Margot Fonteyn - Solo from 'Daphnis and Cloe'

[07regia]

Wow. Thank you for posting. So simple, so light, quick, & unstrained. I don't think any ballerina today would ever dance it that way. They'd want to show off their beautiful point and line. Fonteyn once said dancing should look as "easy as getting off a bus." Here she demonstrates it.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi 07regia - yes, nothing is pushed - everything is just her directly expressing her idea of the music - nothing fussy or mannered - quite perfect. great you love it too. cheers

[carles03]

Jane Simpson, in Dance View, writing on a conference on Fonteyn celebrated in 1999, reported how Mark Morris, watching this piece of film, described it as simply the greatest thing he'd ever seen. I agree.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi carles03 - yep i've read in so many contexts about the perfection of fonteyn in this role - which was partly due to ashton creating for his muse. it's a pity i can't find more of her performance in this ballet to upload :<

thanks for sharing, cheers

[Firestarjude]

Gorgeous--thank you!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi Firestarjude - yes, lovely! and so seminal to the works margot danced supremely, cheers!

[drrabner47]

quote from Nadia Nerina. . Ashton found her real personality in that role-the elegance

the correctness-that really was Margot. Her purity, vulnerability,and pathos. As well as the radiant simplicity of her dancing----all in that part!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi drrabner47 - yes, i'd read this assessment - pity i never saw it - a somewhat similar thing was said by marie rambert about margot in 'Ondine' - ' 'Ondine' shows margot as herself: humble loving exquisite enchanting, in short margot fonteyn'. i must upload some of this ballet!

[Qbendanny]

Margot had versatility, and was comfortable in modern dance. I can only dream and imagine how she would have dominated the Tudor repertory. Imagine Margot Fonteyn in "Lilac Garden" and "Pillar of Fire"....

[nickwallacesmith]

hiQbendanny - i would love to have seen her in some tudor rep. - if i recall correctly, not much of his work was done by any company in london when i was a kid - :< - did ballet rambert do anything of his i wonder?



[Qbendanny]

@nickwallacesmith - I think they did but I don't know what.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi Qbendanny - and i think the touring company did some tudor when it wasn't being done by the main company in london

[Qbendanny]

@nickwallacesmith - Do you know which ballets? I know he experimented lab works with Rambert. I have to look at his rep and pick out the ones I think were done in the early 30's. I LOVE Tudor and have seen all his ballets at ABT. I saw Makarova do "Pillar", but,(She was awful...) The greatest female interpreter of Tudor is an American named Sallie Wilson.

[nickwallacesmith]

@Qbendanny - there's a 'the anthony tudor ballet trust' site which says:

"Tudor didn’t return to England for an extended period until 1967 when he accepted an offer to produce a new work for England’s Royal Ballet. The result was Shadowplay, which marked the successful return of the native son. He followed that up 1968 with Knight Errant for the Royal Ballet Touring Company' - there's a pic of anthony dowell in 'shadowplay

[Qbendanny]

@nickwallacesmith -Rambert- Lysistrata 1932

The Planets 1934

Cross Garter' d 1931

These were not done at ABT, because they were probably not good. His Masterpieces came after 1939 when he joined ABT. I spoke to Alonso about Tudor, and told me she worshiped him and taught her about sense of drama in a role. She told me a personal exchange she had with him that I will have to tell you on Personal Message.

[drrabner47]

This is so incredible to finally see film of this. I've been waiting for this for ages. This

looks like a rehearsal. Is it? Thanks for posting.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi drrabner47 - i've been looking for ages for film of this legendary ballet too, legendary in the sense of the reputation of Fonteyn's performance - which I think you get a idea of from this - great!

yes, it does look like a rehearsal - but i'm not sure - it came from a documentary.

at a gala in london as a kid, fonteyn danced the role with grey-haired somes - it brought tears to quite a number of people in the audience - i was really moved too - it was so unexpected - not on the program