Fonty Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 Oh I am so glad a separate thread has been started for this. I watched the first episode last night, and thought it came out as fresh as a daisy. Fonteyn was a terrific presenter, allowing sufficient time on each segment without dwelling on the subject for too long or becoming too technical. I'd seen it before, but my partner hadn't and was slightly reluctant. He enjoys ballet, but thought it might be a bit above his head. Not a bit of it, he was as enthralled as I was. I kept fairly quiet because I was interested to hear his reaction to the various pieces. He thought Makarova was a very beautiful dancer, "but why is it so slow? Isn't it normally danced bit faster?" I wasn't actually timing it, but it felt slow to me too. Although I could enjoy her wonderful technique and exquisite arms, and the whole piece was very beautiful, for me it lacked drama. Sacrilege to say so, I suppose! His reaction to the Le Corsaire, which he was seeing for the first time with Fonteyn and Nureyev? "Oh my, now I can appreciate what all the fuss was about at the time." We both thoroughly enjoyed the Fascinating Rhythm piece, and he said it was "much better than almost all that new stuff I have seen at Covent Garden." Can I add that to the Wish List thread please? And finally the Sleeping Beauty pdd. "Wow. She was amazing, really exciting." For me, it was a joy to see Seymour in such a pure classical role. As there are so few clips available of her dancing anything, I could appreciate what a unique talent she was and why MacMillan adored her so much. Observing all the wonderful ballerinas - Fonteyn, Seymour, Makarova - I relished their style. Their arms and hands were glorious, and their feet were lovely, especially in the arabesques. No crooked foot on the end of the leg. Their extensions were beautiful, and there was nothing wrong with the height of their legs. And above all, the speed shown, especially by Seymour. It was so thrilling I could watch it over and over. 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane S Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 4 hours ago, Fonty said: I kept fairly quiet because I was interested to hear his reaction to the various pieces. He thought Makarova was a very beautiful dancer, "but why is it so slow? Isn't it normally danced bit faster?" I wasn't actually timing it, but it felt slow to me too. Although I could enjoy her wonderful technique and exquisite arms, and the whole piece was very beautiful, for me it lacked drama. Sacrilege to say so, I suppose! Not sacrilege at all - I gave up on Makarova's Swan Lake in the end as I got just so impatient with her slow tempi! And too many others copied her. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 3 Author Share Posted January 3 4 hours ago, Jane S said: Not sacrilege at all - I gave up on Makarova's Swan Lake in the end as I got just so impatient with her slow tempi! And too many others copied her. I had a feeling it was her who started the trend, but I wasn't quite sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSR101 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 5 hours ago, Fonty said: I had a feeling it was her who started the trend, but I wasn't quite sure. I personally found Makarova to be utterly captivating in that clip. Similarly Nureyev is better in these clips that I have seen in clips from other performances (perhaps he was just much closer to his prime in some of these). Similarly lovely to see Seymour. For me Fonteyn is showing her age a bit in many of the performances shown. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 9 hours ago, TSR101 said: I personally found Makarova to be utterly captivating in that clip. Similarly Nureyev is better in these clips that I have seen in clips from other performances (perhaps he was just much closer to his prime in some of these). Similarly lovely to see Seymour. For me Fonteyn is showing her age a bit in many of the performances shown. Me too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 Yes I saw Makarova in Swan Lake a few times and she did take some parts excessively slowly but then she was a dancer who always brought out (and moved you) by the sheer beauty of the technique ( almost the exact opposite of Fonteyn) so forgave her for that bit of licence …..which I might not have for a lesser dancer!! Fonty ……your comment “and no crooked foot on end of the leg” made me laugh although it’s not really funny as this “crooked foot syndrome” has become quite commonplace these days and so many dancers do it! It may be only a small thing but for me it does spoil the line of the leg although as it is so fashionable now I guess it must just be a question of taste! When did the crooked foot creep in I wonder 🤔 I’m hoping to catch up with this on IPlayer very soon. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 19 minutes ago, LinMM said: Yes I saw Makarova in Swan Lake a few times and she did take some parts excessively slowly but then she was a dancer who always brought out (and moved you) by the sheer beauty of the technique Agreed. I found her utterly mesmerising and totally unforgettable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 (edited) 1 hour ago, LinMM said: Yes I saw Makarova in Swan Lake a few times and she did take some parts excessively slowly but then she was a dancer who always brought out (and moved you) by the sheer beauty of the technique ( almost the exact opposite of Fonteyn) so forgave her for that bit of licence …..which I might not have for a lesser dancer!! Fonty ……your comment “and no crooked foot on end of the leg” made me laugh although it’s not really funny as this “crooked foot syndrome” has become quite commonplace these days and so many dancers do it! It may be only a small thing but for me it does spoil the line of the leg although as it is so fashionable now I guess it must just be a question of taste! When did the crooked foot creep in I wonder 🤔 I’m hoping to catch up with this on IPlayer very soon. I never had the chance to see Makarova live, and normally I would say that if a composer has created something specifically for a certain ballet, then dancers should dance it at the the composer's pace. However, I agree that her exceptional talent meant she could get away with it and create something very special. However, her influence means that it now appears to be the norm to take things at a funereal pace. Several times I have watched a dancer in Swan Lake struggling with a very slow tempo, making the whole thing not only seem rather laborious and lacking in drama. The "crooked foot" is a particular dislike of mine. My teacher was a stickler for correct placement, and she used to shout at girls who may have done this , saying that the foot should form a perfect and elegant line with the rest of the leg. . It is considered a real fault to tip your foot up in arabesque, or it was in my day. Edited January 4 by Fonty 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcse8 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 Yes, it was lovely to see this again. The clips of Nureyev reminded me of going to see the enthralling programmes he did with London Festival Ballet (as was) at the Coliseum with my mother in the late 1970s-early 1980s - especially the tributes to the Ballets Russes. As others have said, he was already getting near to past his prime but the thing with Nureyev was that his animal magnetism, charisma and sheer stage craft took you over and often made you think his technique was better than perhaps it was. Seeing him leap onto the stage as the Golden Slave in Scheherazade or twining sensually a la Nijinsky as the Faune was unforgettable. Nobody ever twirled a cloak like him either. And when he did Spectre de la Rose he brought on Fonteyn as the special guest artist - although approaching 60 she was the epitome of grace and elegance. Happy days ! 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 So lovely seeing this series repeated and available on iPlayer to dip in and out of, to binge watch, or to watch one a week. Quite fun and nostalgic to see Sadler's Wells and ROH in their pre-rebuilding days too! Fonteyn is a delightful host and presenter. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 1 hour ago, Emeralds said: Fonteyn is a delightful host and presenter. She’s an absolute joy & so natural! Did she get to do more TV work? It’s also so well researched & written with perfect blend of information & entertainment! Reminding me why I fell in love with ballet as sadly there’s too much about the who’d ballet world now making me lose some of the joy…not all though 🙂 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 According to Wikipedia "The series caused a stir because up to that time she had not been known for speaking on camera, and after rehearsing what she would say on each segment, she ad libbed the lines without cue cards. " She looks so gorgeous as well. I found myself gawping at her teeny, tiny waist. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I was impressed: I thought "She can't be using a teleprompter on that one"! She was very good. And all those marvellous, full-length dance extracts: Dance Theater of Harlem in Troy Game, and Baryshnikov in Le Spectre de la Rose, for a start ... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaC Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I thought that she learned the script by heart, that's what was claimed. It's great to see performances by some wonderful male dancers- not just Misha, but a young David Wall ( the main partner in the Rose Adagio), Desmond Kelly in one of his greatest roles, Apollo, and that remarkable contemporary dancer, Patrick Harding Irmer 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Ooh, lovely. I had to miss the whole of part 2, but it's good to know I've got that to look forward to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 1 hour ago, SheilaC said: It's great to see performances by some wonderful male dancers- not just Misha, but a young David Wall ( the main partner in the Rose Adagio), Desmond Kelly in one of his greatest roles, Apollo, and that remarkable contemporary dancer, Patrick Harding Irmer In the second episode, the excerpt from Apollo was wonderful. I love the way Fonteyn described Balanchine's choreography as "unemotional". A lovely pdd from Don Quixote as well. It was also fascinating to see Tchaikovsky's house, in very picturesque snow, and the interior of Pavlova's home, Ivy House. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 3 hours ago, Fonty said: In the second episode, the excerpt from Apollo was wonderful. I love the way Fonteyn described Balanchine's choreography as "unemotional". A lovely pdd from Don Quixote as well. It was also fascinating to see Tchaikovsky's house, in very picturesque snow, and the interior of Pavlova's home, Ivy House. I had the pleasure many years ago of going to an event at Ivy House and walk through the grounds and some of the building. It would have been a fabulous home. The downstairs used to be a dance studio and I think a dance school used the space. Now it’s been turned into a prep school and every time I drive past I wonder whether there is any remnant of Pavlova’s time there. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 10 hours ago, Blossom said: I had the pleasure many years ago of going to an event at Ivy House and walk through the grounds and some of the building. It would have been a fabulous home. The downstairs used to be a dance studio and I think a dance school used the space. Now it’s been turned into a prep school and every time I drive past I wonder whether there is any remnant of Pavlova’s time there. For many years the house was run as the London Jewish Cultural Centre (LJCC), which often mounted dance related events. A few years ago the LJCC - somewhat controversially - moved to a purpose built complex on the Finchley Road, no idea if ballet still features among their events. Since then, as you say, the house and grounds have been in the hands of a company providing private primary education. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 If you mean JW3 in Finchley Road, I have attended a ballet related event there in the past. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 It would seem that the Russian Orthodox Church no longer does a service in remembrance of Pavlova either. At least, a search didn't reveal anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane S Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 (edited) Just watched Part 2 - loved Wayne Sleep but the bit that really got me was Fonteyn's Giselle - so simple and so wonderful. (By the way, Robert Penman's Catalogue of dance in the BBC TV archives says they also have 3 hours of Fonteyn's complete interviews with Marie Rambert, Kyra Nijnsky, Nureyev and Fred Astaire, as well as snippets from some of the rehearsals - nice to know, although not much chance of ever seeing them .) Edited January 9 by Jane S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 4 hours ago, MAB said: If you mean JW3 in Finchley Road, I have attended a ballet related event there in the past. Apparently there was funding for the dance specific events , but this sadly ran out and their programme ceased to exist. It's a shame as it was very affordable and accessible to all. I only heard of it because of the venue change to JW3 which I think did more outreach so only managed to access the last 2 or 3 events they ran. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 57 minutes ago, Jane S said: Just watched Part 2 - loved Wayne Sleep but the bit that really got me was Fonteyn's Giselle - so simple and so wonderful. Ooh, really MUST catch up with Part 2! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 (edited) 5 hours ago, Jane S said: Just watched Part 2 - loved Wayne Sleep but the bit that really got me was Fonteyn's Giselle - so simple and so wonderful. Yes, the Wayne Sleep clip was great, wasn't it? So much fun stuff being shown. I've seen the clip of Fonteyn in Giselle many times on Youtube, and it is gorgeous. I always find it interesting that the cross on Giselle's grave is a huge one with the appearance of being carefully prepared. Clearly this Giselle was not buried in unconsecrated ground if that is anything to go by. I also love the bit of her dancing the Rose Adagio. Again, I have seen that many times, and in this programme it only shows the final bit. The camera angle is slightly strange, but the one thing that comes across is her radiance in the role. The cavaliers saunter casually up to give her a hand with the balances, as if there is all the time in the world. They are all done without a trace of a wobble, with a beaming smile on her face. She really was a magnificent Aurora. Edited January 9 by Fonty 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Bah! I went to watch this this evening - the first time I'd done so from a recording, rather than "live" - and found that, instead of the original 4:3 aspect ratio, my recorder had converted the programme to 16:9 or whatever it is these days to fill the whole screen, thus making people look unusually broad, and arabesques slightly weird! If anyone knows how to stop it doing this, I'd be glad to know - it's a relatively old Panasonic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 That was the ratio it was broadcast in. It filled the screen whereas the first episode did not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 So, parts 1 and 3 were in 4:3 but part 2 was in 16:9? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northstar Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Thanks ballet forum members for flagging up the superb series broadcast on the BBC again this xmas period. As soon as I started watching it I was captivated by Fonteyn's delivery, the narrative and scripting, and of course the superb dance clips of exceptional legendary dancers, as well as a fascinating variety of examples of dance. And wonderful interviews too. It seems to have some indefinable quality and seriousness that used to be the BBC hallmark, but which sadly I do not find to quite the same level, in modern BBC documentary work. Only seen a couple of episode but I'm already re-watching bits for sheer pleasure/fascination. I was really struck by Makarova's dancing Swan Lake Act II pdd adagio, yes I know it's slow - and to my understanding it set a trend which continues to today, which has probably gone too far. But watching that clip I could really see the vitality of Makarova's interpretation, it looked so new to me. A shame it's only on iplayer for 1 month but I understand you can get quite a bit of the series on YouTube, maybe not to the same video quality. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatC Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 And lovely to see an excerpt of Troy Game. I remember seeing this by the Royal Ballet - looking it up only 4 performances but with a stellar cast - would love to see the current roster do this! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Ah yes, indeed. I think the last time I saw it was Scottish Ballet, probably late last century? In a double bill with La Sylphide? The Sylphide that introduced some lucky people to Johan Kobborg and/or Tamara Rojo? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolkgal Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Just pulling my thoughts about this wonderful series and the discussion elsewhere about tempi together. Watching Nureyev and Seymour doing the Beauty pdd in episode 1 (again). Oh my lord that was speedy! Because of her legacy with Ashton and MacMillan it’s easy for me at least to forget what a lovely classical dancer Seymour was. I’m so delighted to be able to watch this again. It was a highlight of my balletomane youth! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnePigeon Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Despite being very interested in her, I’ve seen very little of Seymour, especially in classical roles - but my goodness, what an incredible performance that was! She breathed something very fresh and special into that performance, really inhabiting the music and dancing with her entire body, not just doing a set of steps. Her arms and hands were so expressive and interpreted the phrasing of the music so beautifully. It was one of the most musical performances I have seen by a ballet dancer and possibly my favourite interpretation the Sleeping Beauty pdd I have seen. She had a real style of her own, I only wish I had been born in time to see her dance. Nureyev wasn’t bad either. 😉😆 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJW Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Just finished watching this fascinating series this afternoon. What an excellent presenter Fonteyn was - her conversational style put me in mind of Clark's Civilisation or Alistair Cooke's America, which I have seen (several times) on DVD as they were all rather before my time. How perfect to see Salut d'amour again - having seen it first at the Fonteyn celebration a few years ago. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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