Handing on the Torch 1 - Part 1

This is film of Dame Alicia Markova rehearsing 'Les Sylphides' with dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet at the Palais Garnier in Paris. She works with Herve Moreau and Laurence Laffon, assisted by Elizabeth Platel.

Dame Alicia is particularly qualified for this task as she was coached in the role by the ballet's choreographer, Mikhail Fokine.

The Ballets Russes ballerina would be in many people's ideal cast - Madame Tamara Karsavina says in the introduction to the film 'If we had our choice tonight, whom would we invite to dance for us? Alicia Markova, of course, for the prelude and pas de deux.'

Dame Alicia talks about Fokine's conception of this 'Romantic reverie' and even more interestingly she half demonstrates parts of the pas de deux she with Laurence Laffon.

In this demonstration, the ballerina's famed extraordinary musicality is also evident.

What is lovely is the empathetic way she works with the dancers as colleagues, and the genuine hugs and kisses they share at the end.

Sadly I haven't been able to disable the French subtitles - good for improving your simultaneous translating into that language?!

As an aside, Dame Alicia came to Australia in 1976 at the invitation of the Australian Ballet to stage 'Les Sylphides'. Would have loved to watch, if I had had the chance ... but I was overseas travelling at the time.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Ballets Russes
• ballet

[BernardProfitendieu]

this has given me a new perspective on Markova ... I want to kiss her hand!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi BernardProfitendieu - yes, she so genuinely and with such modesty hands on what she received from Fokine and Diaghilev - great to get a sense of this legendary ballerina as well as learn so much about the ballet. cheers

[Pearlaceous]

She shows such a gentle, loving soul in her interaction with these dancers - always with humility and respect - and it's so wonderful too see how she is still transported by the music in her own demonstrations ... Nick - this is so very moving to see. And, yes, the stillness is so important! Love it!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi Pearlaceous - yes and given her huge international fame the humility and respect are all the more wonderful. and i too loved her re-enactments which showed such sensitivity to nuances of movement and expression. and yes again stillness can be so powerful and potent. i must say i keep watching this DVD over and over, there's so much detail i missed first time round.

[sweetaliena]

@nickwallacesmith yes i speak French. It's my first language. Can't wait to see this clip.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi sweetaliena - great - i didn't want to presume ... it's so much better without the subtitles. so i haven't added the English subtitles that were available in the Serge Peretti section of the DVD where he's coaching Emmanuel Thibault. hope you like it!

[nickwallacesmith]

@sweetaliena - i've captured the section of the video but without the English subtitles as i speak French - do you speak the language to be able to understand it? the subtitles get in the way of the visual. cheers

[nickwallacesmith]

hi sweetaliena. the film is very badly annotated but i found, through much googling, that the ballet Serge Peretti coaches Emmanuel Thibault in is 'Le Tambourin' with music by Jean-Philipp Rameau. and i've captured that section of the film and will YT it. do you know who the choreographer is? the ballet originally was situated, i think, in Rameau's five act opera-ballet 'Le temple de la Gloire' (The Temple of Glory) which was in some way re-created in the C20.

[nickwallacesmith]

@sweetaliena - yes, Serge Peretti is on the same DVD - bout to look at it and his coaching Emmanuel Thibault - will upload it if i can.

[sweetaliena]

@nickwallacesmith I've seen other clips like her coaching Emilie Cozette for the Sugar Plum Fairy but I haven't see the whole DVD. Is the Serge Peretti is in the same DVD? I want to see him coach Emmanuel Thibault who's my favorite male dancer.