Ballet Performance Videos

Magnificent scenic effects and dramatic choreography have ensured the popularity of Petipa’s exotic ballet Le Corsaire, a story of pirates and shipwreck, set on the Ionian coast. This production features Altynai Asylmuratova and Faroukh Ruzimatov who give exuberant and extroverted performances. "…the leading dancers were little short of sensational". 85 mins. (2005) DVD-Region 1.

Frederick Ashton's delightful ballet has proved irresistible to audiences of all ages and The Royal Ballet's production has immediate appeal for newcomers to ballet as well as for those who return time and again to enjoy its lyrical comedy. 100 mins. (2005) DVD-Region 1.

This production of Les Sylphides is from Agrippina Vaganova’s 1928 restaging under its original name. The dancers include soloists Altynai Asylmuratova and Konstantin Zaklinsky (Mazurka and Valse), Yelena Pankova (second Valse) and Anna Polikarpove (Prelude). Like many spectacular Soviet ballets, Oleg Vinogradov’s Petrushka is a glorious feast of vigorous steps, danced with inexhaustible energy by a large cast. However, it is far removed from Fokine’s original Petrushka about the sad puppet who could not win the love of a heartless ballerina. Instead, this innovative ballet concerns itself with the politics of today and shows a populace intoxicated by propaganda. Barber’s Adagio, set to Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, is an example of Vinogradov’s more lyrical choreography, and is beautifully danced by Yelena Yevteeva and Eldar Aliev. In contrast, the pas de deux from Le Corsaire is a showpiece danced with dazzling virtuosity by Lyubov Kunakova and Faroukh Ruzimatov. The Fairy Doll, staged by Nicolai and Sergei Legat in 1903, is a pantomimic divertissement, charmingly danced by Larissa Lezhnina, Dmitry Gruzdev and Yaroslav Fadayev, and Arthur Saint-Leon’s Markitenka to a lively score by Cesare Pugni is a pas de six of exuberant dancing. Originally a two-act ballet, the Pacquita we know today is essentially the ballet’s glittering core, the Grand Pas, which was choreographed by Petipa in 1881. Inspired by the flamboyance of Ludwig Minkus’ music, Petipa created a stylistic showpiece, flavored with a delectable Spanish air. 147 mins. (1991) DVD-Region 1.

Mikhail Fokine was Diaghilev’s chief choreographer 1909-14 and he is considered to have been the creator of modern dance. This sparkling Russian gala features four Fokine ballets, all associated with Nijinsky. Recorded live from the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the Kirov Ballet brings to life, once again, the full glory of the Ballets Russes. Featuring Sheherazade, Le Spectre de la Rose, The Polovtsian Dances, and The Firebird. 110 mins. (2005) DVD-Region 1.

Highlights From The Royal Ballet features stunning performances from one of the world’s leading ballet companies. This wonderful compilation showcases the talent of Anthony Dowell, Lesley Collier, Wayne Eagling, Alessandra Ferri and many others n superb productions of popular ballet favorites. 60 mins. (1999) DVD-Region 1.

This superb collection of stunning pas de deux, from many of the best-loved classical ballets, features some of the most celebrated partnerships of recent times, including Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev in a convert performance from Le Corsaire. 91 mins. (1995) DVD-Region 1.

From the early days of this century, the Maryinsky Ballet, later the Kirov, dazzled audiences with the beauty of the dance. Five years research in Russia’s archives has unearthed fascinating footage, much of it never before available in the West, of many of the company’s great dancers. Mikhail Baryshnikov, Boris Bregvadze, Nikita Dolgushin, Natalia Dudinskaya, Tamara Karsavina, Irina Kolpakova, Gabriela Komleva, Ninel Kurgapkina, Natalia Makarova, Rudolf Nureyev, Olga Moiseyeva, Alla Osipenko, Vladilen Semenov, Konstantin Sergeyev, Alla Sizova, Galana Ulanova, Sergei Vikulov. 90 mins. (2005) DVD-All-Region.

Glyndebourne Festival Opera is feted worldwide. Situated in the heart of some of England’s loveliest countryside, it is a perfect setting for combining operatic excellence with a unique sense of occasion. Glyndebourne excels in the production of pieces that are enhanced by the intimate setting of its auditorium, as evidenced here in extracts from works by Rossini, Gluck, Bizet, Mozart and Monteverdi. 59 mins. (2007) DVD-Region 1.

La Bayadere (The Temple Dancer) was filmed live at the Kirov Theater (on the stage where it premiered in 1877) starring Gabriella Komleva as the pathetic temple dancer, Nikia; Tatiana Terekhova as Gamzatti, the Rajah's daughter, and Rejen Abdyev as Prince Solor. This performance exhibits the perfection achieved by the Kirov corps de ballet. The orchestra, under the baton of Victor Shirokov, plays Minkus' scintillating music. A piece of history, and a work of art, La Bayadere is quite simply a gem to be savored again and again. 130 mins. (2008) DVD-All-Region.

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