I noticed her "head" position was always "perfect" at the end of every movement/pose...she'd extend her neck,,,making it elongated,,,,,,so elegantly extended along with the rest of her line....she was perfectly "vertical" .and her arm and leg extensions where perfect... her body position was "on point" consistently........her 50(?) years of training and dancing was unsurpassable....how do you excel from perfection? not to say all the other top notch ballerinas, at the same time, didn't have excellent line and posture and extensions, etc...but,.I have to agree with Dowell,....Margot just had "perfect" proportions
Like playing Mozart to a child...such a profound comment. And as the years go by I realise that Margot truly did find the essence; born from her own unexamined sorrow perhaps. An arabesque aching with longing that still stings to see...
I'm looking for the wonderful film John Hall showed of Nureyev and Fontyen in 1973 at the Covent Garden gala 'Fanfare For Europe". Can you advise where I can see the film?
hi Danny - it was done especially for you, really! it says so much (more could be said of course) about how one should fully appreciate Margot Fonteyn. i love that Sibley could not see what the fuss was about and then was absolutely bowled over when she understood what Fonteyn was offering. i'm putting up the 'Corsaire' PDD - it's everywhere and known by all - but i wanted to have it here. in the notes i describe how i saw Fonteyn and Nureyev in a Gala perform the piece, and outline the other dancers performing on that night: Vivi Flindt, Toni Lander, Henning Kronstam and Brice Marks from The Royal Danish Ballet offered ‘The Moor’s Pavane’. Carla Fracci and Paolo Bortoluzzi from the Ballet of La Scala gave the pas de deux from Act 2 of ‘Coppelia’. Alexandra Radius and Han Ebblaar from the Dutch National Ballet in ‘Twilight’ (first performance of the Hans van Manen ballet). Svetlana Beriosova and Donald MacLeary from the Royal Ballet performed a pas de deus from ‘The Lady and the Fool’. Angele Albrecht and Daniel Lommel from Ballet of the C20 presented a pas de deux from ‘Bhakti’. Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev from the Royal Ballet danced a pas de deux from 'Le Corsaire'. Merle Park, David Wall, Jennifer Penney, Michael Coleman, Laura Connor and Gary Sherwood from the Royal Ballet performed Sir Frederick Ashtion’s ‘Symphonic Variations’. Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun from the Stuttgart Ballet gave a pas de deux from Act 1 to ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. Anthony Dowell and Antoinette Sibley from the Royal Ballet offered ‘Pavane’ (the first performance of the Kenneth MacMillan work, with costumes by Anthony Dowell). Noelle Pontois and Cyril Atanassoff from the Ballet of the Paris Opera danced a pas de deux from Act 2 of ‘Swan Lake’. Lynn Seymour and Rudolph Nureyev from the Royal Ballet presented a new work devised for the Gala by Kenneth MacMillan, ‘Side Show’. No too shabby!
louiselins hi! wasn't it - people who i may never have seen before (like Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun who came from Stuttgart) - and all in one place. champagne!
I noticed her "head" position was always "perfect" at the end of every movement/pose...she'd extend her neck,,,making it elongated,,,,,,so elegantly extended along with the rest of her line....she was perfectly "vertical" .and her arm and leg extensions where perfect... her body position was "on point" consistently........her 50(?) years of training and dancing was unsurpassable....how do you excel from perfection? not to say all the other top notch ballerinas, at the same time, didn't have excellent line and posture and extensions, etc...but,.I have to agree with Dowell,....Margot just had "perfect" proportions
Like playing Mozart to a child...such a profound comment. And as the years go by I realise that Margot truly did find the essence; born from her own unexamined sorrow perhaps. An arabesque aching with longing that still stings to see...
yes, the Mozart reference is so apt. Margot found the essence beyond the steps and obvious expression
I'm looking for the wonderful film John Hall showed of Nureyev and Fontyen in 1973 at the Covent Garden gala 'Fanfare For Europe".
Can you advise where I can see the film?
i was at that performance and they performed the Corsaire PDD - was that what you were thinking of Anton?
When were these interviews filmed?
they come from a documentary i have called 'About Margot Fonteyn' - sadly the video doe not have credits indicating the date
hi nick ,is it for me ? LOL
hi Danny - it was done especially for you, really!
it says so much (more could be said of course) about how one should fully appreciate Margot Fonteyn.
i love that Sibley could not see what the fuss was about and then was absolutely bowled over when she understood what Fonteyn was offering.
i'm putting up the 'Corsaire' PDD - it's everywhere and known by all - but i wanted to have it here. in the notes i describe how i saw Fonteyn and Nureyev in a Gala perform the piece, and outline the other dancers performing on that night:
Vivi Flindt, Toni Lander, Henning Kronstam and Brice Marks from The Royal Danish Ballet offered ‘The Moor’s Pavane’.
Carla Fracci and Paolo Bortoluzzi from the Ballet of La Scala gave the pas de deux from Act 2 of ‘Coppelia’.
Alexandra Radius and Han Ebblaar from the Dutch National Ballet in ‘Twilight’ (first performance of the Hans van Manen ballet).
Svetlana Beriosova and Donald MacLeary from the Royal Ballet performed a pas de deus from ‘The Lady and the Fool’.
Angele Albrecht and Daniel Lommel from Ballet of the C20 presented a pas de deux from ‘Bhakti’.
Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev from the Royal Ballet danced a pas de deux from 'Le Corsaire'.
Merle Park, David Wall, Jennifer Penney, Michael Coleman, Laura Connor and Gary Sherwood from the Royal Ballet performed Sir Frederick Ashtion’s ‘Symphonic Variations’.
Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun from the Stuttgart Ballet gave a pas de deux from Act 1 to ‘The Taming of the Shrew’.
Anthony Dowell and Antoinette Sibley from the Royal Ballet offered ‘Pavane’ (the first performance of the Kenneth MacMillan work, with costumes by Anthony Dowell).
Noelle Pontois and Cyril Atanassoff from the Ballet of the Paris Opera danced a pas de deux from Act 2 of ‘Swan Lake’.
Lynn Seymour and Rudolph Nureyev from the Royal Ballet presented a new work devised for the Gala by Kenneth MacMillan, ‘Side Show’.
No too shabby!
John Hall What a Gala.
louiselins hi! wasn't it - people who i may never have seen before (like Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun who came from Stuttgart) - and all in one place.
champagne!
MrQbenDanny is this gentleman still alive?he really was a true old style balletomane .
John Hall Indeed!!!