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Keith Money - Christopher Gable: The Dancer from the Dance


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I’ve been having a huge crush on Christopher Gable since I saw pictures of him dancing in Sylvia, 2 Pigeons and Les Sylphides... In Ballet Association’s News on 2011-05-03, I saw this: 

The distinguished ballet, theatre and documentary photographer Keith Money has made his 279 page book available for free download in pdf format.
In the author's words: "The major portion of this volume comprises a photographic essay which focusses on the complex art of balletic partnership, as exemplified by one particular dancer, Christopher Gable, whose brief yet extraordinary dancing career, principally in the early sixties, brought fresh emphasis to the nuances inherent in ballet double work…"

Christopher Gable

Unfortunate the link doesn’t work anymore. I’m wondering if anyone who has downloaded it could kindly share it with me? Much appreciated!

Edited by yvonnep
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This is a query that has been raised previously on several forums. It appears the book was never published other than as an online photo essay available on Keith Money’s website which is sadly no longer available. It would be lovely if someone could host it and make it available again as Money’s four books on Fonteyn and the Royal Ballet are exquisite. It strikes me how little is published in the way of ballet titles these days - other than hugely expensive volumes such as the recent Ed Watson title. 

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Thanks, Odyssey! Yes, I also saw posts requesting for it in other forums like BalletAlert. It seems that some people did manage to download it at the time the book was made available, but most of them have stopped going to the forum, so the request didn't reach them. On finding that there has been no post about it here on this forum, I thought I'd try my luck :)

I wholeheartedly agree that the books on Fonteyn and Royal Ballet from Keith Money are wonderful!

 

I also love the book from Leslie E Spatt on Sibley and Dowell. In the preface of the book the author said that there were over 1000 pictures of them in her collection. I always wondered if there is a chance that she could publish a sequel to that book...However, I also recognise that there might not be sufficient demand for it as illustrated in the case of the Keith Money book on Christopher Gable :(

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11 hours ago, Odyssey said:

This is a query that has been raised previously on several forums. It appears the book was never published other than as an online photo essay available on Keith Money’s website which is sadly no longer available. It would be lovely if someone could host it and make it available again as Money’s four books on Fonteyn and the Royal Ballet are exquisite. It strikes me how little is published in the way of ballet titles these days - other than hugely expensive volumes such as the recent Ed Watson title. 

In case of interest, there is a reference copy of the text only in a biography file on Christopher Gable held at Waltham Forest Local Studies Library. Access is by prior appointment. Email: vhm.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk

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6 hours ago, yvonnep said:

 

I also love the book from Leslie E Spatt on Sibley and Dowell. In the preface of the book the author said that there were over 1000 pictures of them in her collection. I always wondered if there is a chance that she could publish a sequel to that book...However, I also recognise that there might not be sufficient demand for it as illustrated in the case of the Keith Money book on Christopher Gable :(

I have that book , a beautiful record of their partnership. I had never noted that the preface indicates that Leslie drew on a very much larger collection. Every now and again some individual photographs appear on eBay, but it would be wonderful if a new book were published. I imagine many of the photographs from that era which are displayed in the corridors and walls of the studios at the Opera House are also by Leslie E Spatt. 

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You will be delighted to hear I have the complete book which I downloaded at the time.  It is a pdf file.  Can any of the moderators or computer savvy members suggest a way of sharing.  I won't have time to send to individuals.  Does anyone know a host site?

 

I saw Christopher Gable dance when I was a child and followed his career with interest through out his life.  He was magical, it was a great loss to the ballet world the years after he left RB (another own goal there)!

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1 hour ago, Pas de Quatre said:

You will be delighted to hear I have the complete book which I downloaded at the time.  It is a pdf file.  Can any of the moderators or computer savvy members suggest a way of sharing.  I won't have time to send to individuals.  Does anyone know a host site?

 

I saw Christopher Gable dance when I was a child and followed his career with interest through out his life.  He was magical, it was a great loss to the ballet world the years after he left RB (another own goal there)!

 

I don't think sharing of the book through this site would comply with AUP.

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3 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said:

You will be delighted to hear I have the complete book which I downloaded at the time.  It is a pdf file.  Can any of the moderators or computer savvy members suggest a way of sharing.  I won't have time to send to individuals.  Does anyone know a host site?

Wow great news! Sure! You can share it with me through another site, and then I can share it with others. I’ll send you a message. Thank you!

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2 hours ago, bangorballetboy said:

 

I don't think sharing of the book through this site would comply with AUP.

 Thanks for the information. Why I asked for individual sharing in the first place is that I was not sure whether it complies with the policy to ask for a public download. Do you have the text in the policy that mentions this? Thank you.

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For anyone interested in his career after leaving the Royal Ballet look for his marvellous performance as Percy Grainger in Ken  Russell's film about Delius, A Song of Summer.He also played a severely disabled boy in a tv play. it was almost as though he was trying to obliterate all memories of the beautiful dancer he had been by playing such parts.

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24 minutes ago, ninamargaret said:

For anyone interested in his career after leaving the Royal Ballet look for his marvellous performance as Percy Grainger in Ken  Russell's film about Delius, A Song of Summer.He also played a severely disabled boy in a tv play. it was almost as though he was trying to obliterate all memories of the beautiful dancer he had been by playing such parts.

Interesting comment, I was just thinking of his appearance in a Doctor Who story called The Caves of Androzani. Gable played a character called Sharaz Jek, whose severely disfigured face was hidden by a mask. Jek initially appears to be a callous murderer but Gable reveals him to be a pathetic and ultimately tragic individual. Truly an amazing performance in one of the best Doctor Who stories.

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12 hours ago, ninamargaret said:

For anyone interested in his career after leaving the Royal Ballet look for his marvellous performance as Percy Grainger in Ken  Russell's film about Delius, A Song of Summer.He also played a severely disabled boy in a tv play. it was almost as though he was trying to obliterate all memories of the beautiful dancer he had been by playing such parts.

 

He played Eric Fenby in Delius, A Song of Summer not Percy Grainger. Fenby was the amanuensis of Delius in his last years. I can still remember watching this even after so many years. I also saw him as Ferdinand in The Tempest at Stratford. The only time I ever saw him dance was some time after he left the Royal Ballet when he returned to partner Lynn Seymour in the final Pas de deux from The Two Pigeons at a gala. Seeing them together in that is one of those moments I shall never forget.

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10 hours ago, Pulcinella said:

 

He played Eric Fenby in Delius, A Song of Summer not Percy Grainger. Fenby was the amanuensis of Delius in his last years. I can still remember watching this even after so many years. I also saw him as Ferdinand in The Tempest at Stratford. The only time I ever saw him dance was some time after he left the Royal Ballet when he returned to partner Lynn Seymour in the final Pas de deux from The Two Pigeons at a gala. Seeing them together in that is one of those moments I shall never forget.

Thanks for the correction, Pulcinella - you're perfectly correct. Put it down to old age!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi, everyone. Thanks a lot to Pas de Quatre, I just got the book. There are lots of great pictures in it that I have never seen, especially of R&J and Hamlet. I'm so delighted to see him with Fonteyn in D&C as well.

 

PM me your email address if you'd like to download the book. Thanks!

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50 minutes ago, yvonnep said:

Hi, everyone. Thanks a lot to Pas de Quatre, I just got the book. There are lots of great pictures in it that I have never seen, especially of R&J and Hamlet. I'm so delighted to see him with Fonteyn in D&C as well.

 

PM me your email address if you'd like to download the book. Thanks!

 

Sorry, what is D&C (apart from an unpleasant medical procedure)?

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  • 6 months later...

It was wonderful to hear that Pas de Quatre has a copy of the original online release of the book. Was anything resolved, Pas de Quatre, about how to share the pdf file? i then noticed a comment by you requesting anyone liking it to PM their email address - mine is [deleted]. Are there any other developments in relation to this? Thanks very much if you can reply.

Edited by alison
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I remember Christopher Gable in Ken Russell's version of 'The Boyfriend'.  During a Busby Berkeley style fantasy section he dances with Twiggy on a huge 78" (that's an early vinyl record, for all you youngsters.) In another one he carries her in a Voices of Spring lift over a country bridge and they dance around a folly of a Greek Temple.  See the internet movie database for more images: www.imdb.com.

 

Linda

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  • 1 year later...

Dear Pas de Quatre, and Jan, I was so thrilled to hear about this, as Keith Money's poetic photos of Christopher Gable are what made me want to dance from my childhood days in an Australian country town. I got "The Art of the Royal Ballet' out of the library repeatedly. I would dearly love a copy of 'Dancer from The Dance' if it is still possible. Coincidentally, the school which Is part of Christopher's heritage has just moved to the end of my street, though I have not yet visited it.

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