Thank you a million times John Clifford, for posting all of these precious videos....You have saved me many times from the agony of being far away from Balanchine works....And these are the best! The moment!
thanks again... always come back to this vid... they are so beautiful, never hurried, always lush, always collected and as if they have lots of time to breathe ... and man are they big
God damn, this is good!!! I had heard about Merrill in this but had not seen it (my City Ballet friends always praised Merrill over Gelsey!). This is just flabbergasting. Both Merrill and Sean. And I think what makes this so exciting is the entire company. Gelsey and Misha’s perf is with ABT, and boy does NYCB make a difference. Thank you so much for posting.
I love Theme and Variations! Thanks John. Merrill Ashley and Sean Lavery, very nice. I love Mr. B. for actually giving the corps things to dance, not just pose in the background.
I've known this music for a long time, but never have seen this ballet before. It reminds me of Diamonds, of course; but I sort of like this finale Polonaise better. Thank you so much for this video. It's really beautiful choreography and dancing,
My first time seeing ballet ever with Youskevitch and Alonzo at the Biltmore Theatre in Los Angeles in 1950 with Ballet Theater. Little did I know that I would be in Ballet Theater later in my life. Also, working with John Clifford at NBC in Burbank on a television special.
To all who get annoyed when we say Gelsey did this better: Gelsey *did* do it better. And remember that Gelsey first did this when she was *16*. Notice here that Merrill does entrechat-quatres in her 1st fast variation, while Gelsey did entr-sixes. Much harder. Gelsey was also faster. And for the record, I was a student at SAB in the 1970s when they both were in the company, as was Mr. Clifford - I saw him DANCE with Gelsey, and he *taught* a class I took one day, tho I don't think he will recall. AMAZING. So some of us were there, up close, and saw what these dancers were doing.
Yes. Gelsey, especially when she was first doing it in City Ballet, was amazing in it, and no one has touched her technically since. Not only those sixes you mention, and her speed, but all those triple pirouettes she threw in. Balanchine adored her in it, as did I.
Thank you for your comment. As a know nothing ...just getting into ballet, l love to hear these comments, as l dont know _why_ Gelsey looks so different. There is no documentary, or bio l've found that actually speaks about her amazingness. Only something about drugs which isnt as interesting to me. l want to know what made her so outstanding. What you wrote helps me put some pieces together. :)
Oh my god Becky. Thank you so much mr. Clifford I love Merrill Ashley so much it's like seriously ridiculous. By the time I got to New York City Manhattan I saw the cast I usually saw was Damian Woetzel and Margaret Tracy who are great but I guess I was a little too late in my arrival for to see a live performance of Meryl doing theme but thank you so much because she is phenomenal.
Ottima presenza in proscenio d'un coordinato corollario danzante. Ottimi i convoli e le tenute aeree con efficaci positure figurali. MOLTO BRAVI. BIGHIN GIULIO RENZO
I saw Nancy Ichino (Yoko) do this with Kirk Peterson as her partner at the Met in 1978 or 79. They were wonderful. I should have said Yoko but I met her when she was in Joffrey 2, she still went by Nancy.
So great. Danke sehr. Is this about 1988? I worked there then. Make up If it was then I am no doubt sitting right behind the edge of a teaser... In tears. Lol. True
theme was done on Alonso& Youskevitch at Ballet theatre, Mr B later expanded the ballet to include the first 3 parts, scrim down for first 3 parts then up for Theme,
@@barbaralemere5183 i also agree, for me the white gives such a feeling of beauty, purity of classical ballet. Same goes for the Tchaikovski production Serenade, the contrast in white of Mariinsky, in YT Kirov Serenade, i so much prefer the pure white than all the blue of NYCB. It seems to visually change the overall ballet.
So do i. The white gives such a diferent feeling, especially in the Mariinsky, on YT although the video quality is not great . but it has the right speed and the magic of clasical ballet.
What a treasure--thank you! The Polonaise to end all polonaises. "Who can tell the dancer from the dance?" --W.B. Yeats. By the way, why is Elégie so seldom performed? It's one of my favorites.
Yes, I have read that. I suppose the middle two movements have fallen by the wayside--at least I've never heard of them being revived. But I would love to see the first movement performed more often, with or without the last movement. It's hauntingly beautiful, and the music is so fresh and passionate.
Perfect couple: Merrill and Lavery. I like this version very much and think its rather unfair making a rank between Merrill and Kirkland. In the ABT version Mr. B. changed sometimes his choreo and the tempi, so it becomes more difficult. Both Merill and Gelsey danced what Mr. B. wants to have and to see.I think not every dance ore dancer is better because more difficulties or quick, quick...
Subtle changes in choreography throughout than the ABT 78 version Michael Lland set. Would be interesting to learn who or what was closest to Balanchine's original intention.
Sorry. I assumed everyone would know it’s George Balanchine’s THEME AND VARIATIONS (says that somewhere) with music from Tchaikovsky Suite for Orchestra #3 (last movement)
Was this done as part of the whole Tchaikovsky Suite #3? This is the T&V cast I saw the very first time I saw NYCB and it was the whole suite, which I love. Merrill was a younger principal and was fabulous. Is she the one people refer to as having "the fastest feet in the West"? I've always loved taller ballerinas who move quickly (and shorter ballerinas who take the space as if they were much taller, Alina Cojacaru, for example). Thanks for posting!
John Clifford I'm sure you get asked this a lot but what was it like working with Balanchine? What was his process like as a choreographer? I remember Margot Fontenot saying in her autobiography that Sir Fred would come into the studio and say, "So what shall we do then?" and then just generate these masterpieces
Through Merrill I saw what Mr. Balanchine wanted. Through Gelsey I saw partly what Mr. Balanchine wanted, what herself wanted, and what Tchaikovsky had wanted.
I'm not sure it's fair to compare with the camera so far back and professional videographers having filmed that Live from Lincoln. Baryshnikov was probably better than Lavery at this point but because of the distance and the lighting it's hard to see things like are his feet pointed. And Ashley and Kirkland were very different dancers even if you discount the difference in height and body build. Just sayin'...
The dancing is magnificent, but whoo boy, the orchestra sounds terrible. Some seriously out of tune winds and some way over zealous viola playing (covering the poor violin soloist) are especially unfortunate. State Theater’s dry-as-a-bone acoustics don’t help matters.
powerofalto You realize this is an amateur video for only archival reasons and not how the orchestra sounds in person. Who knows how this was recorded.
One doesn’t need a high-quality recording to tell if players are in tune or if balance is good. My impression is that the NYC Ballet orchestra is overwhelmed by the quantity of repertoire it has to play each season, and is frequently under-rehearsed. (There’s rarely a hitch, for example, in Nutcracker performances, because the orchestra plays it so much.) It’s always struck me as odd, because Balanchine so valued live music.
powerofalto Not sure when this was taped. Could have been after he died which I think it was. He cared deeply about the orchestra and often bragged about it saying, “If you don’t like the ballet just close your eyes and listen to the music.”
Thank you a million times John Clifford, for posting all of these precious videos....You have saved me many times from the agony of being far away from Balanchine works....And these are the best! The moment!
Audrey Elwood You are very welcome.
Not me watching this again... and almost going to cry.
Makes me so happy to watch!
thanks again... always come back to this vid... they are so beautiful, never hurried, always lush, always collected and as if they have lots of time to breathe ... and man are they big
Omg Merrill Ashley was and still is a Goddess!!
God damn, this is good!!! I had heard about Merrill in this but had not seen it (my City Ballet friends always praised Merrill over Gelsey!). This is just flabbergasting. Both Merrill and Sean. And I think what makes this so exciting is the entire company. Gelsey and Misha’s perf is with ABT, and boy does NYCB make a difference. Thank you so much for posting.
How can you tell it’s Merrill Ashley and Sean Lavery?
Magnificent to see this. Thank you Mr Clifford. Merrill Ashley is superb along with the full cast
This is just one heck of a beautiful piece! l enjoy it no matter who is dancing it. Thank you for uploading it John. :D
I love Theme and Variations! Thanks John. Merrill Ashley and Sean Lavery, very nice. I love Mr. B. for actually giving the corps things to dance, not just pose in the background.
I've known this music for a long time, but never have seen this ballet before. It reminds me of Diamonds, of
course; but I sort of like this finale Polonaise better. Thank you so much for this video. It's really beautiful
choreography and dancing,
Awww! I just had to watch this after seeing the current cast.
Something about the ol’ skool 🤷🏾♂️💓💕🙌🏾
My first time seeing ballet ever with Youskevitch and Alonzo at the Biltmore Theatre in Los Angeles in 1950 with Ballet Theater. Little did I know that I would be in Ballet Theater later in my life. Also, working with John Clifford at NBC in Burbank on a television special.
Always wonderful to be reminded of what was. Thanks.
To all who get annoyed when we say Gelsey did this better: Gelsey *did* do it better. And remember that Gelsey first did this when she was *16*. Notice here that Merrill does entrechat-quatres in her 1st fast variation, while Gelsey did entr-sixes. Much harder. Gelsey was also faster.
And for the record, I was a student at SAB in the 1970s when they both were in the company, as was Mr. Clifford - I saw him DANCE with Gelsey, and he *taught* a class I took one day, tho I don't think he will recall. AMAZING. So some of us were there, up close, and saw what these dancers were doing.
Yes. Gelsey, especially when she was first doing it in City Ballet, was amazing in it, and no one has touched her technically since. Not only those sixes you mention, and her speed, but all those triple pirouettes she threw in. Balanchine adored her in it, as did I.
Thank you for your comment. As a know nothing ...just getting into ballet, l love to hear these comments, as l dont know _why_ Gelsey looks so different. There is no documentary, or bio l've found that actually speaks about her amazingness. Only something about drugs which isnt as interesting to me. l want to know what made her so outstanding. What you wrote helps me put some pieces together. :)
I've always read that Ashley was wonderful in this, I"m glad to see that it was true.
Oh my god Becky. Thank you so much mr. Clifford I love Merrill Ashley so much it's like seriously ridiculous. By the time I got to New York City Manhattan I saw the cast I usually saw was Damian Woetzel and Margaret Tracy who are great but I guess I was a little too late in my arrival for to see a live performance of Meryl doing theme but thank you so much because she is phenomenal.
stunning!
Terrific and important addition!
Ottima presenza in proscenio d'un coordinato corollario danzante. Ottimi i convoli e le tenute aeree con efficaci positure figurali. MOLTO BRAVI. BIGHIN GIULIO RENZO
I saw Nancy Ichino (Yoko) do this with Kirk Peterson as her partner at the Met in 1978 or 79. They were wonderful. I should have said Yoko but I met her when she was in Joffrey 2, she still went by Nancy.
So great. Danke sehr.
Is this about 1988? I worked there then. Make up
If it was then I am no doubt sitting right behind the edge of a teaser...
In tears. Lol. True
theme was done on Alonso& Youskevitch at Ballet theatre, Mr B later expanded the ballet to include the first 3 parts, scrim down for first 3 parts then up for Theme,
Even though I love Kirkland and Baryshnikov's version, I much prefer the white and blue costumes of such performances
I agree, I didn't like the Ballet theater colors nearly as much. It was distracting.
@@barbaralemere5183 i also agree, for me the white gives such a feeling of beauty, purity of classical ballet.
Same goes for the Tchaikovski production Serenade, the contrast in white of Mariinsky, in YT Kirov Serenade, i so much prefer the pure white than all the blue of NYCB.
It seems to visually change the overall ballet.
So do i. The white gives such a diferent feeling, especially in the Mariinsky, on YT although the video quality is not great . but it has the right speed and the magic of clasical ballet.
What year is this? Many thanks, Mr. Clifford!
What a treasure--thank you! The Polonaise to end all polonaises. "Who can tell the dancer from the dance?" --W.B. Yeats. By the way, why is Elégie so seldom performed? It's one of my favorites.
Philip Kuttner The “Elegie” is the 1st Mov of Balanchine’s TCHAIKOVSKY SUITE #3. Theme and Variations here is just the last Mov.
Yes, I have read that. I suppose the middle two movements have fallen by the wayside--at least I've never heard of them being revived. But I would love to see the first movement performed more often, with or without the last movement. It's hauntingly beautiful, and the music is so fresh and passionate.
Philip Kuttner Well the whole ballet, Tchaikovsky Suite #3 is still being done by NYCB I think.
I'll have to barrage SF Ballet with requests!
This is wonderful! Too bad the camera was so far back, even during the pas de Deux.
Perfect couple: Merrill and Lavery. I like this version very much and think its rather unfair making a rank between Merrill and Kirkland. In the ABT version Mr. B. changed sometimes his choreo and the tempi, so it becomes more difficult. Both Merill and Gelsey danced what Mr. B. wants to have and to see.I think not every dance ore dancer is better because more difficulties or quick, quick...
❤️❤️❤️
Brava!
Could you possibly post Margaret Tracey and Damian Woetzel doing this amazing ballet?
Jared B I don't have a video of them doing this unfortunately.
Subtle changes in choreography throughout than the ABT 78 version Michael Lland set. Would be interesting to learn who or what was closest to Balanchine's original intention.
craig williams Probably what Lland set for us in 1970 when Mr. B revived it as part of his “Tchaikovsky Suite #3”
Does anybody know what year this is from?
Could you, please, edit the name of the video and add composer's name and the piece?
Sorry. I assumed everyone would know it’s George Balanchine’s THEME AND VARIATIONS (says that somewhere) with music from Tchaikovsky Suite for Orchestra #3 (last movement)
Is it merril Ashley and in anderson
Sean Lavery.
Was this done as part of the whole Tchaikovsky Suite #3? This is the T&V cast I saw the very first time I saw NYCB and it was the whole suite, which I love. Merrill was a younger principal and was fabulous. Is she the one people refer to as having "the fastest feet in the West"? I've always loved taller ballerinas who move quickly (and shorter ballerinas who take the space as if they were much taller, Alina Cojacaru, for example). Thanks for posting!
minissa2009 Yes. I was the original lead in the 3rd Mov SCHERZO and Balanchine had me learn Theme too.
John Clifford I'm sure you get asked this a lot but what was it like working with Balanchine? What was his process like as a choreographer? I remember Margot Fontenot saying in her autobiography that Sir Fred would come into the studio and say, "So what shall we do then?" and then just generate these masterpieces
FONTEYN lousy autocorrect...
That's a very long question. Look at my blog as I've written a lot about working with Balanchine there. blogspot.com/johnclifford26
johnclifford26.blogspot.com/
7:45
Not bad, Gelsey did it better though.
Gelsey did everything better than anyone.
Merrill was the best at being Merrill, and nobody was better at being Gelsey than Gelsey.
Through Merrill I saw what Mr. Balanchine wanted. Through Gelsey I saw partly what Mr. Balanchine wanted, what herself wanted, and what Tchaikovsky had wanted.
I'm not sure it's fair to compare with the camera so far back and professional videographers having filmed that Live from Lincoln. Baryshnikov was probably better than Lavery at this point but because of the distance and the lighting it's hard to see things like are his feet pointed. And Ashley and Kirkland were very different dancers even if you discount the difference in height and body build. Just sayin'...
As true as that statement is, Gelsey is still the greater dancer on every level.
The dancing is magnificent, but whoo boy, the orchestra sounds terrible. Some seriously out of tune winds and some way over zealous viola playing (covering the poor violin soloist) are especially unfortunate. State Theater’s dry-as-a-bone acoustics don’t help matters.
powerofalto You realize this is an amateur video for only archival reasons and not how the orchestra sounds in person. Who knows how this was recorded.
One doesn’t need a high-quality recording to tell if players are in tune or if balance is good. My impression is that the NYC Ballet orchestra is overwhelmed by the quantity of repertoire it has to play each season, and is frequently under-rehearsed. (There’s rarely a hitch, for example, in Nutcracker performances, because the orchestra plays it so much.) It’s always struck me as odd, because Balanchine so valued live music.
powerofalto Not sure when this was taped. Could have been after he died which I think it was. He cared deeply about the orchestra and often bragged about it saying, “If you don’t like the ballet just close your eyes and listen to the music.”
8:47