Svetlana Beriosova - Under-Rated Ballerina

One of my favourite ballerina's of all time was the I believe under-rated Lithuanian-born Royal Ballet principal, Sveltana Beriosova.

While adopting the Royal style, she managed to keep something of the large expansive Russianness of her early training.

She is infinitely touching in the role of La Capricciosa in John Cranko's 'The Lady and the Fool'. Ronald Hynd was the Moondog and Ray Powell the Bootface.

Happily, I saw her once as a kid in a pas de deux from this ballet in the 13 January 1973 'Fanfare for Europe' Ballet Gala at Covent Garden. She was partnered by Donald MacLeary.

This was a gala where dancers from all over Europe performed, including:

* Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun in a PDD from Act 1 of Cranko's 'The Taming of the Shrew' (Stuttgart Ballet)

* Vivi Flindt, Toni Lander, Henning Kronstam and Bruce Marks in Limon's 'The Moor's Pavane' (Royal Danish Ballet)

* Carla Fracci and Paolo Bortoluzzi in a PDD from Act 3 of 'Coppelia' (Ballet of La Scala)

* Alexandra Radius and Han Ebbelaar in Hans van Manen's 'Twlight' (Dutch National Ballet)

* Angele Albrecht and Daniel Lommel in a PDD from Bejart's 'Bhakti'

* Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev in a PDD from 'Le Corsaire' (Royal Ballet)

* Merle Park, David Wall, Jennifer Penney, Michael Coleman, Laura Connor and Gary Sherwood in Ashton's 'Symphonic Variations' (Royal Ballet)

* Anthony Dowell and Antoinette Sibley in the first performance of MacMillan's 'Pavane' (Royal Ballet)

* Noelle Pontois and Cyril Atanassoff in a PDD from Act 3 of 'Swan Lake' (Ballet of the Paris Opera)

* Lynn Seymour and Rudolph Nureyev in the first performance of MacMillan's 'Sideshow' (Royal Ballet)

Not too a shabby night's entertainment!

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Svetlana Beriosova
• Royal Ballet
• ballet

[SufitMusic]

Such sweetness! Wonderful old footage!

[nickwallacesmith]

@SufitMusic - isn't it - she's one of my favourite ballerinas. cheers

[balletnut]

She really is the most exquisite being and her dancing was so beautiful too.

Who is her partner (the fool) in this and was the ballet 'The Lady and the Fool'?

[nickwallacesmith]

@balletnut - good to hear from you - i had in the notes that the ballet was indeed 'The Lady and the Fool' with Ronald Hynd, Ray Powell and David Shields - with Beriosova as La Capricciosa, Ronald Hynd as Moondog and Ray Powell as Bootface. the reason i've been a bit mysterious in the titling of uploads is to avoid the copyright police - probably ineffectively! cheers

the date was 3 May 1959

[debhig]

Under-rated? No, no, no.....always highly rated in my book!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi debhig - very highly rated in mine too - almost my favourite ballerina - i don't think she got the general recognition she deserved and not the roles created for her, like fonteyn. cheers

[nickwallacesmith]

hi caspa1951 - your coment doesn't seem to have come through ?

[caspa1951]

@nickwallacesmith

[nickwallacesmith]

hi Buondelmonte123 - yes, the book gives the impression (true i suspect) she was the empress wu reincarnate! sometimes i have a bit of trouble sleeping and i've always been a night owl anyway. what time is it in your part of the world now?

[Buondelmonte123]

@nickwallacesmith I remember that book. MD must have been the Mutti from Hell. Why are you up so late?