Vakhtang Chabukiani, Natalia Dudinskaya- 'The Kingdom of the Shades' ('La Bayadere' 1940)

I wanted to upload this 1940 film of great Georgian dancer Vakhtang Chabukiani and Natalia Dudinskaya in 'The Kingdom of the Shades' from 'La Bayadere' ... simply because it's the clearest footage I've ever seen of it!

Choreography: Marius Petipa

Music: Ludwig Minkus

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Vakhtang Chabukiani
• Natalia Dudinskaya
• The Kingdom of the Shades
• La Bayadere
• Minkus
• Petipa
• ballet
• Mariinsky Theatre
• Kirov Theatre

[balletnut]

Hi Nick,

Lucky you seeing F/N doing this.

I've got the DVD of this and it's lovely - although not one of my favourites. I've only seen this live twice - but NOT with F/N, like you. The ribbon pas de deux is gorgeous as long as the dancers are not perplexed!!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi balletnut - i was lucky, though not seeing fonteyn 'mummified' with the ribbon! the DD you mentioned, is it F and N? there is a lot of stuuf, however, in the ballet that's no 24 carat gold - maybe this is why the royal only mounted Act 3, the kingdom of the shades. cheers

[balletnut]

Hi Nick, Chabukiani's speed is awesome and he's so virile. Doesn't that floor look slippery, but it obviously isn't.

Much as I adore Busby Berkley and Esther Williams, these outdo them a 1000 times over.

Superb though the clarity is here - from the ballet point of view, I still prefer 'The Shades' we know. I think they're more dramatic and graceful.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi balletnut - i've only seen the ballet once or perhaps twice as a kid (fonteyn and nureyev at covent garden with the royal ballet) and i can't remember if/how this part of this version of 'the shades' fits in? i recall things going wrong when they were using the ribbon in a PDD and fonteyn getting tied up as she held the ribbon and turned - looking very perplexed!

[Pearlaceous]

Mme Dudinskaya's arabesque and attitude turns :-) so beautiful! As for Chabukiani - awesome virility, athleticism and, above all ... speed! The speed of his pirouettes and chaine turns is to the point of being a blur - just *insane!* (And floor looks so incredibly slippery! LOL!)

[nickwallacesmith]

hi Pearlaceous - yes, Chabukiani's speed and virility are are extraordinary! and yes especially in the turns -almost as though the speed of the film hs been turned up - but it hasn't! cheers

[GariGold]

I so enjoyed this. Thanks. BTW, I have a video reel that includes this as well as many gems. Can you use this? I'd be happy to let you have it for a while. I don't have the ability (time) to share via YouTube or the equiptment needed. So, respond privately if you want, it's hours of clips along with full length Beyedre. Best, GG

[nickwallacesmith]

hi jessDance00 - yep, exactly but if i look back to my childhood then it's not so far back, given a couple of flips back. cheers

[jessDance00]

WOW! this was something like 70 years ago!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi ballet701 - yes, it does - exactly! i think it's the camera shots too.