Where are the DVDs of these fine ballets- Daphnis et Chloe, Gaite Parisienne, La Boutique Fantasque, Etudes, Pineapple Poll, Good humored ladies, Graduation Ball, Rodeo, Billy the Kid, etc. Do we really need another version of Swan Lake? Dont the people at the top of the chain realize that DVDs will introduce people to Ballet and this will result in ticket sales. As a horrible example see the sales of CDs now representing only 4 % of sales! Can you imagine what this does to future sales to live concerts.

I wonder if any one out there has seen a ballet set to Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances? If so, when, where and who did it? The music is so beautiful and danceable I am surprised some noted choreographer has not picked it up.

David Allan used it for his ballet Masada, made for the National Ballet of Canada in 1987. It didn't stick in the repertoire.


Hollywood's modified The Gay Parisian is included among the extras of the 3-disc set of The Maltese Falcon. The BBC filmed Ashton's Daphnis and Chloe, with Alina Cojocaru and Federico Bonelli, as part of the Fred's Steps bill by the Royal Ballet in 2004. Sadly, this program has yet to be made available on DVD, a great pity since it also included Scènes de Ballet and Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan.

and although imperfect, isn't there victor jessen's film of gaite parisienne? or is it out of print?

i believe the DVD of GAITE P is now on the market.

At Dance Horizons

http://www.dancehorizons.com/store/search.....x=0&GO.y=0

What about a full Mamzelle Angot?

Rodeo and Billy the Kid were both filmed for PBS' Dance in America (or was it Live from Lincoln Center?). But again, a rights and/or money issue would explain why so many of those programs haven't been released on dvds yet.

Was there a Mamzelle Angot ballet and who did it?

Sadly a lot of Ballets were not filmed, it was quite a rare occasion for a film crew to do this.
It seems these days that the problem is also the old Ballets are not performed.
which is such a shame. Some of them would appear rather dated, but if they were brought back into production costumes and scenery could be revised, bringing them up to date.

It is very refreshing when you see a new Ballet that is worth going to see,certainly speaking for myself, I get tired of the same old thing. I am going to Paris this month to see Oneguin, which I have never seen before. That was why I went to see Les Dame aux Camelias last year, which has now been released on DVD with Stephane Buillion and Agnes Letestu, this was really wonderful as I saw them dance, and it was being filmed live at the time. One I will purchase I think.

It is a Massine ballet performed by Ballet Theater in 1943 with a cast that included Massine, Nora Kaye, Andre Eglevsky and Rosella Hightower, Sadler's Wells did it in 1947 with Alexander Grant, Fonteyn, Somes and Shearer.

Thank you for starting the topic, smitty1931. I too wish that more imagination was shown in these matters. There seems to be a prejudice in favor of well known evening long ballets (even mediocre ones such as the Lubovitch Othello performed by San Francisco Ballet and broadcast on PBS).