Ballet Performance DVDs - Carmen. Coppelia, Creole Giselle, Don Quixote, Giselle

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) 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.

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Ballet Performance DVDs

The Bolshoi Ballet’s prima ballerina, Maya Plisetskaya, is the star of this lyrical film of excerpts from several of her most famous roles. The centerpiece of the film is the ballet of Carmen, a spectacularly choreographed and orchestrated version of George Bizet’s famous opera. Also included are scenes from Glazunov’s Raymonda, a choreographed version of a Bach work called Prelude, and the famous Dying Swan. First created by Mikhail Fokine for Anna Pavlova, The Dying Swan appeals, in Fokine’s own words, “not merely to the eye but to the emotions and the imagination.” This is a genuinely cinematic treatment of ballet and dancers and not merely a filming of a stage production. Choreography by Vladimir Vasiliev, Alberto Alonso and others is featured along with spectacular conducting by composer Rodion Shchedrin. 64 mins. (2008) DVD-All-Region

Starring: Sara Rudner, Jennifer Way, Tom Rawe. A rock-dance special by choreographer Twyla Tharp to original music by David Byrne of Talking Heads. With spectacular visual effects, animation and computer generated figures, this program is a phenomenal dance experience. 87 mins. (2005) DVD-Region 1.

Princess Grace of Monaco is the narrator of this documentary about the Vaganova Choreographic Institute, also known as the Kirov School of Leningrad, where the Soviet Union trains an elite bundle of students who will be the cream of its balletic future. Each year thousands of children, 8 to 13 in age, apply for admission. Twenty are admitted, based on physical conformation, long legs, well-arched feet, and flexible joints. Graduates of the Kirov School include such greats as Nureyev, Baryshnikov, Nijinsky, Pavlova, and Blanchine. But dance is what “The Children of Theatre Street” is mostly about. “The Children of Theatre Street” is a revealing view of the way the Russians go about continuing their great rendition of classical ballet. No lover of ballet and children will want to miss it. “ ‘Theatre Street’ tells an important story and tells it brilliantly…at the Kirov School there will always be another vintage year, and ‘Theatre Street’ tells why.” – Rudolf Nureyev. “I cried when I saw ‘Theatre Street’ for the first time. It brings back many memories. – Natalia Makarova. “Anyone interested in ballet should see ‘Theatre Street’.” – Anna Kisselgoff, New York Times. 92 mins. (2004) DVD-Region 1.

The Royal Ballet. The acclaimed historic performance of Cinderella from 1969 featuring the memorable cast of Anthony Dowell, Antoinette Sibley, Frederick Ashton and Robert Helpmann. A collector’s item for ballet lovers of all ages! 102 mins. (1969) DVD-Region 1.

This is an outstanding ballet of the timeless fairy tale that has captured the hearts of young and old for centuries! Set to Sergei Prokofiev’s classic score, the Bolshoi Ballet performs in this color motion picture from 1961. Filmed with multiple cameras which created long, medium and close-up shots and special effects, this is not simply a “canned” performance, but one in which film, dance and music combine to produce an unforgettable experience. And with Raisa Struchkova in the title role, and a teenaged Yekaterina Maximova in a supporting part, this historic program is a must for ballet lovers everywhere! 82 mins. (2005) DVD-All-Region.

Starring: Irina Shapchits, Mikhail Zavialov, Petr Rusanov, Elvira Tarasova. Conductor: Alexandre Viliumanis. Composer: Leo Delibes. Coppélia is a classical ballet in the true sense, and with its touch of East European folklore, continues to enjoy worldwide popularity. It combines the romance between Swanilda and Franz with the story of the doll-maker Coppelius, whose greatest desire is to create a doll with a soul. Franz immediately falls in love with Coppélia, who he thinks is real, but eventually recognizes is just a doll. He returns to Swanilda, after which the final grand divertissement sees everyone reconciled. 91 mins. (2006) DVD-Region 1.

Coppelia is a love story in three acts. This beloved ballet is regarded as dance’s great comedy with music by Delibes. Based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Der Sandmann, the ballet combines the romance between Swanilda and Franz with the story of the doll maker Coppelius, whose greatest desire is to create a doll with a soul. Franz promptly falls in love with Coppelia, whom he thinks alive, but eventually recognizes that she is just a doll and returns to Swanilda, after which the final grand divertissement sees everyone reconciled. With its touch of East European Folklore, the ballet continues to enjoy undiminished worldwide popularity…and is one of the most delightful and best-known ballets. Fernando Bujones, one of the most acclaimed male dancers of our time, gives an extraordinary performance as Franz, the young lover. 110 mins. (2006) DVD-All-Region.

The Dance Theatre of Harlem is presented in Creole Giselle, their acclaimed interpretation of the ballet classic. Making only minor changes in the story, music and traditional choreography of the repertory staple, DTH founder Arthur Mitchell has set the ballet in 1841 Louisiana. It was a time when social status among freed blacks was measured by how far removed one’s family was from slavery: the community’s “aristocrats” looked down on those whose immediate family had been enslaved. Thus, in the DTH version, Giselle faces the same social obstacles and heart-breaking rejection by Albert and his family as their classical counterparts. Giselle is danced by Virginia Johnson, hailed as “strong and yet delicate…very moving…remarkable.” Eddie J. Shellman co-stars, and was praised as “an attractive and unusually brash Albert, his solos securely dispatched.” See for your self why Creole Giselle is one of the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s most popular works. 88 mins. (2005) DVD-All-Region.

Even after the death of the great choreographer and ballet master George Balanchine, the legacy of his beautiful ballets lives on. This documentary celebrates six of Balanchine’s ballerinas, Mary Ellen Moylan, Maria Tallchief, Melissa Hayden, Allegra Kent, Merrill Ashley and Darci Kistler, and shows them keeping alive the ballets and the inspiration they learned from him. For all of them, Balanchine was the single most powerful influence in their lives. These ballerinas, along with Suzanne Farrell, Tanaquil le Clerq and Diana Adams, are seen in a feast of excerpts of Balanchine ballets, including Concerto Barocco, Serenade, Symphony in C, Firebird, Stars and Stripes, Ballo Della Regina, Chaconne, Agon, Four Temperaments, Apollo and Scotch Symphony. This film creates a composite portrait of being a dancer, of being a Balanchine dancer, and shows how the lives of Balanchine and these six ballerinas touched each other in indelible ways during a unique period. 82 mins. (2008) DVD-All-Region

Stanton Welch believes in classical ballet. Yet your expectations will be denied and preconceptions challenged by this, his most original creation. Divergence is an adrenalin charged and provocative work performed by The Australian Ballet. From the opening movement, Welch’s vision will startle. Contradictions abound. It is at once light and playful, alien and sensuous, serene and chaotic, cool and explosive. 45 mins. (2007) DVD-Region 1

The tremendous resources of the Kirov Ballet flash and dash through the four acts of joyous Petipa and Gorsky choreography making Don Quixote a thrilling visual treat. This delightful spectacle features the great Soviet dancers Tatyana Terekhova and Farouk Ruzimatov as the lovers Kitri and Basilio. Don Quixote is performed by Kirov star Vladimir Ponomaryov. The story of Don Quixote tells of the old knight who dreams of chivalry, and his comic squire Sancho Panza. They come to Barcelona where they find Kitri, the daughter of an innkeeper, who is in love with Basilio the local Barber. But her father wishes Kitri to marry the foppish Gamache. How Kitri and Basilio outwit this plan by fleeing from Barcelona, and how Don Quixote tilts at windmills and dreams of fair ladies, and how eventually Kitri and Basilio are united, is the action of this joyous ballet. Don Quixote is staged in the celebrated designs by Golovin and Korovin. This performance by the Kirov has been hailed as one of the greatest large cast ballet productions ever recorded on film. 120 mins. (1988) DVD-All-Region.

Margot Fonteyn & Rudolf Nureyev…perhaps the greatest partnership in the history of ballet. This video traces their partnership from its glorious inception in 1962 (in “Giselle” at Covent Garden), to its grand finale some 17 years later. It is unique in that it includes rare, behind-the-scenes footage of both dancers. This special tribute program has now become even more of a treasure due to the passing of both Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. Robert Powell narrates and ballet personalities such as dame Ninette de Valois, founder of The Royal Ballet, provide their thoughts and memories on the lives of Fonteyn, Nureyev and their association. This collector’s item is an intriguing visual biography of the greatest ballet partnership of all time. 90 mins. (DVD-2005) DVD-All-Region.

Starring: Galina Mezentseva, Konstantin Zaklinsky, Angelina Kabarova. Conductor: Viktor Fedotov. Choreographer: Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot. Composer: Adolphe Adam. The romantic ballet, Giselle, first seen in 1841, was the finest of the ballets staged in Paris during the age of Romanticism. Over the years Giselle disappeared from the repertory outside Russia, and has only survived through the recognition of its quality and the preservation of its traditions by the Kirov Ballet. The role of Giselle has been compared to that of Hamlet. She is a simple peasant girl, driven from joy to madness and death through an unhappy love. She is transformed into a ghost and ordered to help destroy the man who betrayed her, while still seeking to sustain him because of her undying love. 108 mins. (2006) DVD-Region 1.

For more than thirty years, The Voice of Firestone brought the world’s greatest artists into the homes of music lovers. Now, through a special arrangement with the New England Conservatory in Boston, Kultur is proud to make these rare telecasts available. Among the treasures from the Firestone archives are Rudolf Nureyev’s American television solo debut; the legendary team of Jacques D’Amboise and Melissa Hayden; the brilliant Maria Tallchief; Carla Fracci in a rare Pas de quatre set to the music of Pugni; as well as principal dancers of the Royal Danish Ballet and a performance by the Ballet Espanol Ximenes-Vargas. 49 mins. (2008) DVD-All-Region

Features three programs on one DVD: Bujones In Class; In His Image; and Bujones Winning At Varna. Bujones In Class - This unique film is an excellent learning and teaching tool especially designed by Mr. Bujones to teach the technique of classical ballet with emphasis on posture placement and the classical movements. In His Image - Starring Fernando Bujones in performances and conversations and featuring classical variations from: Giselle, Raymonda, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Le Corsaire, La Sylphide, and 7 Greek Dances. Bujones Winning At Varna - Hailed as one of the greatest dancers of the 20th century, Fernando Bujones' Gold Medal victory at the International Ballet Competition VII in Varna, Bulgaria on July 24, 1974, developed into a history making event for the world of dance. Varna was an exciting turning point in Fernando Bujones' life that rocketed him to international stardom and a global dance career. 106 mins. (2008) DVD-All-Region

A comical tale of fairies, mismatched lovers, and a mischievous sprite, Sir Frederick Ashton’s enduring one-act ballet, The Dream, has delighted audiences since its premiere in 1964. Set to the ethereal music of Felix Mendelssohn, the ballet is a charming interpretation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “Ashton’s genius soars typically to the heights of poetic metaphor,” boasted The New York Times. “Charm is making a comeback in New York this spring,” enthused The Washington Post. The New York Observer described the ballet as “so fluent, so charged, so natural,” that “you know you’re in the hands of a master.” To celebrate the centennial of Ashton’s birth, DANCE IN AMERICA presents American Ballet Theatre’s acclaimed staging, starring Ethan Stiefel, Alessandra Ferri, and Herman Cornejo. 54 mins. (2004) DVD-Region 1.