Christmas presents comes to life, is at its most enchanting in Peter Wright's glorious production – as fresh as ever in its 25th year. Tchaikovsky's ravishing score, period designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman (including an ingenious magical Christmas tree), an exquisite Sugar Plum Fairy (Miyako Yoshida) and chivalrous Prince (Steven McRae), the mysterious Drosselmeyer (Gary Avis) and vibrant dancing by The Royal Ballet make for a captivating performance.
This visually stunning, all-new production of Nutcracker , choreographed by Helgi Tomasson (artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet) is a graceful and timeless adventure on a grand scale. The scenic design by Michael Yeargan, setting the tale at the time of the 1915 San Francisco World Fair, is sensational. From the lovely Waltz of the Flowers to the crystalline beauty of the stunning Snowflake Waltz, each scene is more breathtaking than the last, bringing to life all the well-known and beloved characters with fresh sparkle and compelling originality. This age-transcending production offers a dazzling magical journey which has received critical acclaim throughout the world.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis.
- Interviews with Helgi Tomasson, Michael Yeargan and Martin Pakledinaz.
- Documentary: 1915 World's Fair .
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis.
- Interviews with Helgi Tomasson, Michael Yeargan and Martin Pakledinaz.
- Documentary: 1915 World's Fair .
A performance of Sleeping Beauty by the Dutch National Ballet, recorded at Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam in 2004 and choreographed by Sir Peter Wright.
Bonus features :
- We All Love Magic - featurette about fairy tales.
- The Story Is In Their Hands - Sir Peter Wright describes the use of mime.
- A Crystal-Cut Diamond - Sir Peter Wright on rehearsing The Sleeping Beauty
- I Got Stuck - A portrait of Sofiane Sylve.
Bonus features :
- We All Love Magic - featurette about fairy tales.
- The Story Is In Their Hands - Sir Peter Wright describes the use of mime.
- A Crystal-Cut Diamond - Sir Peter Wright on rehearsing The Sleeping Beauty
- I Got Stuck - A portrait of Sofiane Sylve.
With its perfect fusion of music and choreographic ideas, The Sleeping Beauty is the quintessential romantic ballet, and it finds its spiritual home preserved in the outstandic classic traditions of the Kirov Ballet.
The stylish grandeur of choreographer and artistic director Oleg Vinogradov's production shows the entire company as its best. The higher traditon in dance continues with Larissa Lezhnina, one of Kirov's brightest new talents, brilliant as Princess Aurora, and Farukh Ruzimatov's performance in the role of Prince Desire demonstrates both power and grace.
It may be a truism to say Russians interpret Russian music best, but based on this stunning Kirov Ballet performance it's excitingly and exhilaratingly accurate. From the principal dancers to the last member of the ensemble, the grace and mastery of this world-class company is clearly in evidence.
The stylish grandeur of choreographer and artistic director Oleg Vinogradov's production shows the entire company as its best. The higher traditon in dance continues with Larissa Lezhnina, one of Kirov's brightest new talents, brilliant as Princess Aurora, and Farukh Ruzimatov's performance in the role of Prince Desire demonstrates both power and grace.
It may be a truism to say Russians interpret Russian music best, but based on this stunning Kirov Ballet performance it's excitingly and exhilaratingly accurate. From the principal dancers to the last member of the ensemble, the grace and mastery of this world-class company is clearly in evidence.
Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty is one of the best loved of classical ballets, combining in a single work all the enchantment and virtuosity that ballet has to offer. The royal court, the panoramic journey of the Prince to the overgrown castle, and the great celebratory dances of the happy ending (in which other famous fairytale figures appear) are all brought to life by the luscious designs of this celebrated production, created in 1946 for the The Royal Ballet. The inspired performances of its revival for the 75th anniversary of the Company in 2006 make this a superb tribute to The Royal Ballet's unique style and visual splendour.
Marius Petipa's demanding but enchanting choreography of Tchaikovsky's romantic fairytale The Sleeping Beauty is one of the best-loved of all classical ballets. This recording of Anthony Dowell's gloriously romantic 1994 production, with charming, dreamlike designs by Maria Bjornson, features an all-star cast led by Viviana Durante as a charismatic Princess Aurora, Zoltan Solymosi as a delightful Prince Florimund and Anthony Dowell as a wonderfully dishevelled Carabosse. The Royal Ballet, in exceptionally fine form, is beautifully accompanied by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, conducted by Barry Wordsworth.
Agnes Letestu, a feminine and warm Odette, and Jose Martinez, a convincing, pale, vulnerable prince Siegfried, are the stars of this deeply passionate, 'dream' version of Swan Lake . Rudolf Nureyev's interpretation of Tchaikovsky's lyrical ballet, far from being a cliched stereotype of this celebrated masterpiece, is an expose of astonishingly powerful and recognisable human emotions. Under the inspired and clear-cut musical direction of Vello Pahn, this production of one of the jewels of the Paris Opera Ballet's repertoire brilliantly displays the meticulous precision, technical prowess and pure, unmannered style of the company's unrivalled female corps de ballet, eliciting an ethereal, intense beauty.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis.
Yolanda Sonnabend's Faberge-inspired designs evoke a world of Imperial Russia in Anthony Dowell's acclaimed production for The Royal Ballet of one of the world's best-loved ballets. Marianela Nuñez as Odette/Odile and Thiago Soares as Prince Siegfried bring new vitality to a compelling story of tragic romance. The Russian conductor Valeriy Ovsyanikov directs the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in Tchaikovsky's lush romantic score.
Natalia Makarova, one of the most important interpreters of the classical ballet repertoire in the twentieth century, has also had great success as a producer. Her staging of Swan Lake is based on the original choreography by Petipa and Ivanov, with additional choreography by the late Sir Frederick Ashton. Evelyn Hart and Peter Schaufuss dance the main roles in this studio recording. Makarova's innovative interpretation presents the work as a story of perfect and eternal love. The main focus is on Siegfried's love for Odette, her love for him, his unfaithfulness, for which she ultimately forgives him, and her self-sacrifice in going to her death with him in order to break the power of an evil curse. The production is succinct and well paced. The stage design by Günther Schneider-Siemssen does not use scenery to communicate changes of place and mood but back projections, which are extremely effective for creating a mysterious, magical atmosphere.
Perhaps the most popular ballet in the world, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake has been given a compelling new interpretation by Rudolf Nureyev. The Russian dancer, a towering figure in 20th-century ballet, placed greater emphasis on the character of Prince Siegfried. First produced in Vienna in 1964, Nureyev's choreography has been hailed as one of the most fascinating ever. Nureyev and his partner Dame Margot Fonteyn perfectly embodied the noble and more volatile style of classical ballet performance featured here.