This starts this week in LA and NY:

The Museum of Television & Radio Presents

A Celebration of George Balanchine:
Selected Television Work

December 5, 2003, to March 7, 2004

Screening Times in Los Angeles:
Wednesdays to Sundays at 12:30 p.m.

Screening Times in New York:
Tuesdays to Sundays at 12:30 p.m.
Evening Screenings: Thursdays at 6:00 p.m.


December 5 to 28, 2003
Holiday Treat

Let's Take a Trip In this children's show hosted by Sonny Fox, Balanchine gives a tour of the School of American Ballet, choreographs Yankee Doodle for three New York City Ballet dancers, and introduces Tanaquil LeClercq and Jacques d'Amboise, who perform a pas de deux from The Nutcracker. (1956; 30 minutes)

Playhouse 90: The Nutcracker This historic telecast features Diana Adams, Allegra Kent, Arthur Mitchell, Edward Villella, and Balanchine as Herr Drosselmeyer. (1958; 90 minutes)




New York: December 30, 2003, to January 4, 2004
Los Angeles: December 31, 2003, to January 4, 2004

NBC Opera: The Magic Flute Staged by Balanchine, this production (in English) features Leontyne Price, William Lewis, John Reardon, and Laurel Hurley. (1956; 120 minutes)

New York: January 6 to 18, 2004
Los Angeles: January 7 to 18, 2004

From the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Includes an excerpt from Orpheus (Magallanes, Moncion) and the ballets Liebeslieder Walzer, Pt. 1 (Adams, Jillana, McBride, Verdy, Carter, Ludlow, Magallanes, Watts), Concerto Barocco (Farrell, Morris, Ludlow), Divertimento Brillante (McBride, Villella), and Who Cares? (McBride, von Aroldingen, Morris, Bonnefoux). (1960­71; 105 minutes)

New York: January 20 to February 1, 2004
Los Angeles: January 21 to February 1, 2004

The Bell Telephone Hour and More Includes Stars and Stripes (Hayden, d'Amboise), Scotch Symphony (Tallchief, Eglevsky), Square Dance (Wilde, Magallanes), Allegro Brillante (Tallchief, Magallanes), Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (Verdy, Villella), and Harlequinade (McBride, Villella). Also included are the Diana and Actaeon Pas de Deux, from The Ed Sullivan Show (McBride, Villella); and, from a live 1963 telecast from the New York State Theater, Movements for Piano and Orchestra (Farrell, d'Amboise) and excerpts from Symphony in C (Kent, Ludlow). The package ends with the 1966 program U.S.A. Dance—New York City Ballet, with excerpts from Agon (Farrell, Mitchell), Tarantella (McBride, Villella), Meditation (Farrell, d'Amboise), and the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (Hayden, d'Amboise) and a discussion with Balanchine. (1959­68; 120 minutes)

New York: February 3 to 8, 2004
Los Angeles: February 4 to 8, 2004

Live from Lincoln Center: New York City Ballet: Coppйlia This production, choreographed by Balanchine and Alexandra Danilova, stars Patricia McBride, Helgi Tomasson, and Shaun O'Brien. (1978; 150 minutes)

New York: February 10 to 15, 2004
Los Angeles: February 11 to 15, 2004

Great Moments from Great Performances Includes Serenade (Kistler, Nichols, Calegari, et al.), Western Symphony (Roy, Soto, Saland, LaFosse, Alexopoulos, Boal, et al.), and Theme and Variations (Kirkland, Baryshnikov). (1978­90; 85 minutes)

New York: February 17 to 22, 2004
Los Angeles: February 18 to 22, 2004

Dance in America: Choreography by Balanchine,
Pts. 1 & 2 Features Tzigane (Farrell, Martins), The Four Temperaments (Cook, Ashley, Duell, Lüders, Neary, et al.), excerpts from Jewels (Ashley, McBride, Weiss, Farrell, Martins, et al.), and Stravinsky Violin Concerto (Mazzo, von Aroldingen, Cook, Martins). (1977; 130 minutes)

New York: February 24 to 29, 2004
Los Angeles: February 25 to 29, 2004

Dance in America: Choreography by Balanchine,
Pts. 3 & 4 Includes Chaconne (Farrell, Martins), Prodigal Son (Baryshnikov, von Aroldingen), Ballo della Regina (Ashley, Weiss), The Steadfast Tin Soldier (McBride, Baryshnikov), and Tchaikovsky Trio (von Aroldingen, Lavery, McBride, Baryshnikov, Farrell, Martins). (1978­79; 130 minutes)

New York: March 2 to 7, 2004
Los Angeles: March 3 to 7, 2004

Collaborations with Stravinsky From programs telecast in 1982 and 1983, Orpheus (Martins, Lüders, von Aroldingen), Agon (Watts, Tomlinson, et al.), and Variations for Orchestra (Farrell); and a 1969 CBC telecast of Apollo (Martins, Farrell, Morris, von Aroldingen). (1969­83; 120 minutes)

About this Series
George Balanchine, whose neoclassical, technically dazzling ballets transformed the art of dance in the twentieth century, was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on January 22, 1904. Following his studies at the Imperial School of Ballet in St. Petersburg and an early career as a choreographer in Europe, he came to the United States in 1933 at the invitation of Lincoln Kirstein—with whom he founded the School of American Ballet in 1934 and, subsequently, the New York City Ballet in 1948. Balanchine served as the ballet master and principal choreographer of the New York City Ballet for thirty-five years, until his death in 1983.

Balanchine was amazingly prolific and created more than four hundred dance works. Though he was originally skeptical of having his ballets performed on television, excerpts of his signature pieces were popular with television audiences in the late 1950s and 1960s on such cultural variety programs as The Bell Telephone Hour and The Ed Sullivan Show. Balanchine himself was fairly pleased with a select group of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation programs (produced and aired at irregular intervals between 1956 and 1979) that featured the New York City Ballet. In the late 1970s the television director Merrill Brockway helped Balanchine to see that the spirit of dance could, indeed, be luminously captured on the small screen, and the choreographer reconceived some of his greatest works for television's Dance in America series on PBS.

In honor of the centenary of Balanchine's birth, the Museum presents a three-month screening series of his television work.

Admission to A Celebration of George Balanchine: Selected Television Work is included with the Museum’s suggested contribution: Members free; $10.00 for adults; $8.00 for senior citizens and students; and $5.00 for children under fourteen. Admission is free in Los Angeles. Tickets to the January 20 seminar A Conversation about George Balanchine are $15 ($12 for individual Museum Members); $7 for students with valid ID, and can be purchased in the Museum lobby during regular hours, or by calling (212) 621-6600 from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. Mondays to Fridays.

The Museum of Television & Radio in New York, located at 25 West 52 Street in Manhattan, is open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 6:00 p.m. and until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays. The Museum of Television & Radio in California, located at 465 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills is open Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. Both Museums are closed on New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Suggested contribution: Members free; $10.00 for adults; $8.00 for senior citizens and students; and $5.00 for children under fourteen. Admission is free in Los Angeles. The public areas in both Museums are accessible to wheelchairs, and assisted listening devices are available. Programs are subject to change. You may call the Museum in New York at (212) 621-6800, or in Los Angeles at (310) 786-1000. Visit the Museum’s website at www.mtr.org.

Wow! Thanks for all this detailed information, Dale.

:party: :hyper: :party: :hyper:

I don't know if I should post this here or in announcements, but if anyone is interested in going together to the MT&R this Saturday (13th) or the following Sunday (21st) for the 12:30pm screening in NYC, please let me know. It's always more enjoyable to have company.

-amanda

My BD and I made a trip to LA to the Museum of Television and Radio to see the Balnchine Celebration series. It was the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. films including "Concerto Barocco" With Farrell, Morris and Ludlow......wow. We talked for hours about what we had seen versus the state of dancing as we see it now. Although some of the footage is not as clearly visible as you might like, it was still extremely exciting to view. I personally loved viewing "Liebeslieder Waltzer" with Adams, Jillana, McBride and Verdy. There was so much about many of these performances that moved me beyond.......there was also such excitement in all the dancing and a feeling of real abandonment and enjoyment in all these dancers performances throughout the entire showing. I was absolutely On a different note, we noticed how different the 'attack' was in Barocco. It seemed softer than what we have seen in present day performances.

Has anyone else gone to see this???? Maybe those in NYC are more familiar with these particular films. But for me, it was an eye opener...........of a wonderful kind It also spurred great disscussion with my BD about the complex artistry of the dance over and beyond the merely execution of technique. These old films show very thrilling artisitic interpretations of Balanchine. My daughter was enthralled in what she saw and I think it changed her whole perception about the art in dance. It was the essence of the dancing that struck both of us. What a great day

Had the great pleasure of seeing this weeks' program, which included Liebeslieder (pt. 1), Barocco, a previously unknown pdd for McBride & Villella to music adapted from Bellini's La Sonnambula, and Who Cares?

Especially, I loved seeing Violette in Liebeslieder so soon after having seen "Violette et Mr. B," in which she is seen coaching a POB couple in the same ballet. At one point, as she raises an arm, you can almost see her casting a spell (or blessing) over Magallanes. It was certainly not an empty movement, but had a beautiful, mysterious quality that related to her partner.

Regarding Who Cares, to anyone else who has seen/will see/remembers from the time: the fifth ("Lady Be Good") female demi appeared to be Gelsey. Did she dance that role?

The Farrell/Morris/Ludlow Barocco was most interesting to me as an illustration of how far ballet photography has advanced since. It is full of unflattering, obscuring angles. But the performance is still very worth seeing.

Sometimes film can allow us to see things we don't see on stage -- at least from the Fourth Ring, anyway. I was so moved by Patty's "Man I Love" duet (with Bonnefous), how completely she captured the whole emotional gamut of falling in love, from giddiness to profound seriousness. Just gorgeous.

These videos were not intended to be seen on as large a screen as MTR offered, the result being varying degrees of graininess and blur. It did not detract significantly from this very valuable program. I urge those who have access to either the NYC or LA branch to make an effort to see it.

Divertimento Brillante was part of Glinkiana, was made in 1967; In it, Balanchine rechoreograrphed Valse Fantasie for Mimi Paul, which replaced the one he had done in the 50s. DB was the last movement. It's a fun little pas de deux, very tricky. I thought it would be a nice piece of Millepied. I believe it has been revived by Villella and is still listed in Miami City Ballet's repertory, although it hasn't been performed in a while. The CBC recording is quite brilliante (no pun intended) - the things Villella can do without any preparation and McBride was just so lovely. There's another little clip of it in the film "The Man who Dances," which I bought at the NYCB gift shop.

I think that it is Johanna Kirkland in Who Cares? I had remembered Von Arnoldigen as unparalleled in Stairway to Paradise and this video. No one else covered space in this part as she did. And Morris was clearly a great turner - lovely to see her in two roles.

Thank you, liebs. I suspected as much. I thought she looked a bit tall to be Gelsey, but when I asked a buddy with a longer history than mine with NYCB, she thought it was Gelsey.

I remember reading an interview in which von Aroldingen described the Stairway variation as almost a men's variation, with all those big jumps. She said she liked having the opportunity to dance that way.

This weekend's Balanchine centenial screening at the Museum of Television and Radio is probably the most satisfying screening thus far in MTR's Balanchine series. Unfortunately there is only one day left to go and see it at the museum, but I believe the individual programs are available in the museum's archives for individual viewing and in New York at NYPL as well.

This screening was a 1990 Great Performances special featuring "Serenade" and "Western Symphony" on NYCB, paired with the Kirkland/Baryshnikov "Theme and Variations" performance with ABT. It's a very strong program of great works in full with some really great performances on top of that. The clear highlight is Kirkland and Baryshnikov in "Theme and Variations," worth the effort it takes to get to MTR alone (the screenings are free - at least in Los Angeles, but in LA you pay by fighting through traffic to get to the museum). "Serenade" is also a particularly noteworthy performance, this time by the entire ensemble. The taping is led by Darci Kistler and Kyra Nichols, with a strong corps de ballet as well. It was a very precise, very musical, great performance - well filmed, etc.

Try and catch this screening if you can...the other screenings have been excerpts and compilations (some of then overlong and out of context), but this one was great in seeing the full works.