Dame Alicia Markova - 'The Dying Swan' A Fragment

This is a tiny fragment of Dame Alicia Markova performing 'The Dying Swan' with The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo some time in the mid 1930s.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Dame Alicia Markova
• The Dying Swan
• ballet
• Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo

[CioccolatinoSvizzero]

i prefer anna pavlova performance

[nickwallacesmith]

hi CioccolatinoSvizzero - me too - pavlova isn't scared to break the line for expressive purposes - the performance is very powerful

[Qbendanny]

lol!!!!!JAJAJAJAJAJ!!!!!

[nickwallacesmith]

i am an unreconstructed optimist and suspect the footage will turn up under our powerful investiagtions

btw, was was walking down floral street after a performance at covent garden and was chatting to a friend when she started a second conversation with a woman with a huge bee-hive hairdo. tho i didn't know the woman we chatted about the show - later another friend said in gasping tones 'what was she like?' it had been markova

true story!

be in touch, nick

[Qbendanny]

Hi Nick, BFI had the courtesy to reply and though they know of the performance by Dame Alicia they don't have or own it for sale.Shame on Pillow for not responding.What's the big deal?Who's working there? Idiots? Thanks for your posts they are magnificent.

[nickwallacesmith]

hey Qbendanny

very guarded or you've spoken to someone who's uninformed and does not wish this to be known - but who would know which!

it's a pity we can't get a handle on the footage, such as a title more than 'anna pavlova - the dying swan' or combinations

i'm still hunting

frustratingly and tangentially i heard in a documentary that diaghilev would not give consent for ballets russes works to be filmed - so the paucity

just a few thinsg like the publicity footage of 'carnival' i posted

[Qbendanny]

Hi Nick, I have sent messages to the Jacobs Pillow, Peter Boal, and heard nothing. It seems to be a very guarded secret. I'm going to check BFL (British film library) to see if by chance someone is willing say something!BTW, I saw the clip at one of those Art houses in greenwich village N.Y., not on TV. But, I distinctly recall Jacobs Pillow perf.

[nickwallacesmith]

hey

Qbendanny

been ferreting round the blog-o-sphere but no luck - yet! i have tenacity!

i'm sure it's out there!

[Qbendanny]

Nick, years ago I saw a complete DS from a Jacob's Pillow perf. By Markova. I have tried unsucessfully to get info. from them. It is a masterpiece. See what luck you have with them. It is a miracle perf. taught to her by Fokine who asked her to dance it.

[nickwallacesmith]

for me it's closer still - i like pavlova's emotional expressiveness and not worrying about things like line if it gets in the way

but these two dancers are way out front of the field!

i'll try to find more of markova - such a tiny film makes it hard to judge

best, nick