Ballet Performance DVDs

Favorite scenes from many of the world's greatest ballets performed by the stars of the Kirov Ballet, the Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, including The Nutcracker, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty and Baryshnikov in Don Quixote. Baryshnikov, Bussell, Cope, Dowell, Kolpakova, Zaklinsky & More. 90 mins. (2000) DVD-Region 1.

Baryshnikov’s American television debut! This 1976 live performance showcases the incredible Mikhail Baryshnikov, at the peak of his talents, shortly after arriving in the West. The video features Baryshnikov in solos and pas de deux with a variety of ballerinas, including Gelsey Kirkland, his first great U.S. partner. The program also includes Misha’s spectacular leaps and spins in Don Quixote. This is the live event Baryshnikov’s fans have been waiting for! 50 mins. (1976) VHS-NTSC format /DVD-Region 1.

There’s never been a “Carmen” like this one – there’s never been a Don Jose like Baryshnikov! Ballet superstars Mikhail Baryshnikov and Zizi Jeanmaire sizzle in this erotically charged ballet set to the music and story of “Carmen”. The program highlight is a sexy duet between Baryshnikov and Jeanmaire, in which their characters express their fatal attraction to one another. Famed choreographer Roland Petit created this dance spectacular, set to Georges Bizet’s classic music. This remarkable ballet provides Mikhail Baryshnikov with one of his greatest roles, and proves yet again that he is one of the most charismatic and accomplished performers of our time! 44 mins. (1980) DVD-All-Region.

The depth of male dancing at American Ballet Theatre today is unprecedented in the history of American ballet, thanks to the cadre of international talent gathered by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. This performance documentary travels home with Jose Manuel Carreño (Cuba), Angel Corella (Spain), Vladimir Malakhov (Russia), and Ethan Stiefel (USA), exploring the dancers’ personal backgrounds and formal training. The program culminates with a work created especially for the four dancers by acclaimed choreographer Mark Morris, and includes revealing behind-the scenes glimpses of the rehearsal process along the way. 54 mins. (2004) DVD-Region 1.

Regarded as the “Father of American ballet,” and having created 425 works, George Balanchine is, arguably, the foremost choreographer of the 20th century. Originally produced for the PBS series, DANCE IN AMERICA, Balanchine celebrates his artistry and pays tribute to the themes of his ballets. Through rare archival audio and video footage, interviews, film, and photographs, the program traces Balanchine’s life from his youth at the Maryinsky Theater, through his work for Hollywood and Broadway, to his creation of the New York City Ballet. It also examines his thoughts on dancemaking, using interviews with the choreographer himself, and features selections from many of his ballets, including Chaconne, Agon, Symphony in C, Apollo, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Western Symphony, among others. 156 mins. (2004) DVD-Region 1.

This triple bill of ballets, with an additional glittering pas de deux, highlights the range and excitement of ABT’s repertory. Mikhail Baryshnikov and Cynthia Harvey star in Les Sylphide, Patrick Bissell performs in Sylvia, Triad features Amanda McKerrow, and Fernando Bujones dances in Paquita. 100 mins. (2003) DVD-Region 1.

Mixed Bill: Airs, Jardin Aux Lilas, The Black Swan, Romeo and Juliet, Great Galloping Gottschalk. From the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco. 105 mins. (2005) DVD-Region 1.

Starring: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Deidre Carberry, Elaine Kudo. Mikhail Baryshnikov performs in three ballets full of human drama, choreographed by Twyla Tharp. In one sense, they all tell the same story-- the vitality, daring, intelligence, and emotional depth that a great dancer possesses, and a brilliant choreographer’s vision of that dancer and of dance itself. As Mikhail Baryshnikov says in the commentary that links the ballets, Twyla Tharp is "classical but in a new way." She has the classical artist’s regard for form and technique and a musicality that some compare to that of George Balanchine, but her approach is always personal, radical and contemporary. 60 mins. (2005) DVD-All-Region.

Starring: Benazir Hussain and Daryl Brandwood. Conductor: Nicolette Fraillon. Choreographer: Ted Brandsen Composer: Georges Bizet. Carmen is a timeless tragedy, never more relevant than today. It is a tale of desire, seduction, jealousy and betrayal. And in this, Ted Brandsen’s minimalist production, the devastating finale is heightened by the complete lack of artifice. Rodion Shchedrin’s fluid and muscular musical adaptation fits this raw and original performance by the West Australian Ballet like Carmen’s red dress – tight, revealing and, like the production, impossible to ignore. 52 mins. (2006) DVD-Region 1.

Starring: Nathalie Léger, Francesco Nappa. Conductor: David Garforth. Choreographer: Jean-Christopher Maillot. Composer: Tchaikovsky. Maillot's version of the classic ballet The Nutcracker is an innovative interpretation of the well known subject. It was his brainchild to transpose the ballet into the world of circus, while keeping the basic tenet wherein the real world blends with the fantasy world of childhood. 90 mins. (2006) DVD-Region 1.

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